Risking Love

It’s been a while since I’ve had something really resonate with me while reading my bible. I hope that was only to really permanently drive home tonight’s lesson. For quite sometime I’ve been well aware of the risk required to love someone. I did not understand however the risk in loving God. How can loving God be a risk at all? He’s always there, will never leave, and loves us more than we could ever comprehend. How is there any risk at all?! And if there is no risk, why is it so hard to follow him as the bible tells us to? I’d get frustrated if I fell short somewhere, saying how can I love God more because obviously I don’t care enough or I wouldn’t struggle with that issue.

But the risk doesn’t come with love, it comes with trust. Trusting God when we don’t know his plan is tough and does take love. I read a short passage out of the Upper Room and it spoke about certainties in marriage…what doesn’t come with a warranty. It’s kind of silly to think of forcing God into a warranty. “Ok God, today I will feed the dog, smile at someone in traffic, and not cheat on my homework, but in exchange I want eternal life.” Talk about cheapening love and a gift. I was always confused on legalism and walking with God…I want to do what I should to please him and definitely don’t want to sin out-right. Yet if I focus on that and what I shouldn’t do isn’t that legalism?

So here’s my latest revelation…the time we spend planning and hitting checklists for a future payout without noticing the present is cheating God and us of that relationship. Think of it as a boyfriend who plans a big date with dinner and flowers with the only goal of getting in his girlfriend’s pants at the end of the night, never stopping once to enjoy the evening. (sorry guys, I know that happens the other way too) I think that is what we do to God when we try to narrow faith down into dos and don’t dos. Legalism is just like manipulating someone to get what you want. However if we stop trying to plan our good deeds, driving down the highway with blinders on, we may just end up pulling over to help someone with a flat tire and enjoying it. Think of it as a date with God, one where our time schedule interacts with His and leaves life interrupted and fulfilled. I really wish I could write better because it was a cool and new revelation, yet reading over it just seems like something I heard before. So I guess the question is really do we enjoy God's presence enough regardless of the circumstances that tomorrow doesn't matter?