Im posting a letter for all you singles out there who feel 'single' as well. If this has been posted before, sorry for posting again.
Anyway, hope this helps you out as much as reading it has helped me.
Its more from a girls point of view
Here goes:
There's this someone who used to care and who now couldn't be bothered, and I've been spending insane days and sleepless nights with my stomach tied up in knots because of the realization that this person, who used to like and respect me now does not. That this one who used to have nothing negative to say about me now cannot find enough ways to tear me down. And I'm certainly not faultless--it would be sheer hubris (a foolish or seriously misplaced confidence) for me to believe that I've been blameless. I've got all this sin crammed down inside, buried under skin and bones, and it comes out in the ugliest places and the most damaging ways.
But I'm also standing on this side of hurt and realizing that loving someone is a choice--no matter the kind of love we're talking about. It's about saying, "This person has sin crammed down deep inside them, hiding under their skin and bones, and sometimes it comes out in the ugliest places and the most damaging ways. But I'm going to love them anyway. Even though it's inconvenient for me, I'm going to love them. I'm going to love them, not for my sake, and not even for their sake, but for His sake. Because He looks at them and sees someone so worthy of His love, and I want to love like He does."
Because, really, who do we think we are, choosing to NOT love someone? He looks at each one of us and sees the deepest, the darkest places in us--His light and righteousness feels the full weight of our darkness and sin in ways that those of us who are fallen and full of darkness can never comprehend. And we have the audacity to look at each other and think, "God can love them, but I see the ugliness better than He does. They've never hurt Him like they've hurt me. They're annoying and He just doesn't get that."
In the end, isn't our choice to not love people simply our way of saying, "Well, God. I really see them more clearly than you do, and you may think they're worthy of your love--your perfect, pure, selfless love--but they're not worthy of mine." In the end, isn't our choice not to love others just our way of saying, "My love is more meaningful, more important, more truly given than His love. He can give you His, but mine is much too valuable to waste on you"?
Talk about hubris.
So, my prayer is that through this, He will continue to hone and shape my love--that I will learn to love like He does, whatever the cost to myself. I will follow the way of love--walk that hard road--and I will do the difficult and live with honor and integrity in the way I choose to love."
"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him." 1 John 4:16
Anyway, all that to say this: the One who sees all my secrets, knows all my hidden sins, shines His light into the darkest places in my soul, searches all my pettiness, suffers all my annoying habits and choices--HE LOVES ME. He suffers the depths of my depravity in a way that no human could ever suffer, and His heart toward me is one of love.
He calls me beautiful.
I think I'll cling to that truth, today.
Anyway, hope this helps you out as much as reading it has helped me.
Its more from a girls point of view
Here goes:
There's this someone who used to care and who now couldn't be bothered, and I've been spending insane days and sleepless nights with my stomach tied up in knots because of the realization that this person, who used to like and respect me now does not. That this one who used to have nothing negative to say about me now cannot find enough ways to tear me down. And I'm certainly not faultless--it would be sheer hubris (a foolish or seriously misplaced confidence) for me to believe that I've been blameless. I've got all this sin crammed down inside, buried under skin and bones, and it comes out in the ugliest places and the most damaging ways.
But I'm also standing on this side of hurt and realizing that loving someone is a choice--no matter the kind of love we're talking about. It's about saying, "This person has sin crammed down deep inside them, hiding under their skin and bones, and sometimes it comes out in the ugliest places and the most damaging ways. But I'm going to love them anyway. Even though it's inconvenient for me, I'm going to love them. I'm going to love them, not for my sake, and not even for their sake, but for His sake. Because He looks at them and sees someone so worthy of His love, and I want to love like He does."
Because, really, who do we think we are, choosing to NOT love someone? He looks at each one of us and sees the deepest, the darkest places in us--His light and righteousness feels the full weight of our darkness and sin in ways that those of us who are fallen and full of darkness can never comprehend. And we have the audacity to look at each other and think, "God can love them, but I see the ugliness better than He does. They've never hurt Him like they've hurt me. They're annoying and He just doesn't get that."
In the end, isn't our choice to not love people simply our way of saying, "Well, God. I really see them more clearly than you do, and you may think they're worthy of your love--your perfect, pure, selfless love--but they're not worthy of mine." In the end, isn't our choice not to love others just our way of saying, "My love is more meaningful, more important, more truly given than His love. He can give you His, but mine is much too valuable to waste on you"?
Talk about hubris.
So, my prayer is that through this, He will continue to hone and shape my love--that I will learn to love like He does, whatever the cost to myself. I will follow the way of love--walk that hard road--and I will do the difficult and live with honor and integrity in the way I choose to love."
"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him." 1 John 4:16
Anyway, all that to say this: the One who sees all my secrets, knows all my hidden sins, shines His light into the darkest places in my soul, searches all my pettiness, suffers all my annoying habits and choices--HE LOVES ME. He suffers the depths of my depravity in a way that no human could ever suffer, and His heart toward me is one of love.
He calls me beautiful.
I think I'll cling to that truth, today.
