7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us. . . (1 John4:7-10)
Love can make you selfish. Maybe not love, but the idea we cling so tightly masquerading as love. The best couples, the life-giving ones, let their love grow with hopes to radiate beyond the space and time of their union. Their relationship becomes a catalyst for compassion and grace throughout their joint spheres of influence. This love grows in charity to those around them. This strange love is the calling card of God. Father, Son, and Spirit dance to love’s perfect harmony. The tremors of this love burst beyond mere trinity and throughout a creation desperate for healing. Our love is for others as much as it is for us.
A human love devoid of the divine falls short. Flooded with self and insecurities, it holds tightly with a grip so afraid of abandonment. This love is seemingly alive, but only on the surface. Inward it aches with the fear of a love settled. The best love, that love which is holistic, is a recurring call up and out. As our love connects us to another soul, it connects us to the God who defines it and a world who needs it.
Our love story is to be shared.
Lord, may our love not end with us. Rid us of the small view we have of love and Lord. Create in us hearts of charity, hope, and life. Forgive us our inward thinking and give us a grander vision of love. Reign in our hearts. Let us dance in the union you have so graciously invited us to.
Matt simon blog 