“Some of us believe that God is All-Power and can do all, and that God is All-Wisdom and knows how to do all. But that God is All-Love and wants to love all, here we restrain ourselves. And this ignorance hinders most of God's lovers, and I see it...”
- Julian of Norwich
Too often do we play fast and loose when we talk of love. I love baseball. I love pizza. Or we think about love in an unrealistic manner that feels more like escapist fantasy than reality.
The church is guilty of this too. American Christianity speaks of love and wields the word with such frequency that you'd assume they know what it means. Tragically, they don't. They've made love transactional. I've heard statements like, "God loves me if..." and "God loves me when..." If God is love, then there are no qualifiers needed. If the substance of God is love, then how does that love manifest itself? It does so through action. It is only through action that love can be seen and to believe it we have to see it.
Digging deeper into scripture we see that love is something more. So what is love?
It is showing up.
It is caring for another.
It is friendship.
It is grace and compassion.
It is responding to someone's needs.
It is fueled by respect.
It is hot and heavy and also gentle and kind.
It is deepened by time and grows with vulnerability.
It is selfless and often looks like sacrifice.
Love is active. Love is moving.
Join me today as I look into how the substance of love is deeper than words and requires more of you than you know. Are you bold enough to love and see where it takes you?
“Dare to love and to be a real friend. The love you give and receive is a reality that will lead you closer and closer to God as well as those whom God has given you to love.” ― Henri J.M. Nouwen
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