Fearless Love

Love often feels scary. You give your heart away and you're unsure how it's going to be treated, or if it will even be received. That's how most of us view romantic love anyway, right?

What about agape love? The love of friendship? Maybe it feels less risky but there can still be fear associated with it sometimes. Fear of being taken advantage of or what you give not being reciprocated, right?

Both of these are fairly the same except you are more deeply invested when it's romantic love we are talking about.

The biggest fear is of being disappointed and getting our heart broken, right? But....what if we loved with out fear? I mean truly, deeply, passionately loved as if heart break was never a risk. What would or could change? What would happen?

When Christ came--he already knew his heart would be broken. The brokenness of mankind was so great, our depravity over whelming. Enough, that a mere 30 pieces of silver could convince us to betray a man to death. He was overwhelmed with compassion that he knew could never be matched. He knew his heart would be broken--and yet he still loved. He expected the brokenness.

Mary--birthing the son of God...when she saw her son upon that cross--do you think she wished that she would have held back her love? Do you think her heart would have hurt any less if she had?

Maybe the expectation is the key? Maybe if we can accept that our hearts WILL be broken, we can let go of the fear...and then love so fully that it over rides the idea of broken-heartedness. Maybe not but what if....

If we weren't afraid of being taken for granted, being taken advantage of, being left behind or rejected....ever. How would the love we give, change?

Would we stop withholding? If we give our love as a gift, to be taken freely to be spent as the recipient chooses--can we even be taken for granted? Is it possible? I don't think so. But when we stop loving...it guarantees a negative response.

If we continuously gave, if we forgive 70 x7 times, if we over-looked offenses, stopped keeping a record of wrongs, if we were continuously patient, didn't get angry, always protected, always persevered, always trusted...if we never gave up hope...

What is the worst that could happen? A heart gets broken? Your heart, my heart?

Or maybe, just maybe, it's true what is written...Love, really never fails.

Maybe the lesson of the cross was just that...let go of that big fear...do we forget that after Christ's heart broke, after he died...he didn't stay dead. He resurrected--and our lives truly began.

Maybe that is the true key to long lasting, broken-heart-proof love--giving it away passionately, freely, abundantly and with out all reserve.

Let's try it and see what happens...

Source: dopefreshlife.com via Katy on Pinterest