Tew Wuv

My watching of the dogs stuck in Antarctica flick "Eight Below", triggered again in me the desire to get a puppy. This desire springs from my own acknowledged need to "have something to love", especially something I won't expect love from in return. The love in return part started me thinking about Christ's love, and His command that we love as He did/does.

Many times I have heard people say that "everyone wants to be loved", which I don't deny in anyway, but is this the true greatest desire God put in our heart? As we were designed to love God, as well as loving others as a mirror of that love, I can't help but think that the thing we all really want and need, is "to love". In light of God's love (pun intended), where we all can know we are loved, and perfectly, isn't this idea of needing to be loved completed? As I went through the Bible, the instructions are always for us "to love", not "be loved", although one act of love (maybe the hardest) is to let someone love us.

Look at two different translations of 1 Corinthians 13:13:

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

In this passage, as with most of the instructional scripture, love is a more verb than noun, something we (should) do, not just have.

This line of thought started me questioning my engaged and married friends as to why the wanted marriage, and the answer overwhelmingly was "to love" . I think those who answered that way, and remembering during rough days that as their reason for marriage, will have a much better chance of celebrating that Golden Anniversary.

The hardest thing in this is not to turn into the other persons emotional ATM, to be so busy giving of yourself that you don't notice the other is just taking. Before I was a Christian, I confess I was more taker, although more recently the taken (guess there is something to Karma after all). Being either is bad, and letting the other person be either is just as bad, as both damage our souls.Neither reflect Jesus.

After a year of giving, rarely receiving love, and the painful realization that "I Love you" just meant "I love the Attention you give me", you'd think I would be even more bitter than I am (and bitter I am). In humility, I realized how often that I/we treat God in the same way. God gimme, not God what can I give you. God I love you, as long as you give me what I want, instead of "My Lord, you alone are worthy".

When I honestly ponder marriage, I see that it doesn't stem as much from my desire to be loved , as much as my longing to daily love as Christ loves. To have another to completely give my heart to, the new heart of Christ that lives within me, that constantly beams outward.

Well, I guess what I'm trying to say, post-caffeine, is that Lennon had it almost right...."All we need is To love"

go and love in Christ's love,
mike

One can give without loving,
but one cannot love
without giving.

    ... Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)