Lousy Lovers

It's been ages. it literally has, & life just catches up to you sometimes & whacks you over the head with all it throws, both joys & pains, but it has been ages since I've even thought about writing here. Maybe because there aren't any thoughts, or maybe because there are too many thoughts.

This week there's been newness. a new week brings new things to each day, & I'm grateful that once today is lived, there is tomorrow to start all over & grow from where you were yesterday.

I guess I've been thinking recently about how lousy we are at loving each other. Sometimes we're also lousy at loving ourselves, but generally we're probably better at loving ourselves than we are at loving those around us - both those that we love & those that are hard to love. But let's face it - all people to some extent are hard to love! We try our best to figure out the best ways to love them well constantly. It's a continual balance in any friendship or relationship between giving & receiving, & it can be really hard to find that balance.

"we are afraid to care too much for fear that the other person doesn't care at all." - Eleanor Roosevelt

People are messy, lives are messy, relationships are messy, but if it's one thing that I've continued to be encouraged by over & over again is that they're worth it. The joyful laughter & heart cries alongside people are worth the messiness of the balance of give & take. So I am constantly reminded to keep investing in people, pursuing relationships, because God gives us people, & God uses people, & God is in people & works through people, & though there is tiredness of heart that comes with loving people -

dear people, love till it hurts. Jesus loved so much that He has scars in His hands to show His capacity of love. I don't want to run away from a Love that is that pure. I don't want to run away from the love of people just because of the imbalance that there is sometimes between giving & taking in relationships, or the one-sidedness that is sometimes felt.

Christ not only loves us in spite of our lousy loving, but chooses to intercede into our lousy loving, giving continual, endless, deep grace that forgives us & cleanses us of the lousy pieces. & He wants to make us better lovers. Thankfully we don't have to go it alone.

"the best use of time is to freely love.
the best way to love is to spend time.
the best time to love is always right now."


love, cait