Only Love

My husband writes an article for our monthly church newsletter. It is a short thing; it has to fit on a third of a sheet of 8.5x11 paper. This month the paper is pink, for Valentine's. As Dave was musing over what to write, he made the mistake of asking me for a topic. Being the hopeless romantic I am, I said something like, "How about death and loss and grief?" Being the thoughtful man he is, he did.

I keep reading it over and over. So much truth and comfort in such a small space. I asked him if I could share it here. And being the generous man he is, he said yes.

Dear CBC Family, (February 2011)

Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar
From “Magnificent,” U2, in No Line on the Horizon, 2009.

Love hurts.

To love is to take unabashed delight in pursuing the loved person’s ultimate good. Loving another stretches our capacity to be truthful, to overlook, to be steadfast, to understand. Love is just out there.

Love gleefully cheers us onward and upward to become closely attached at the heart. No thinking person would do that. Love leaves quite a mark when the loved one is lost.

Love and loss. There’s a combo for you. How do we carry out our existence in our newfound loneliness?

We cope with hope. Resurrection and reunion are key components helping a burdened heart crawl toward joy. Experience loss? Experience the truth of Scripture.

Jesus takes us further down this path. He fleshed out his grief in words and tears at the home of his good friend Lazarus.

God designed grief to heal those who give their hearts away. Good grief experiences the love of God blossoming in the heart. Only love, God’s love can heal such a scar.

Love and blessings,
Dave