Far too often we treat Love like it is a scarce thing. Like there’s only so much to go around. Like if we give too much, we’ll be left broke and empty handed.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Love is one of the only unlimited resources we’re ever going to come across.
It surrounds us, it flows through us, it helps make us go.
Unless, of course, we push it away, stop its flow, and believe it holds us back.
We’re not taught a lot about Unconditional Love, how to give without concern of getting back. Most of the Western culture we’ve grown up in inundates us with this ideas of parity in everything and the “virtue” of hoarding things.
And we won’t even talk about all the tragic romances that focus on unrequited love.
We are careful with out Love, for giving it opens us up to others and to situations that may (and often will) hurt us. With each of those small hurts, we hesitate more and more about sharing it. We wall ourselves up and try to cultivate our own little pool of Love that we ration out like water in a desert.
Each of those little pains, though, can also help us become stronger. Every emotional ding we get in our lives… that’s a lesson learned–both about ourselves and about the world around us (and the people in it). We learn those lessons together and it brings us all closer, gives us all more common ground to tread on.
If we open ourselves up to the idea–and the lessons the world has to teach us–if we’re willing to accept the little bits of pain as insurance against some of the bigger pains we seek to avoid, we start to discover that there’s a wellspring somewhere that just spouts Love out into the world around us.
Unlike gold and oil and fresh water, Love is an unlimited resources, infinitely recycled and always available for those willing to grab at it… or give it.
Right now, we’re in a season where Love looms large. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and we’re being beaten over the head with images of romance and love and candy and lust.
It’s up to each and every one of us to choose which of those things we’re going to focus on. It’s up to each and every one of us to decide what we’re going to give.
What’s more important to you: Honest, deep Love or stale candy hearts?
You can give both if you want… but Love’s going to last a whole lot longer.
(And if you know those stale candy hearts, you know that’s a long time.) 😉
