This Is What Love Is

I realized recently (and spoke about it a little) that my views and expectations of what love is and what it looks like have become a bit warped. Being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disorder for which there is no cure, only symptom management, had a huge impact on how I thought and felt about myself. Interpersonal disappointments taught me not to rely on others to be there for me, to support me.

Gradually, I lost sight of what real love is, what it looks like. I even lost sight of God's love for me, and what that looks like. I spoke with Him, heard from Him, but had lost sight of the nature of His love.

On Good Friday, my church hosted an event called 'The Way of the Cross'. In the sanctuary there was a wooden cross, laid on a platform, and we were asked to pick up a word written on a card that described an attitude that we wanted to let go of. We were then to take a nail, and nail the card to the cross.

I chose the card 'Unbelief'. The word 'unbelief' perfectly describes my struggle to understand the love of God, to believe that His love is mine for the taking, that He wants ME and loves ME. I nailed the card to the cross and moved to the next station, shaking with the emotion evoked by taking a hammer and piercing the wood of that cross, literally laying my sin down at the cross. The next station invited us to do any number of a variety of worship activities, including just sitting and beings still, listening for God's voice.

On the screen nearby, there was a projector showing a series images of Jesus on the cross. As I watched the images change, I was overwhelmed with the knowledge that THIS is love. God gave His ONLY son, sacrificed His most beloved child, for ME. Not just us as a whole, the world, humanity, but as individuals. He did it for ME. He did it for YOU. He loved me, He loved you, all those long years ago. He knew me, knew you, even then. He knew that I, knew that you, would be separated from Him without the blood of Christ, and He wanted that to change. Christ loved me, loved you enough to give up His own life, enough to take the weight of our sin on His shoulders and pay the ultimate price. THIS IS HOW GOD LOVES ME, THIS IS HOW HE LOVES YOU.

Overwhelmingly. Sacrificially. Totally.

This is what love is.

Today's Verses
1 John 3: 1, 16
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are...By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us

No Fear in Love

I hear about love a lot. From friends, from books, from TV. I hear about fear and struggles and longing and disappointment. I hear messages of defeat and sadness and bitterness and hopelessness. Words of hope and joy fight to keep from getting drowned out by all the negativity and fear. Sometimes they lose the battle. Sometimes I hear that negativity, that fear, coming from myself.

Lately I've been thinking about what love really is. It isn't disappointment and hopelessness and discontent. It isn't being afraid of pain, rejection, or being alone. It isn't being afraid.

The bottom line: THERE IS NO FEAR IN LOVE

Love is not what we tend to make it out to be. It's not puppies and rainbows and Valentines. Nor is it some kind of young adult novel, characterized by angst where fear and insecurity mean things are going well. Instead, GOD is love. That's it. God. Is. Love.

When we find ourselves looking for love anywhere but God, we are bound to be disappointed. Why are we surprised that we struggle and face negativity when we take our eyes off of God, who IS love, and look for His perfect love from someone or anything else? God's love drives out fear. When we except His love for us, how can we fear that we will never be loved or fear being alone? Why do we fear disappointment? We aren't unloved. We aren't alone. God loves us. God is with us. God will never disappoint.

When you feel unloved and alone, where do you turn? What do you look to for comfort? Live in the love God has for you.

Today's Verses
1 John 4: 16, 18
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them...There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.