relearning love

EmPulse for Week of February 14, 2011

relearning love

Some people are born lovers. They love life, people, challenges, projects & problems. They give freely of their strength and energy to everything and everyone. They seem to have boundless energy. They are the cavalry, the Knight in Shining Armor, the Hero who sweeps in to save the day. Their aspirations for service, sacrifice, graciousness and greatness seem boundless. You know people like this; they seem unreal in some ways. True, in some ways they might be faking-good, believing they cannot let others down. But in a another sense they may actually be what you see—individuals who possess an indefatigable ability to love. If you encounter such an individual, do not discount them, or be suspicious: thank God for them in your life, for they are rare.

When wounded, they have the strength and fortitude to bounce back quickly, to love and serve and sacrifice again as if little had changed. It has, of course. They have been diminished—cut deeply to the core of their very nature. Yet over time they have disciplined themselves to allow the cut to penetrate and to wound, but not to kill. They have learned that healing is quickened by once again serving, giving, caring for others. Do they need love? Of course. Do they need to be served? Yes. But their life decision to love supersedes whatever needs they may have. More likely than not, they have tapped into an inner source of strength to which the rest of us have thus far not discovered.

Most of us love and love again. We love and we are wounded too. But we do not bounce back so readily. We guard our hearts, often for quite some time. We also leave trust behind, afraid of being cut deeply yet again. Our defenses become fences become walls become fortresses become high towers, untouchable by only a few, if any.  We need to relearn to love. To grant access to the person who hides within our body, behind our smiles, past our pleasantries, underneath our civilities. For once facades become fixed they are not so easily shed. They become us, and we lose our true self within.

Relearning love is not as difficult as it might seem. It is no less than a frightening decision turned into positive action. Start small or start with your greatest fear; it matters not. Just start. Our God has surprised many an individual who has ventured to take the first step. For it you do not relearn love you most assuredly will not have to learn death… , for you already have.

There is no remedy for love but to love more.

~ Henry David Thoreau

Have a nice week,

Gary