I have this friend who always makes fun of my because I say “I Love You” a lot. I think he is half kidding half serious in the way he makes fun of me.I think it is hard to hear it said that much and take it seriously. Our culture does use the word for lots of things that have no eternal value.I do that. I am very passionate and if I enjoy something I LOVE IT, and if not I HATE IT. I am all in or all out on all things. I do say it a lot in reference to people but I always always always mean it. If I don’t love you I won’t say I do.I think people even christian people are skeptical of large amounts of love. I am even skeptical of people loving me in large amounts. I have been following Christ for eight years. In the last eight years one of the things that has changed is my capacity to love. To love people, to love the church, to love ministries. Part of my struggle with this trip was falling in love with this ministry. I thought by giving my heart to it that I would have to give up all the other ministries that I already love. During a lot of prayer and wrestling with God he revealed to me that His love is infinite and through Him my love should be the same. I don’t have to chose who I love or what I love because he expands my capacity to love. The thing with love is though is that it is painful. There is a friend of mine who has been there for me through so much. I found out that she has cancer last week. My heart broke. Not because i’m worried she will die. The odds are actually in her favor. My heart breaks because I just didn’t want her to have to endure that. I know that I love her because I would totally carry this burden for her if I could. Gal 6:2 says that we should bear one anothers burdens and therefore fulfill the laws of Christ, which is to love God love others. (Matt 22:36-40). When we love we hurt because part of bearing burdens is hurting with others. There is a song called “Running Around In My Dreams” by Tyrone Wells. There is this lyric I love. It says “I took a chance in a gamblers’ game. Put my heart on the line..” I feel like any time we love we are gambling with the out come, when we will get hurt, how bad, why. I know that as I ask God to grow my capacity to love, it grows my risk of hurt but I also know I love to love. IT IS WORTH IT! So my hope for you and myself is that we will see people love big, and instead of being skeptical we will expect it. I hope we will grow in our capacity to love, knowing that we will get hurt and still chose to do so. I want to be known as the girl who is willing to put her heart on the line so that others might know the love of an infinite God.
