Sometimes People Just Love You

While The Littlest Miss (a.k.a. The Wee Lass) and I were praying our goodnight prayers tonight, an image floated through my mind and then pitched a tent. I could see the person we were praying for (actually I mostly saw her workspace) and my prayer words were not my own. I believe the Holy Spirit formed each thought and syllable--articulated each word. It was one of those blessed moments when you know you're not driving and God is present.

The prayer was centered around the request that, in His mercy, God would provide someone we love with a revelation...one that really opened up a pathway to rediscovering faith, God, passion, and purpose. Tears flowed warm and gentle as the words flowed likewise. The power of God's unfailing love was in the room.


When prayer time was over and I kissed The Wee Lass goodnight, I remembered the famous line from Nat King Cole's song, "Nature Boy."

The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.

The line just repeated quietly in the background of my thoughts, as I took in the sweetness of being so close to God. I couldn't help thinking about how much we miss of love's beautiful simplicity...the "just" in the "just to love" that has no concern about failures or frailties...no fears about expectations or exposure. It just is. 

Just love and be loved in return. Just stop worrying about your facades...the you it feels like you should be, or the you people think you are, the you that you think people want you to be. All of that gets in the way and kills us off from the inside out.

Just love and be loved in return. Just stop fretting about whether what you have to give is enough, whether it is what others want, or whether you think you have anything left to give at all.  Just love and be loved in return.

I know that when I pray for the people I love, especially the people I love and cherish from the depths of my soul, I cannot avoid wanting to be loved in return. That's natural. We all want to be loved by the ones we love. 

But we waste so much energy and time and light worrying about trying to keep some perfect balance where no one in the mix ever feels deprived of their share, or like they are receiving more than they can return. What a waste of ATP! What a terrible, imposing weight to put on the experience that should be the best to live in and the lightest to carry.

That doesn't mean that love has no price, or that it never pushes us beyond our comfort zones.  It means that that you just except love as a grand transaction created, directed, and purposed for God...for His honor and glory...and you just give it...you just receive it.

Sometimes...people just love you...whoever you are, whatever you are, however you are, wherever you are, why-ever you are...whenever you are...forever. Sometimes people just love you...because God made them, and brought them into your life for just that reason...

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸ Love never fails.