Considering Love

I understand that a lot of people do not like the Valentine’s Day holiday for many reasons. Glen told me that his daughter calls it “Single Awareness Day” instead. I heard the terms “Galentine’s Day” and “Palentine’s Day” for the first time this last week. People are reframing the message of love to be about loving friendships instead of romantic love. I have had a plaque in every office that I have ever had that is about love that I wanted to share with you.

Love

There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer; No disease that enough love will not heal; No door that enough love will not open; No gulf that enough love will not bridge; No wall that enough love will not throw down; No sin that enough love will not redeem. It makes no difference how deeply seat may be the trouble, how hopeless the outlook, how muddled the tangle, how great the mistake; a sufficient realization of love will dissolve it all. If only you could love enough you would be the happiest and most powerful being in the world.

Emmet Fox

Valentine’s Day is originally about the all consuming romantic love that movies are written about. The reality is that love comes in many forms. Sometimes in order to love someone we have to be tough and hard on them instead of enabling them. Sometimes we have to separate ourselves from personalities that are toxic but we can still pray for those people and love them from a distance. Sometimes the best way to love someone is to realize that we are not good for them and to let them go. These kinds of love are difficult and take a lot of wisdom. These kinds of love are not easy or simple. I pray that as we consider those we love, that we have the courage to love them in healthy ways even when it is not what we want and it is hard. That is actually the truest form of love. The way that Jesus has taught us to love.

Our theme for Lent is “Reckless Love” and each week we will be considering the different types of love that we read about in the gospels. We will explore Jesus’ love and how we can be more like him.

I love you,