With all of my years of writing this blog, I don't think I've ever disparaged my little sparrows. They go about their short lifetimes flitting from place to place, chittering and chattering, without a clue that they are a source of entertainment for one little old man. I never see their nests, but I know they have young. I never know their names, but they seem to know one another. They live out their lives without worry or fear of whether they will have enough to eat, or whether they have the latest...whatever is the latest in sparrow life. Human beings seem to be the only creatures who concern themselves with the next moment in life. No matter how many movies Hollywood tries to make showing animals talking or going about their lives, they are actually reflecting us. We are amazing creatures! Apparently unique in our approach to life. We are the only creatures that seem to demonstrate the amazing capacity for love.
The kind of love I'm talking about is not affection, devotion, lust, or loyalty. These traits are commonly attributed to animals, and we see them at work every day in our pets. My wife has a dog, I don't. It's her dog, and I purposely let it imprint upon her. We've given Bea a home now for ten years, and she is a daily part of Glenda's life. Bea brings Glenda joy, and a sense of purpose that disappeared when our children became adults and moved away from home. Bea does funny things that I interpret through my human lens, but I do know one thing, she doesn't love Glenda the way that Glenda loves her. Human love is amazing!
Love is THE amazing! I'm often saddened when I see the word love misused in movies, and in music. Love gets confused with lust, infatuation, interest, and host of other character traits in our modern society. Even Christians who proclaim their belief in the embodiment of love in Christ miss the mark. Our failure to understand love isn't because we don't have examples, it's because real love demands that WE die. Real love stands above selfish concerns, and places the needs of another above ourselves. Sadly, I know I haven't arrived there, yet. No matter how hard I try, no matter what I do, I never seem to move in 'The Amazing' as I see others do. I know why, it's because of fear. The bible tells us that 'perfect love casts out fear', but I watch myself become a victim to fear every day, even when I don't want to.
Today, I see fear mongering in every aspect of our lives. Fear dominates our politics, businesses, and most of our relationships. One thing that alerts me to when love is not the main factor in someone's life is when they say; "But what about me?" The minute I hear that statement in its many variations, I cringe. They've lost sight of the amazing! The minute we begin to wonder if someone around us got more than we did, or received something we didn't, then we've embraced fear and abandoned the amazing. When we're worried that the guy next to us got a raise and we didn't, we've abandoned the amazing. Fear is the thief that robs us of the amazing.
When we are young hormonal animals, we often confuse love with lust. The amazing gets replaced with passion, and passion becomes the driving force. As the premarital counselor for our faith fellowship, I know that passion and lust are the operating factors in the choice of a spouse. As I counsel these young people I try to warn them that the passion they feel now will diminish. I warn them that they shouldn't make the ordinary normal function of reproduction the measuring stick for the amazing.
There never seems to be a consequence for throwing ourselves at one another until it produces the fruit of our lusts. For, while we are creatures capable of amazing love, we are also capable of reproducing that love in the form of children. Then we truly discover The Amazing, and many like myself, realize that we were not prepared for the amazing gift of life entrusted to us. It is from that point on, when we hold the consequences of our passions, that we realize we are looking at the amazing.
Not long ago, I had a DNA test given to me for a Christmas present. I did the test, and have had my eyes opened to the power of the amazing. I won't say how many, and I won't say how they are connected to me, but I've been contacted by a lot of people wanting to know why my DNA showed up in their list of matches. Most of the time, it is people who were given up for adoption looking for their parents. One question I ask is if the adopted person had good adoptive parents, and almost all of the time the answer is yes. I think the bigger question these people are asking is; 'Why wasn't I amazing enough to keep?' 'Why would they abandon me like that?' See what I mean by fear stealing love. It didn't matter that they were loved by complete strangers who chose to make them a part of their lives. It seems to only matter why they were rejected. No matter how I try to help them find whatever parent they are missing, I know they are looking for 'The Amazing.' They are looking for love!
Because this blog is always about the peace of God, let me say clearly that true love brings peace. I've only ever been at peace when I've been embraced in love, or giving love. That is the power of the amazing! Without love there can't be peace, because there is no fear in love. Fear never has peace, but thankfully love will truly conquer all. We just have to let it.
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