Have You Ever Loved?

Have you ever loved something or someone so much that the thought of that person or object brought tears to your eyes? Have you ever been so proud of a relationship that you could neither deny it nor describe the experience to anyone else?

From the old veteran staring up lovingly at the flag he served, while his loyal dog looks up lovingly at him; to the disabled veteran who rises from his wheelchair while able-bodied Americans sit when that flag passes by. From a person of faith who rises early every morning to spend time with God, and who's floorboards are worn where she kneels beside her bed at night and thank Him for another day of His company. The couple who make love slowly and tenderly, lost in themselves and oblivious to the world around them; the mother who reaches out to embrace her child who just took his first step; the father who places his daughter's hand into the hand and care of another man; the husband and wife of many years who can sit together and watch in awe as the sun sets over the furthest dusty blue mountains and know without having to say a word what the other is thinking; the spouse who continues to care for the other when time and disease have stolen the mind and body of their loved one.

These pictures speak of lives lived well and where life is about more than simply making a living. Love allows us to focus our passion on things that really matter. Where there is no love there is heartache and lack of purpose; where love is, there may also be heartache, but it has purpose.

I suspect that a lot of people have cheated themselves of love and purpose because they've built walls to protect them from being hurt. I've held love at arm's length for a long time, unwilling to risk, incapable of living, settling for numb survival - when so much more is being offered. Recently I met someone with whom I've fallen in love, and with that love has come a renewed sense of purpose and hope for the future. Love requires much from us: passion, loyalty, selflessness, patience, sacrifice, obedience, our very lives. But the benefits of love are far greater: joy, contentment, pride, intimacy, purpose, fulfillment, and life itself.

I've found love and gained my life.