We need to ask ourselves this question again.
Is it really love we are seeking? Have we forgotten again what real love is? Just about anyone will admit to the universal desire to love and be loved in return, but we are seriously going to hurt and be hurt if we fail to not only realise what true love is, but act accordingly.
Our picture of love is very incomplete. We have images of companionship, smiles, hugs, kisses and a host of other wonderful things. What we love to forget is that alongside those nice images, there need to be a few more. Sometimes love is stern, grim and menacing. Sometimes silence, rebuke and conflict is a more than necessary part of love.
The difference between love and true love is that true love is rooted in Truth. It must be. It has to be.
We are all guilty of what I like to call ‘keeping people at arms length.’ We like companionship, smiles and hugs, but when someone gets close enough to us to see faults, we take a few steps back. Often times, the people that care the most are the ones that care enough to say a few things we don’t want to hear. THAT is why seeking comfort is so harmful to growth! We stay a safe distance from those that will ‘sharpen’ us, and spend oodles of less meaningful time with others who we simply ‘get on’ with.
“Mockers don’t love those who rebuke them, so they stay away from the wise.” – Proverbs 15:12
So let me ask you one more time…
Are you SURE you want love?
-dale
15 August 2005
are you sure you want love?
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1 comment:
Dale, you make a real good point. I guess in view of some of the things that will be discussed this week, this is very relavant. No one wants to love everyone,its hard and goes against human nature, besides theres always stuff that others will do to tick you off!! As christians we need to look past that see them for who they really are. rather than making judgements on a person before knowing the full story, lets think more about how we should act/respond as christians.
Keep up the good work dale, just read through your entire default articles, they are a huge encouragement.
Thanks
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