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John Hembree

An Everyday Expression of Hope and Its Potential

An Everyday Expression of Hope 

What Does Love Require…

May 8, 2012 by John Hembree Leave a Comment

Everything. Absolutely everything.

Later this afternoon or evening I will put on the blog more input from the marriage survey. I thought this morning I would add a few personal thoughts in between.

The subject of love affects all of us. Who really understands it? Why is one person drawn to another and they live their lives as one? I am contemplative today and I watch and I listen to those I come in contact with, and may even ask a few, “why are you in love with who you are in love with?” It seems like a simple question but my guess is it will be dificult to answer for most.

Another question that is rolling around in my brain is, “what does love require?”

Over the last two years I have for whatever reason been in a position that a lot was required to give up in order to survive or that I lost, or, chose to give up. Ah, maybe that’s it. We choose to give it up rather than it be taken.

Two years ago, after losing a job I chose to get my act together both physicailly, emotionally, spiritually, etc. First of all I gave up preliminary poor eathing choices, then I gave up coffee, then I gave up green tea, then I gave up Ambien to help me sleep, then I gave up other medications that made my brain function normally, then I gave up a house that we lived in, then I gave up more foods, then I gave up this, that and this. Two weeks ago my mother passed away. I gave her up. I am not complaining. I just feel like a lot has been required to give up or be taken in order to bring me to a place where I can exceed my own expectations in life and place those expectations in God’s hands.

And with that continuing thought, I have always been curious as to the phrase, “forsaking all others”, that we say at the time of matrimony. Its a fun discussion with people to throw out the question, “Does God bring us one person into our lives of whom we were intended?” Fun question, always good with teenagers, college kids and married couples.

Love requires so much.

In our short lives, we do not have the length of time to fully understand its requirements. To fully give yourself to one, forsaking all others, what does that truly mean? It is certainly beyond physical attraction between men and woman. It’s a heart matter. A deep, deep heart matter. A God thing.

And if you tie this into a spiritual application it takes it to an even deeper level. Unexplainable really.

“For God so loved the world that He gave…”

I wanna learn to love like that. I honest to goodness wanna love like that.

And whatever that requires me to give up I will lay it down gently upon the altar of God and leave it in his protective care.

I wanna love like that.

JHH

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