"I love you from my soul..."

Was watching the movie 'Madea's Family Reunion' on TV earlier.  Missed a good part of it, but still enjoyed what I did see.  At the end of movie, a couple are exchanging vows in a wedding ceremony.  The guy says to the girl "I love you past my head, beyond my heart and from my soul; that place where only you and God abide". 

I love that line!  It so aptly describes what it is like to love the person you know God created just for you.  It makes me so sad to hear people bandy about the phrase 'I love you' with so little understanding of what real love is all about.  I hear people all the time talking about "falling in love" or "falling out of love".  I have always said, if love is something you can 'fall into', you'd best be very careful or you're likely to 'fall out' of it as well!

How sad that we have demoted the most precious of all human connections to the status of something we 'fall' into or out of.  Jesus did not 'fall into' love with mankind.  He chose to love us in spite of ourselves!  In that same manner, we must choose to love those around us, whether that love is romantic love, friendly love, family love or that all-encompassing agape love with which Jesus loved us.  What joy we rob ourselves of by allowing the Deceiver to convince us that love is so easily attained or so frivolously thrown aside.

Just tonight, a young female cousin posted on Facebook that those around her not blood related she called 'family' and those blood related she called 'relatives'.  She has been taught by her misguided parents that, because her blood family does not always agree with them or give them what they want, they are no longer real family.  How sad!  Sad for the adults and extremely so for the teenagers being reared in that home.  How sad that they have cheapened 'family' to mean only those who agree with you and who give you what you want, when you want it.  Sad, and selfish.

It is in those times of disagreement and disapproval that we can often learn the most about and from each other.  But, only if we open ourselves to the teaching of the Holy Spirit.  When we become unteachable, we become withered and angry; bitter at everyone who doesn't give us what we want and always praise and/or agree with us.  If we remain teachable, we allow ourselves the  joy of learning from those with whom we do not agree and growing in patience, compassion and understanding.

No wonder politics are such a mess in this country.  If families can't get along, how do we expect strangers to do so?  We have lost the art of listening to divergent opinions without judging each other.  We no longer know how to compromise without name calling.  It must be our way or no way.  Don't get me wrong, there are places where we must take a stand and not budge.  When Christian morals and principles are involved, there is no room for compromise.  But how immature we are when we cannot stand our ground in love and not disintegrate into bickering and verbal stone throwing.

I love you from my soul.......I'm going to do my best to remember that one; I like it.  Dearest Lord Jesus, help to love each one in my path from my soul, from Your heart.