Dangerous Loving

Bungee jumping, rock climbing, motocross, sky diving: the love of dare devils.  They feel alive when they are doing something dangerous, something where the outcome in uncertain.  They love to take risks; it gets their adrenaline pumping.  They live for that feeling.  They are the ones who jump off of bridges only attached by a large rubber band, scale monumental heights with only a rope and some pulleys, ski down treacherous slopes without a thought.

I AM NOT one of these people!  I have no desire to ever jump out of a plane and parachute to the ground or ride a dirt bike down a mountain.  Some people love these things, but I am not one of them.  I would much rather play a fun game of softball or hang out with my friends that do anything 

like that. 

But I am called to be a risk taker.

No, God is not telling me to go climb Mount Everest, at least not in the physical sense.  He is calling me to stand up for the person whom no one likes and everyone picks on.  To extend friendship when none is extended in return.  To genuinely care about people and invest in their lives.  To be open and transparent with who I am and what I’m dealing with.  To forgive continually, even if the person is still hurting me.  To share my heart with those people in my life that He has placed there for me to share with.  To show compassion even to the most difficult of people.

He is calling me to love.

Love is risky.  When we allow our feelings to be evident and genuinely care about those around us, we put ourselves at risk.  At risk for heartache, for hurt.  We are all humans, and humans disappoint people.  It is one of the consequences to living in a fallen world.  But even though by loving we run the risk of being let down, we are called to love anyway. 

And this love is not merely a feeling.  Because a lot of times, our feelings get hurt when we love.  Because the love is not returned or we are mocked for our love.  This love that God calls us to is a committed love.  A love that says, “I’m here for the long run, even if I am disappointed, hurt, or mocked.  Because in this committed love the people around me will see Christ.”

The thing is, we can’t love like this on our own.  It’s just not possible.  Human love is flawed and faltering.  To love like this, in all areas of our life, in friendships, in ministry, in marriage, in any relationship, we have to connect to the source.  The source of love.  If we are disconnected from the source, the love will not last.  Because we can’t give what we don’t have.  Disconnected from the source, our love is unsure and spotty at best.  But when we connect to the source, we find that love, crazy, committed love, pours out of us onto other people.  The source is this,

God is love. (1 John 4:8)

Being connected to God (the source of love) does not mean that we will get fuzzy feelings all the time for everyone.  We will still get annoyed, upset, and frustrated.  Being connected to the source means that we are given the power and strength from God to love them anyway.  Because love from the source is a love based on God, who is consistent, instead of on inconsistent people and circumstances.  We are able to love other people consistently because God loves us consistently.  God is the one person whom we love that will never hurt us or abandon us.  We find security in loving Him, so that we can risk loving others. 

Why are we called to love like this?  Why are we asked to lay down our feelings to love someone else?  It doesn’t seem fair to our minds.  Why are we called to this? 

We love because [God] first loved us. (1 John 4:19)   

We love dangerously because that’s how Jesus loves us.  He loves knowing that His heart will hurt because some will reject Him.  That His love will be thrown back in His face.  But He loves anyway.  Why?  Because of that one.  That one who will accept His love with thanksgiving and love Him in return.  That one who will give up everything out of love for Him, just like He did for them.  That one who will know that nothing can separate them from His love and allow that knowledge to rule their lives.  That one who will fall more and more in love with Him every day.  That one who loves to love dangerously.  That one who feels alive when they are loving God and others.  That one who lives to love.

I want to be that one!

I want to be the one who makes Jesus smile because I love Him back.  I want to be the one who leans on Him so that I can love God and others.  I want to be connected to the source.  I want to live leaning on the Lover of My Soul, knowing that His love for me is constant and let that knowledge run my life.  I want to be the one that lets God love for me move me to love like He does, dangerously.  I want to be the one who loves the way Jesus does, knowing that there will be that one who God will touch through me, even if I never see it myself.  I want to be the one who loves even if love isn’t returned, so that God can use me to reach that one.  I want to be the one to lay it all down out of love for my Savior.  I want to be the one who falls more and more in love with Him every day.  I want to be the one who lives a life for God, a life of dangerous loving.  
I want to be the one who lives to love.