Love, that beautiful emotion, that feeling that is the stuff of poems and music, and romantic cards. How do we reflect this mysterious and overwhelming quality that we know is love. What is it anyway? We experience love as children when we see our parents as our whole universe, and that moves into a love of friends, the love of a spouse and then love of our own children. It is both powerful, and painful. It makes you want to laugh, and cry and sing and yearn, and dream all at the same time. And love, all love is from God. The Bible says God is love. So even when we experience this earthly sensation in whatever form, we are experiencing in some way, God.
C. S. Lewis refers to Plato’s idea of life being like a shadow on a cave wall. The shadow is but a mere reflection of an eternal reality, that whatever shape or outline can be seen, something much richer, deeper and more vibrant is the source.
So it is with Love. I remember my puppy love days in Junior High. Some boy would smile at me and I would spend the rest of the week writing his name in huge bubble letters on my notebook. When my children were born, there was the indescribable pounding in my chest when I first saw them. When I saw the heart beat of my grandchild on the sonogram for the first time and then when I saw her moments after she was born, I felt I would burst from the emotion. How could I ever top those moments in life? Even the last time I held my oldest daughter’s hand after she had passed from this world, my love was still there as strong as the first moment she arrived. But the love we experience for each other here on earth is but a mere hint of fragrance of the Love God has for us. Love is the most precious gift to us from a perfect God.
As I have drawn closer in my relationship to the Lord, I am bathed in this miraculous gift. The time I spend daily in prayer experiencing this love fills me for everything else that I need to do. I have read that it is impossible to know God intellectually or theologically. We can read about him, think about Him and talk about Him. But because He is without limits we can’t contain Him in our thoughts. But we can know Him through love. That is the only way we can touch the edge of who He is. We can’t see the whole ocean because of our limited perspective of our two eyes, but when we put our toe in the water, we are now touching the ocean, and since it is completely connected to itself, we are touching all that is the ocean. And so it is with God’s Love. We can’t see it, but we can feel the edge of it and we know it is far bigger than anything we could ever understand, but we know we are experiencing it. In the movie Interstellar – love is compared to gravity, an all pervasive force that crosses through both time and space. Our love for people doesn’t change because they are thousands of miles away or even because they are no longer present on earth.
When we surrender to this ocean of Love, we suddenly see things with God’s eyes. When you think about the first time you fell in love, it was like the world suddenly changed into a brighter, happier, prettier place. And indeed, it had, because you changed, and you were now seeing with the eyes of Love. You are reflecting His love. People even comment on how lovely you look. Have you changed your hair? Lost weight? They are seeing love radiating from you. Brides are beautiful because they are clothed in Love. New mothers and fathers absolutely beam with light as they hold their newborn. There is nothing more lovely than illuminating brilliance of LOVE.
Our human love can fade, however. It can be limited by expectations, and disappointments. When that happens the light seems dimmer and colors less vibrant. But God’s love NEVER dims. It never fades. His love is just as vibrant, passionate, heart pounding today as it was yesterday, as it was thousands of years ago. He LOVES us, yearns for us, desires us to look up at Him with that dewy eyed look of recognition. He longs to hold us in His arms and to comfort us. He weeps for our pain, our poor choices, and short sightedness. And He is eternally patient. Waiting for when we will finally throw our arms around Him and laugh with delight, knowing we have found the One who truly Loves us.
I want to encourage you today, to seek that kind of Love from the Lord. I have found, and continue to discover this amazing perfection in my relationship with Christ. My prayer is that you could find it, too. Because Love is there, waiting for you. Spend some time today in a quiet beautiful place and imagine this amazing Love. Ask for it. Receive it. Praise Him for it. Your life will be changed forever.
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