Monday, June 28, 2010

Why the Blog Title?

"It is Happy to Love."

This statement comes from the book Hinds' Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard.

This book, as stated on the back cover, is "a beautiful allegory dramatizing the yearning of God's children to be led to new heights of love, joy, and victory."
In the beginning of the book, the main character, Much-Afraid, is having a conversation with the Shepherd. They are talking about how love and pain are very much intertwined.


It goes like this
:

Much-Afraid shrank back. "I am afraid," she said. "I have been told that if you really love someone you give that loved one the power to hurt and pain you in a way nothing else can."
"That is true," agreed the Shepherd. "To love does mean to put yourself into the power of the loved one and to become very vulnerable to pain, and you are very Much-Afraid of pain, are you not?"
She nodded miserably and then said shamefacedly, "Yes, very much afraid of it."
"But it is so happy to love," said the Shepherd quietly. "It is happy to love even if you are not loved in return. There is pain too, certainly, but Love does not think that very significant."


This excerpt is where I found my blog title.

I have a heart that loves deeply. And because of it, I have known the deep pain associated with Love. But as the Shepherd says, it is so happy to Love and it is worth the pain. I am willing to try to get past my fear of pain and to continue to pursue the Joy that comes with freely-given Love.

And if I lose sight in this journey, I pray that when I stumble my eyes will be returned to look upon my Role Model.

A Man with two openly outstretched arms nailed willing to each side of a cross.


What about you? Can you think of a time that you felt more pain because of the degree that you chose to love? Do you ever find yourself avoiding depth of love in order to avoid pain?

6 comments:

  1. Man, reading this is like reading a mini devotional! I SO needed to hear that! Sometimes it CAN be scary loving people, because you do give them power and that leaves you vulnerable, and "out of control!" I've struggled w/ this, but God is bringing me to a place of excitement in the fact that I have given all my control, yes. But I've given it to God. Such a beautiful blog, it really, really encouraged me Heids! <3

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  2. I'm glad Amy! Vulnerability can be so difficult; especially if it has been taken advantage of before.
    Glad you are trusting God with your heart!
    :-)

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  3. Yes, I have chosen to love when it hurts. Yes, I have also pulled back from loving for fear of the associated pain. I don't enjoy being a walking contradiction but I do feel like it at times . . . O wretched man that I am. It's a good thing the Shepherd doesn't let that get in the way of His good plan for our lives!

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  4. This is beautifully written and refreshingly honest!

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  5. Well thank you passionista! very kind of you :-)

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  6. "Love does not think pain to be significant..." connected me immediately to the words of my OBGYN, some 23yrs. ago. I was looking down, horrified at my huge 9 month abdomen and asked my doctor, "Is this going to hurt?? How bad?? I'm SCARED!" He kinda laughed and said, "Pain won't kill you. You need to just go through it." To get to the most amazing love I had ever experienced, the love of a mother for her child, I had to go through the greatest pain I ever experienced. It is worth the pain to experience love. I did it three more times!

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