Baby, don't hurt me!
The question of love has been asked, and contemplated, over and over.
I am no expert, but I do believe we can all love better.
What does love look like?
To me, love means to hold one another in higher regard than one's own self.
Perhaps, this is why we have not perfected love, and why people still search for answers.
Looking out for our own self is so deeply ingrained in us that it has almost become a natural way to live.
I believe there is a better way, and there are a lot of people that get that concept, yet still there is a pesky selfishness which will always get in our way..
Jesus said that there is no greater love than to lay our own life down for our friends, yet He laid down His life for friend and foe alike. How deep that love must be!
I have been told I am compassionate and empathetic, and because of that I can look at a random stranger, almost see right through them, and sense their pain.
There are so many people who are hurting. People who are searching for love, yet cannot understand, nor model the love they so crave. This leads to more pain at their own hands, or an ever deepening pit of despair because they are too afraid to connect. They do not want to feel the pain of rejection yet again...
Some say love is pain, but we cannot understand one without the other.
Love can be painful.
Love can be wonderful.
Love is ambiguous, and mostly defined on an individual basis.
Love is god.
Christians claim; 'God is Love'.
God is a myriad of things, and so is love, so how do we define one or the other?
A good friend of mine told me, 'In order to experience God, you must be a part of the church, because if church is the 'Body of Christ', then we should experience God amongst our fellow seeking humans.'
I used to strive for a 'real, undeniable experience' with God, but this last year I let go of that vain pursuit.
I have come to accept that I may never experience God as the apostles did in their time. Perhaps, as my friend so aptly stated, 'Throughout history, God has worked undeniable miracles in one time, but then played a background character in the in-between.'
With all forms of faith, we gamble, but with Christ; it does not have to be a gamble.
I still struggle to fully understand that concept.
No matter how I fail Him, He still loves me. I do not have to perform to earn His love. It is freely given. I just need to accept it, right?
That is hard to do when you are heartbroken from hurting someone you are supposed to love.
I do not apologize for not having an answer to love. No one can for sure know. The closest we come is to go beyond ourselves, even to the point of death, to express love to those we choose to love, and even more so, to those we have chosen to hate.
May we all choose to love all equally, even those we feel driven to hate.
The question of love has been asked, and contemplated, over and over.
I am no expert, but I do believe we can all love better.
What does love look like?
To me, love means to hold one another in higher regard than one's own self.
Perhaps, this is why we have not perfected love, and why people still search for answers.
Looking out for our own self is so deeply ingrained in us that it has almost become a natural way to live.
I believe there is a better way, and there are a lot of people that get that concept, yet still there is a pesky selfishness which will always get in our way..
Jesus said that there is no greater love than to lay our own life down for our friends, yet He laid down His life for friend and foe alike. How deep that love must be!
I have been told I am compassionate and empathetic, and because of that I can look at a random stranger, almost see right through them, and sense their pain.
There are so many people who are hurting. People who are searching for love, yet cannot understand, nor model the love they so crave. This leads to more pain at their own hands, or an ever deepening pit of despair because they are too afraid to connect. They do not want to feel the pain of rejection yet again...
Some say love is pain, but we cannot understand one without the other.
Love can be painful.
Love can be wonderful.
Love is ambiguous, and mostly defined on an individual basis.
Love is god.
Christians claim; 'God is Love'.
God is a myriad of things, and so is love, so how do we define one or the other?
A good friend of mine told me, 'In order to experience God, you must be a part of the church, because if church is the 'Body of Christ', then we should experience God amongst our fellow seeking humans.'
I used to strive for a 'real, undeniable experience' with God, but this last year I let go of that vain pursuit.
I have come to accept that I may never experience God as the apostles did in their time. Perhaps, as my friend so aptly stated, 'Throughout history, God has worked undeniable miracles in one time, but then played a background character in the in-between.'
With all forms of faith, we gamble, but with Christ; it does not have to be a gamble.
I still struggle to fully understand that concept.
No matter how I fail Him, He still loves me. I do not have to perform to earn His love. It is freely given. I just need to accept it, right?
That is hard to do when you are heartbroken from hurting someone you are supposed to love.
I do not apologize for not having an answer to love. No one can for sure know. The closest we come is to go beyond ourselves, even to the point of death, to express love to those we choose to love, and even more so, to those we have chosen to hate.
May we all choose to love all equally, even those we feel driven to hate.
Insightful as always my friend
ReplyDelete