I don’t know how many times I have heard people say that phrase either in movies, or from friends: “If he truly loves you…he’ll be willing to let go,” or “he won’t be able to let go,” or “he won’t expect you to go too far.”
But lately as I begin to think about my own love, and some of the things that I’ve done to people that “I truly love” I’m forced to admit that then perhaps I do not “truly” love anyone. How can I? Because True love would never force their way into someone else’s life, and True love would never forget what you had together, and True love would never take more than what belongs to them. I am guilty of all these and so much more.
Two things happen as I think about this: the first is I realize how exposed my own mistakes and inadequacies in True love are. But the second is some sort of familiarity with this True love. Ya know I think I’ve seen this somewhere. Oh! I know! You know that movie “Never Been Kissed,” with Drew Barrymore? Well, he didn’t let her go, and then he forgave her at the end and gave her another chance and…No that’s not it.
And then the:
“Of course!!” Jesus. He is the only one that never forces his way in, but never lets go. He is the only one that forgives us over and over, and yet still passionately pursues us in romance. He’s the one that gets it right the first time.
There are two points I want to make in this blog: the first is to give him, or her a break. Whoever you may be giving the if-they-truly-love-me-quiz to ask first “do they truly love God?” and realize they are human like you, and we are all capable of making the wrong choices about people that we “truly love.”
The second thing is to remember where True love comes from. The difference between worldly love, and Christian love is forgiveness. In the world we are told to cut those people who don’t respect us, or don’t appreciate us out of our lives. But Christ calls us to love them, and THAT is True love. True love is loving someone in spite of their flaws, and what may be their repetitive mistakes. True love accepts, and forgives making itself vulnerable all over again to the pain that we humans will inevitably inflict on each other. Of course this doesn’t mean that we are to fling ourselves onto the tracks to be run over.
But when we have Christ in our hearts we can give True love, and forgive when others fall short.
(What this means to me is that even though he isn’t perfect, and even though he may not be the right guy for me, I must choose to continue to love him. True love, Godly love, loves past the end of a relationship, and past the anger. True love chooses to hurt instead of hate.)
