love

Some of my thoughts on l.o.v.e.

I don't consider myself extraordinary. In fact, I have many ordinary thoughts that many other human beings have. The thing that always fascinates me is love.. even the word, 'love'... is somewhat mystical and has a intriguing definition. I recently read about 150 different famous quotes on love. All of them show a side to the human perception, definition and understanding of love. With so much written, spoken, contemplated, debated and hypothesized about love - it made me pause and ask myself, "So what is it about love that makes it so worthwhile?". Really, truly meaningful. All I can write about it what I know and have experienced in my short life and splice in the wisdom gleaned from others who have walked this path before me. All I have is what I know today.. tomorrow will be different.. better, brighter.. further on this journey known as love.

More and more I have been confronted by the fact that love is a gift. Consequently, if we hold is too tightly, or expect too much - or put all of our hopes in it.. it just withers and dies.. Love is meant to be a gift that is given day after day... moment after moment.. If it becomes a requirement, an expectation, a possession or demand.. it is no longer love - it is an object.. it loses its mysticism, its beauty, freedom and power.. It becomes the opposite of its nature.. stale and lifeless.

When I think of love I see a beautiful garden with all of these wild flowers, trees... leagues and leagues of meadow and green. Vast, infinite, always growing at random, but maintaining boundaries... no one attribute of the garden overshadows another.. it's a reciprocal relationship - everything moving in one harmonious melody to the music of kindness, reverance, respect, esteem and unconditional acceptance.

Everyday I find I learn a little more about what it means to love. To not live for extreme passion or extreme deprivation.. I am learning that to love, I must release everything I have inside my heart to God.. continually. True love is unconditional love.. freeing love.. 'letting go' love... Something that amazes me is the fact that the Bible says that even while we were still sinners, Jesus died for the ones he loved! "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:7-9" Imagine that!?! Imagine giving someone the choice to choose you - but accepting the fact that they could still be met with your blatant rejection! Laying your entire life down for that person.. ENTIRELY... and accepting that even in doing so they could say nope, I don't want your love.

I don't want your love. Those are harsh words... But how often do I say them? Probably rarely if ever.. but I think them sometimes.. The startling thing about love is that it's real.. it's a CHOICE.. and it's a FREE CHOICE.. it's not a requirement or an expectation.. it's free.. I hope to offer others my love with that same posture in my heart.. to let it be known that I offer love.. but it is not based on condition.. and does not expect to be reciprocated.. no.. it is offered because I was once offered it freely.. If Jesus could offer me love - expecting nothing in return.. then I too, must in the same heart, by the power of His Spirit living inside of me - offer you love freely..

The verse, "You have freely received.. now freely give..." has suddenly taken on a whole new meaning in my life...

Love never claims, it ever gives. - Ghandi

Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go - Herman Hesse

If our love is only a will to possess, it is not love. - Thich Nhat Hanh

Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul. - St. Augustine

Who, being loved, is poor? ~Oscar Wilde


My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, both are infinite.
~William Shakespeare

For true love is inexhaustible; the more you give, the more you have. And if you go to draw at the true fountainhead, the more water you draw, the more abundant is its flow. - Antoine de Saint-Exupery