Beloved let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 1 John 4:7 (NASB)
Dear Friend,
People say “love hurts”. While that may be true, we must not hesitate to love completely… to love deeply. If we do we will miss the greatest gifts of life. Today we would like to share a few of the thoughts that have formed our hearts over the last 3 decades in matters of love…
“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless–it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.” –CS Lewis
“You might be afraid of the pain that deep love can cause. When those you love deeply reject you, leave you, or die, your heart will be broken. But that should not hold you back from loving deeply. The pain that comes from deep love makes your love ever more fruitful. It is like a plow that breaks the ground to allow the seed to take root and grow into a strong plant. Every time you experience the pain of rejection, absence, or death, you are faced with a choice. You can become bitter and decide not to love again, or you can stand straight in your pain and let the soil on which you stand become richer and more able to give life to new seeds.The more you have loved and have allowed yourself to suffer because of your love, the more you will be able to let your heart grow wider and deeper. When your love is truly giving and receiving, those whom you love will not leave your heart even when they depart from you. They will become part of your self and thus gradually build a community within you.” –Henri Nouwen
“Beloved let us love one another.” Saint John the Apostle
Still learning to love completely,
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©2010 Scott & Clare Loughrige