Love is in the air!

By Cate Vaughan

C. S. Lewis: “To love at all is to be

vulnerable. Love anything and your heart

will be wrung and possibly broken. If you

want to make sure of keeping it intact you

must give it to no one, not even an animal.

Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and

little luxuries; avoid all entanglements.

Lock it up safe in the casket 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.

To love is to be vulnerable.”

Love is in the air! One evening while my

mom and sister and I were seated in the

Grand Ballroom on our recent Baltic Sea

Cruise for a 2 hour, 8 course meal, I

noticed a very old couple sitting near us.

He was looking over her shoulder and she

was looking over his shoulder. They sat in

awkward silence, perhaps wondering how

they could tolerate another 2 hour meal

together.

Perhaps their 70+ years together brought

too much baggage to look at each other.

Perhaps they have lived with this invisible

wall between them for years. Then…..

I heard her try to engage him, her voice

pleading "you have always been my

pick." When her revelation had no

response from him, I could see him stiffen

while she was losing control of her

emotions. Again, she repeated “you have

always been my pick.” Somehow to see

his wife's exposed vulnerability moved

him out behind his own protective wall. In

that brief moment, his heart was open to

the love she had carried for him all her

married life. In a divine moment, he

believed her, she knew it, the wait staff

knew it, and we knew it! There was

spontaneous laughter and joy. It was

lovely to witness. Love was in the air!

The atmosphere instantly changed.

In this same way, we have always been

God’s pick. Being God’s pick, and

believing it, and opening our heart to

receive it is no less miraculous than this

couple who had shared 60 or 70 years but

in one moment true communion

happened. Love crossed into a stony heart

and exploded with joy. Love was in the

air!

When loves opens a heart…..generosity is

generated! Generosity spends time,

money, or labor without being rewarded

in return.

When loves opens a heart….compassion

commiserates. It is a feeling that arises

when you are confronted with another’s

suffering and feel motivated to relieve

that suffering.

When loves opens a heart….priorities

change. Love focuses upon the beloved.

When love opens a heart….Love never

gives up.

When love opens a heart….Love cares

more for others than for self.

When love opens a heart….Love doesn’t

want what it doesn’t have.

When love opens a heart….Love doesn’t

strut,

When love opens a heart….We don’t

think more highly of ourselves,

When love opens a heart….We don’t

force ourselves on others,

When love opens a heart….We don’t

need to be first and get our own way,

When love opens a heart….We don’t fly

off the handle,

When love opens a heart….We don’t

keep score of the sins of others,

When love opens a heart….We don’t

revel when others grovel,

When love opens a heart….We take

pleasure in the flowering of truth,

When love opens a heart….We put up

with anything,

Remember the times in our lives when we

touched that kind of love, maybe through

marriage, having a child, or even a

business or career or ministry or project?

We were single minded, willing to keep

on no matter what, always hopeful,

completely committed, not needing a

personal pay-off, working through

physical distress, putting up with

anything.

Why did we stop? Did we reach our goal?

Did our passion wane? Did the object of

our love disappoint us? Did our children

grow up?

We can love like this when we have our

eye upon a goal. But, when we’ve won

the maiden, raised the kids, or launched

the new venture our passion looks for

another target. If our efforts are frustrated

our commitment becomes eroded until it

wears itself out. This kind of love is

conditional. It is based on an outcome.

God’s unconditional love isn’t based on

an outcome. Even if He doesn’t win the

maiden He still loves her. Even if His

children are a sad disappointment He still

loves them. Even if some revival peters

out, He is still passionate for us to

experience Him. God’s goal is to love us.

Period. He wants His love nature, His

glory, on display in us. He wants His

children and His bride to experience His

unconditional love until it breaks out of us

and we begin to express His love. God

wants to be on display in us through His

love.

No matter what happens His eye is still

focused on me. In His compassion, He

still suffers with me. In His generosity He

still meets my needs according to His

riches in glory. He never gives up on me.

He doesn’t keep score of my sins. He

never gets angry at me.

Even if I avoid His eyes, like the old

couple in the dining room, He still leans

forward and tells me “I am His pick”.

Whatever it takes to open my self-

protective heart He does. Why?

So simply…..when love and joy pour into

and out of me….He is glorified! No one

can deny His nature is on display. The

sullen countenance of a rock-hard heart is

broken open. Love is in the air!

This kind of love embraces enemies

and….God is glorified! This kind of love

gives and receives with extreme

generosity….God is glorified! This kind

of love does not judge or criticize

others…God is glorified!

You can be sure that our Father intends to

have His love on display! His plan has

always been to let His unconditional love

be experienced by us, revealed in us, and

expressed through us. What opportunity

to give and receive God’s unconditional

love will find us?

Maybe it will be some need that comes to

your attention. Maybe it will be an enemy

who rises up against you. Maybe it will be

some infirmity that challenges you.

Maybe it will be some lack that plagues

you, or worry that stalks you. No matter

what the circumstance, God’s purpose is

to have His love revealed to you, in you

and through you.

We can sit like that stony old man and

resist the unconditional love of God….our

we can open our hearts to hear: You have

always been my pick! In the moment we

decide to accept His love…

Helen Keller: “The best and most

beautiful things in this world cannot be

seen or even heard, but must be felt with

the heart.”