Lord, I pray You would expand our love. Gently take down any wall we may have up from thinking we won't know true love until we get married. From reserving our love until then.
Open our hearts that feel like it doesn't make sense to love someone that is not permanently in our lives. Expand our love for the children we know, for people from church who could use a friend, for relatives we take for granted. Protect our hearts, yes, but, Lord, let us experience the glories of loving someone! Open us up for people we don't absolutely need to survive, and for those we do. Expand our capacity, add depths to our caring, overflow our sincerity of feeling, show us how to put feet to pursuing relationships with people. Let us be willing to "waste" love on temporary relationships, people who will come and go from our lives. To put ourselves out there. Teach us to love more than we do now.
It is never a bad thing to love (Your way) more. Fill our well-preserved-for-the-future hearts with true (not crushing or emotionalistic or trendy) love.
The other day I asked one of my student-girls for a hug. After our squeeze, I went for my other girl and got a hug from her. These were my new students (versus ones I had last year) who transferred to my class a month late. It struck me that I love these girls now. And I love my other students. Love does not come naturally to me--I don't build relationships quickly. So whenever I look into my heart and see love blossoming, it's an unexpected, happy thing. I've always felt that what convinced me to take my dog Bella was God telling me that it's never a bad thing to love more. I think God must be growing my capacity to love.
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