Let's Get Psyched: The Yearning of Love
by Randy Kiel | December 2, 2021
When life doesn’t seem to go as expected, we understandably look for a back-up plan; this might be called a contingency plan. From God’s perspective, we are all living in a contingency plan, i.e... Adam in the Garden of Eden; the Israelites crossing the Red Sea; and Jesus’ death and resurrection. We are all part of something much larger than we can realize.
Everything exists because it is contingent upon something else. Contingency is defined as something occurring or existing only if certain circumstances are the case; or, as a group of people, united by some common features, forming part of a larger group. We know that the moon is contingent to the Earth as the planets are to the sun (as to the galaxy, solar system, universe, etc). Man is contingent to mankind, the human species. We are all subjectively contingent to some system or group. We are not simply a person that is contingent upon the self.
Emotions, similarly, are contingent upon stimuli, whether causation is internal or external. Hatred exists as the result of man’s fall from grace through sin, thus, hatred is not contingent upon itself, but is contingent upon its source – sin. Similarly, we can look at love. Love is not contingent upon itself but is contingent upon its source – God. Love exists because of God. He created us in His image therefore we humans are the “lovingest” creatures of all his creation. Love is not just love itself, but rather love is God and God is love. The only thing or creature that has ever existed on this earth that was not contingent to something else was the person of God as man, Jesus Christ.
While we can see the innumerable ways that love is expressed and demonstrated among us, we realize that love is even more than we see evidenced. Love is more than feelings of affection, sunset strolls, rocking a colicky baby, a special gift, fixing leaky faucets, school conferences, and even more than a beautiful wedding gown.
But love is compassion - a forbearance put into the hearts of man’s spirit to search for places and people to be given to. Love yearns to be given away. Love is more than we as humans can ever express. If we think carefully, we might even remember a time when the love inside felt so large and so strong that it could have burst. When we are totally yielded to the will of God, it is then that we know the truth of love. Love is not simply a noun but a proper noun. It is and was firstly a “who” before it was ever a “what”. Love is God. Love is Jesus. He is yearning to give his life away for the sake of all of us. And He did!
Love is giving a compliment when feeling the urge to criticize. Love is extending patience when tolerance feels tapped out and being courteous while yet offended. Love is a matter of free will and choice when one is surrendered unto Love himself. Our love for God draws us to believe in Him even when faith feel difficult, to trust him when doubt is strong, and to praise him when tempted to complain. Yet, love is so much more. Our actions are finite, but love is infinite; it is eternal. It goes on and on and it grows. Life is contingent upon love and love is God. May it be our yearning prayer be to be fully given away through love.
Love, He never ends. Love, He never fails. Thank you, God, for being love.