There’s no denying our world has a jaded view of love. Love is self-seeking and consumeristic, subsequently leaving those involved hurt and wounded and fearful. This article would be helpful in recreating a hope for love in this world. In most cases, love is toxic. We see it everywhere, we hear it everywhere. It’s the kind of love where none of the parties involved reap any kind of lasting benefits. It’s that instaeuphoric kind of love. You know, the “enjoy the fruits of labor without the labor” kind of love. It’s the kind of love where you work to earn it and you work to keep it and as a result you lose the romance because you’re too busy walking on eggshells. In fact, one of pop cultures influencers described love in her own terms, “It’s dangerous, I’m fallin’ There’s no escape, I can’t wait I need a hit, baby, give me it” It seems as though the concept of love in our day and age has been stricken ill; lying deathly sick in its bed and showing no signs of depth, longevity, authenticity nor truth. And yet, in spite of this, most of us still cry out with Mary J. Blige that we’re “searching for a real love.” This search is real. The hunger and desire for deep affection is in many ways inescapable. We are emotion-filled and passionate creatures after all. As a result to this, many of us would overlook toxic love just to say that we have some kind of “love”, even if it is toxic. In my experience, I’ve seen people respond to this kind of love in one of two ways: First, they remained poisoned in their love hoping that love gets better, though for them it never does. Second, they’ll jump ship and move from love to love out of a calloused, embittered, broken heart that is convinced that there is no real and lasting love besides the love of self. In this kind of thinking you can only and truly be in love with yourself because only you can love yourself rightly. But several years ago, I realized that there’s a third way. I met Jesus. Jesus loved me in a way that no one has ever loved me. And his love compelled me to love myself and everyone else in a way that no one has ever compelled me to love before. Here’s why: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.” It was then that I realized that I am radically different from this “Son” and in many ways because of that I felt off. There was a lack and I felt dead. However and ironically, at the very same time I felt pursued. I felt loved because for the first time in a pure sense someone loved me enough to accept me as I was but loved me even more to lead me through my mess. And more than just what Jesus offered in His love, was how he loved. The verses prior described to us an ancient story that has Moses at the helm. John alludes to the story in Numbers 21:4-9 and mentions the “poisonous snake” or “toxic” snake that infected the people of God. We find the climax in verse 8 where God says, “make a Fiery serpent and set it on a pole and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” Why would John in 3:14 liken Jesus to a serpent; something that has historically been symbolic of evil and darkness? 2 Corinthians 5:21 gives us the answer and the substance to our salvation: “He made him who knew no sin to be sin that we might become the righteousness of God.” All the toxic love that is going around, stemming from our broken hearts, Jesus became and died IN it and rose OVER it. Jesus became our depression, our envy, our lust, our greed. Jesus disarmed their power over us by lovingly dying, that we would have life. Jesus was sent and raised on a pole so that we would be healed and have life. Love is in the air. christcrucifiednyc/causes/love-is-in-the-air/
Posted on: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 23:55:09 +0000