“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

C.S. Lewis wrote about the fact that we must be vulnerable if we are to truly experience love. He wrote: “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give your heart to no one, not even an animal.” C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Back in the summer of 2021, I went through a season of death. In just two weeks, I experienced the loss of seven friends and congregation members. Simply put, it hurt. That pain brought physical tears, but it also brought shock and a fogginess in my brain. It rattled me, and it felt like a bit of anxiousness at the wrongness of it all. In my effort to deal with such pain, I found myself longing and pining for the times in my life when I was insulated from such emotions and confusion.

The reality of it all was that I discovered the truth of what one artist wrote: how fragile we are. But in reflecting on C.S. Lewis’ words, I was reminded that loving someone comes with the risk of experiencing that pain. That pain comes with the territory of love. It isn’t something we are at liberty to carve out of the experience of loving another person.

Vulnerability and opening oneself up to hurt happen in the act of choosing to love. This realization drew me deeper into devotion and adoration for our God, our Heavenly Father, who “…so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) To consider the vulnerability God took when He made a commitment to love me is overwhelming, especially when I think of how often it has meant hurt, pain, loss, and disappointment to Him.

And it also reminded me that His love isn’t just about the good times. It is a deeply committed love, even in the bad times, including that painful season of loss. It’s amazing to remember Jesus’ teaching to His disciples as He chose to love them and all sinners from the cross and the grave. Do you remember it?

He bent over and began to serve them by washing their feet. He began to love them by serving them with such kindness and care. If you’ve been hurt or are experiencing the pain of being vulnerable, consider Him who died for you and know that you’re in love.

Prayer
Loving Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us even when it came at a great cost. Would You fill our hearts so that Your love would flow out of us onto others, as You call us to love others as You have first loved us? We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.