"Love Deeply"

I've been unpacking stored boxes, de-cluttering, reorganizing, sorting through, etc. etc. and have come across some interesting things I had forgotten about. I took the time to read through some of the papers that had been packed away and wanted to share this one. There have been times when I've questioned just what "love" is...in the human sense of the word. I know what God's love is, and nothing we can do or feel can match the love of God ... the "abba Father" love ... but, at times, I question the "eros" and other "loves". When you have loved and that love isn't returned, when you have loved and lost that love, when you love your children and they do not love in return...do you stop loving? Do you shut yourself down to human emotion? I'm being human in saying this...I'm sure there are times in your life when you have questioned the same thing...so do not judge...leaving the judging to God. In any case, I had kept this excerpt from a book as a reminder to never stop loving. The words are powerful as well as the concept behind them.

"Love Deeply"

"Do not hesitate to love and to love deeply. You might be afraid of the pain that deep love can cause. When those you love deeply reject you, leave you, or die, your heart will be broken. But that should not hold you back from loving deeply. The pain that comes from deep love makes your love ever more fruitful. It is like a plow that breaks the ground to allow the seed to take root and grow into a strong plant. Every time you experience the bitter pain of rejection, absence, or death, you are faced with a choice. You can become bitter and decide not to love again, or you can stand straight in your pain and let the soil on which you stand become richer and more able to give life to new seeds. The more you have loved and have allowed yourself to suffer because of your love, the more you will be able to let your heart grow wider and deeper. When your love is truly giving and receiving, those whom you love will not leave your heart even when they depart from you. They will become part of your self and thus gradually build a community within you. Those you have loved deeply become a part of you. The longer you live, there will always be more people to be loved by you and to become part of your inner community. The wider your inner community becomes, the more easily you will recognize your own brothers and sisters in the strangers around you. The wider the community of your heart, the wider the community around you. Thus the pain of rejection, absence, and death can become fruitful. Yes, as you love deeply the ground of your heart will be broken more and more, but you will rejoice in the abundance of the fruit it will bear."

(By Henri J. M. Nouwen, From The Inner Voice of Love, published by Doubleday)