True love

In a recent community group meeting, we were talking about the analogy of Christ as the bridegroom and the church as his bride, and the time of engagement we are currently in, waiting for the wedding day to our Groom, Jesus Christ. In the spirit of the moment, I think I shared some marvelous insight from Princess Bride about "true love" (and no, it wasn't the wedding scene!). Interestingly enough, a few weeks later, God brought this back to me as I was reading a somewhat unrelated article about evangelistic worship. Or was it unrelated? Hm….something to ponder. Anyway, this blog is in response to what I heard that day about true love.

Do you remember the last time you REALLY looked forward to seeing someone, perhaps someone you haven't seen in a long time? Someone who knows you better than most anyone. Someone who gets your humor (or lack of it), who seems to read your thoughts before you speak, someone who you trust to make decisions for you because they know how you think and what you like. Someone who's seen you at your worst multiple times, and loves you knowing the worst about you. Someone who has stood in the gap for you when you've been wrongly accused or slandered, someone who has vouched for your character regardless of the cost to them. Someone who has given up vacations, time with other friends, a night out, to serve you, listen to you, help you through something hard. Someone who goes back with you a long time….who has years of memories with you. Someone who has opened their heart to you and chosen to risk, to be vulnerable, to be known by you and who has offered to know you. Someone who has pursued you when you have been unlovable, who has taken hits both for you and from you without fighting back. Someone you know would sacrifice their life so you could live. Has there been someone in your life like this?

I can think of multiple people who have been that "someone" in my life. My parents, Janette, Jen, Erica, Kimmie, Katherine. Most recently, the one who pulls at my heartstrings is my husband, Greg. I see this in him, this sacrificial love, his willingness to be hurt for my good. I see it most when we fight or disagree, or when I am hurt and demanding that he make me feel better. He absorbs my blows, and gives me grace and repents. Not perfectly, but he does. In the presence of this kind of love, I've been noticing a hard part of my heart that fears being abandoned someday. Sometimes I ask Greg, "Are you going to leave me?" He assures me vehemently that he's never going anywhere. As a wife, it's been wonderful to hear that. However, I can't put my hopes on a sinful human man to love me unconditionally, and to never leave me.

Greg's love for me is just a shadow. It's a reflection. It's like a picture of paradise, reminding me of what it is like, but it is not BEING in paradise, experiencing it for myself. His is not the ultimate love; he just resembles the Ultimate Love. He's not my primary lover, he is a representation of my true Lover. He's not my true satisfaction, his sinfulness points me to the only Satisfier. Whether we are single or married, man or woman, we can say this about any meaningful relationship in our lives. Every gift we have on this earth, the ones we notice and the ones we take for granted every minute, are from our Heavenly Father, given to us through Jesus Christ (James 1:17). Everything. If I start writing them down (which I just tried to do), the list seems endless. Those are all gifts from our heavenly Dad who loves His kids with a crazy scandalous love. Every one of those gifts should remind us of Him, the Giver of all good things. I love thinking how faithful He is to remind us so stinkin' often how much He loves us. You would think that dying for us would do it, right? But He knows our frame, remembers that we are dust, our goldfish-like memory, and He keeps showing us His love.

It has become so evident to me after I've gotten married, that I am still engaged. I am still waiting for the final day of BEING with Jesus. It's what I was created for. Everything points to Him. I am satisfied only in Him. In Him is life, and there is nowhere else I can go. He loves me before I loved Him. He drew me to Himself. He died for me. He freed me from slavery, from sin, from bondage, from a debt I could never pay. He drew me out of a miry bog and set my feet upon a rock. He gave His life so I could live. He overwhelms me with grace every day. He meets me with forgiveness. He calls me "My daughter, whom I love." He has prepared a place for me in heaven, and He has called me to join His mission in this "time between the times" before He comes back. He has equipped me for everything He has called me to do. The crazy thing is, the thing He calls me to most often is to rest in Him, in who He is. I don't attract people to Him; He does. I don't heal people; He does. I don't save people; He does. I don't convict people; He does. I don't change people; He does. I worship Him, because He is worthy, and I thank Him for being my God. And oh, how I LONG for the day when I finally get to see His face!