There is something very profound about true love that God told me once, (and I know I’m not the only one who has heard it) and it is this: To love much means being willing to be hurt much.
Think about it. One of the most important aspects of being in a close relationship and having true love is vulnerability. We have to let our guard down so the other person knows the real us.
If I were to reference medieval times, picture a knight and his lady. He is strutting about in his shining armor, ready to battle any who come his way and she falls head-over-heels for him as he shows off his strength and valor. Now, he starts to woo her personally, to capture her true love. He speaks sweet nothings in her ear…from behind his masked helmet. He slips his fingers into hers…and she feels the cold metal of his gauntlet. He goes to her father to ask for her hand…with his sword drawn.
What an absurd picture but isn’t that what we think we can do sometimes? We expect to get close to people without risking hurt. Absurd as it sounds, there is a reason we do it. What happens when our guard is down? All our weak spots are exposed and the other person can hit us where it hurts. No one likes that.
So, where does that leave us? When I want to do it right, I look to Christ. I love verses where it talks about God as a mighty warrior, swift and strong. (2 Samuel 22:8-10; Revelations 19:11-15) However when I sit back, I see something different. When God chose to show us true love and send us His son with skin on, that’s not the way He showed up. He showed up as a baby. He did ministry through relationships. He chose to hang out with the outcasts. And, most dramatically, he died on a cross, beaten and naked. If that doesn’t show vulnerability, I don’t know what does.
All that has been things I’ve processed through before, but today, a new thought hit me. God showed his vulnerability long before that. He showed it to us at creation when he gave us free will. Have you ever wondered why in the world God would do that when He knew we wouldn’t always choose Him?
This is why: When we are forced to love, it is to not true love at all, but when we choose to love, that is how God knows we're truly His. For this reason He gave free will. He took a chance of us hurting Him because it was worth it to Him to know we truly loved Him. If we didn’t have that choice, then the whole point of God creating us would have been void. We are created to be in a relationship with God and to love Him with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength. (Mark 12:29-30) If we were forced to do this, then it would mean nothing. When we have a choice, then He knows it is TRUE LOVE.
