To Pamela Murphy…my beacon of light. May Germany bring your body complete healing and strength and may your passion prove to everyone the power that comes from following our instinct and heart.
Loving when you have nothing else to do but love…
I was listening to a sermon the other day and the pastor said “the love we have for people must go far beyond loving your neighbor as yourself.” It reminded of me of my mother’s saying “the definition of love is when you put the needs of someone else before your own.” Real love is continual…unconditional..to the end.
A dear dear friend of mine has been living with a disease for 40 years and it’s come to a place now where her body requires more medical attention. It’s hurt my heart so much to watch someone I care about struggle so intensely. But it has touched my heart in a profound way to see the love that has been showered over her. And even more touching, the strength and love she’s exhibited by allowing others to take care of her when her instinct is to put the needs of others way before her own.
Last weekend I spent some time with her and her two sons. They showed me how true it is that sometimes all you can do is…love someone. They have truly shown me the definition of unconditional love. Love when you strongly disagree. Love when you’re hurt or don’t understand. Love when you think things should perhaps look different. Love when your heart feels as if it is breaking because of the pain your loved one is going through.
“Love will sustain. Love will provide. Love will not cease at the end of time. Love will protect. Love always hopes. Love still believes when you don’t.” These beautiful song lyrics have been on repeat in my head the past few days. These words speak more volumes than my simple brain could ever express. Because when people in our lives need it the most we get the choice to step up and express unconditional love. And not just the unconditional love as Christians we often cast off as nothing more than saying “I’ll definitely be praying for you.” OR when something begins to be too much walking away and saying that’s too hard to deal with…or that’s not my problem. But, unconditional love that sticks around. Unconditional love that is able to look you in the eye and say I don’t agree with you but I’ll stand by you. Unconditional love that truly exhibits unconditional traits.
I write about love a lot. I think about love a lot. Not just love in a romantic sense. I truly believe love to be the answer for most things. Anger, injustice, greed, fear. Love covers a multitude of sins. It’s on my mind so much because…it seems so simple.
In society we hear “all you need is love” or contrastingly “love is not enough.” So which is it? It sounds too basic to say all you need is love…but is that the truth? Do we need more? Does love cease at the end of time? I guess it depends on your definition of love…but after the past couple of months standing by my friends side I believe in no way could love ever cease. Love is greater, wider and deeper than we could ever imagine.
Love is joy. Love is revealing brokenness. Love is expressing anger and hurt. Love is action, but love is standing still. Love is everything in between. The deep, the simple, the pain, the joy. Love exposes our junk and has the power to heal pains we didn’t know we could heal.
Love…well…love is standing up for what we believe in and speaking our mind…but the greatest expression of love…is…standing by someone’s side, wholeheartedly trusting and believing in their heart, their path…standing up to those you love and saying I believe my healing looks different than you think…traveling to Germany to be by your mother’s side as she begins a healing process…loving when you have nothing else to do but love.
Love and Light,
Regina
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