Love Is A Many Splendored Thing

Love…the word is used in so many ways…I love my husband, I love my children, I love chocolate, I love thunderstorms, I love to write. There is parental love, brotherly love, true love, puppy love, and unconditional love.  If I wanted to get a little theological, I could mention that agape, eros, and phileo are the three kinds of love mentioned in the Bible.  But I’m not much of a theological kind of gal.  I would be more into poetry.   When I ponder on this subject, I can’t help but think of a line from one of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poems…”How do I love thee, let me count the ways.”  If God expressed this line, here is how He might answer…

            “I loved thee enough to create a beautiful world for you to live in.”

            “I loved thee enough to make you an individual with your own mind, not a robot, but one with free will to make your own choices.”

            “I loved thee enough to give you My Word to guide you in this world, to give you direction in making wise choices, to show you grace and mercy when you make bad choices, and to show my love through these pages.”

            “I loved thee enough to give you beautiful sunrises and sunsets, beautiful sounds, fragrant flowers, and people to love and be loved by.

            “I loved thee enough to give you unconditional love, not a love based on feelings or emotions, or works by you.”

            “I loved thee enough to not give you all the answers on the earth, so you would learn about trust, to have faith, so we could have a lifetime of building a relationship, to have the fun of learning, so you could experience blessings each day, and learn to be a blessing to others.”

            “I loved thee enough to allow my Son to leave our kingdom to come be born on earth, to grow, to teach, and then to be mocked, tortured, and hung on the cross to die so your sins could be forgiven once and for all.”

            “I loved thee enough to raise him from the grave to show victory over death, to show you that you can claim victory over death if you so choose.”

            If we were to answer this toward God, how would it sound?  It could sound like this…

            “How do I love thee?  I’ll let you know when my television shows are over, when my work is done, when I get some time off, when the vacation is over, after I’ve lived my life my way for awhile.  I’ll let you know tomorrow, next week, next year, or…

            OR, it could sound like this…

            “I love thee enough  to serve others in Christ name.”

            “I love thee enough to love the unlovable, to show your mercy and grace because you’ve shown me the same.” 

             “I love thee enough to build a relationship with you continually.”

            “I love thee enough to have an ongoing dialogue with you and yet be still also to listen for your voice.”

            “I love thee enough to stop and smell your fragrant flowers, to stop and take in the beauty of your sunrises and sunsets, and to reach out and form friendships, sharing your love with them and my family.”        “

            “I love thee enough to accept your Son as my Lord and Savior, loving Him also for wiping my sins away, making me new, because of His sacrifice.”

            “I love thee enough to not forsake you when I’m around others, not to forsake you in my day to day living, to not forsake you in my thoughts or words.”

            “I love thee enough to model things that are true, noble, just, pure, and lovely.”

            “I love thee enough to forgive others, because you forgave me.”

            “I love thee enough to care about what you care about, to grieve over the things you grieve over, and rejoice over the things you rejoice over.”

            “I love thee enough to let love be my greatest aim.”

            When love comes from God and we can learn to love with this same kind of love…it is “a many splendored thing.”

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