Early morning ramblings on the nature of love

So last night in Bible study we talked about love... not that ooey gooey fuzzy feeling you get, but real love that goes beyond the feelings and translates into action. When I love someone, I want to show my love to them in ways they can receive it. My son is a very physically affectionate child, and I always know that after he's gotten into trouble the best thing I can do for him is to give him a big hug. Sure I can tell him that I love him, but he will mumble something back to me and walk away looking like that backpack he' is wearing has got a load of bricks in it. But if I give him a hug, he will cling to me as if his life depended on it, and when he finally lets go he bounces away with his backpack on as if it's the lightest thing in the world.

Loving someone is hard. Sure it might come with the ooey gooey, gushy feelings... but it also comes with pain and heartache. Not like a broken heart type of heartache (although that happens, too), but,"I want so much for this person and it breaks my heart that I can't give it to them," or, "I hate to see her cry," or even, "This is what I want, but it is not what is best for this person I love so I will not take it/do it/etc." That is painful. Even, at times, we have to cause pain for our loved ones in order to love them well. Ouch.

I was talking to my best friend about a particular situation I really do not know how to manage - I foresee, at best, hurt feelings, and at worst, anger. The people involved are all people that I love... and dearly. My friend said, "I guess the question is, what does it mean to love each person in this situation?" With that as the bar with which I measure my actions, I certainly hope that the hurt feelings and anger can be mitigated a bit. But it will be painful nonetheless.

I think that's the thing about God's love that resonates into the deepest spaces in my heart. God knew that loving us humans was going to cause a lot of personal pain and suffering. But, God loved us anyway. God loved us in a way that we could receive (not that we all do) - a way that our fractured human souls could see, touch, hear, smell, taste.

There is a song by Out of the Grey, called, "Love Like Breathing."

There are times I catch my breath, just to let it go again
Funny how I don't forget to breathe
The air it comes and goes with or without my control
Something in me just takes over

I want to love like breathing, spontaneous, like breathing
Imagine just how lovely it would be

That is the desire of my heart... to love as easily as I take each breath. It is hard to do - especially with people who are annoying or frustrating. But then I think how God loves me even when I'm disobedient, not paying attention, and (I'm sure) extremely frustrating. All those "5 Love Languages" I manage to do the opposite with God, and yet God's love is offered to me daily, hourly, every moment with every breath. I'm trying to learn to breathe in God's love, and breathe it out to others.