Love Runs

Imagine a storm so violent that the thunder shakes the foundations of a house like a quake through a sandcastle. Imagine the rain pelting the windows with such force that the glass screams out in shrill protest. Now imagine peering out and seeing a figure in the distance shrouded in mist and shivering from the onslaught of icy rain and the relentless wind.

Imagine if that sad figure was someone you dearly loved.

What would you do?

Would you open the door a little, risk the intrusion of wind and rain to call out to them? Would you venture out to the porch, clutching your coat around you and bid them join you under shelter? Would you encourage them to follow your voice and flee the brutality of the squall?

Standing in the center of a cyclone we rarely see beyond the current storm. When our lives are filled with uncertainty and our world is drenched in gloom the sun is hidden from us. We are so focused on the clouds that nothing else matters. In the midst of chaos, we cannot hear the voice of our rescuers.

We hear nothing but the wind.

Love, honest love, doesn’t call out from a partially opened door. Love doesn’t stand on the porch protected from the brutal storm. Love doesn’t just sit and wait.

Love runs.

Love doesn’t care about its own comfort. Instead, it throws open the door and sprints out into the bruising rain. It wraps its arms around its beloved and risks the chaos hand-in-hand. Love knows no fear; it understands not the idea of cowardice. Love is brave, and strong. Love is loyal and determined.

Life is messy, and in the worst of times it can overwhelm and oppress us. The oft repeated scripture says that though we walk through the valley of death, we will not fear evil or the unknown because our God is with us...and our God runs to us.

Regardless of your faith, you will not travel through life’s many valleys alone because those that love you, really and truly love you, will be there for you in the midst of it all. You will know your true friends by how quickly they rush to your side. Regardless of the time spent in the valley, or how chaotic the storm, you’ve got back up.

If you find yourself in the middle of a particularly brutal downpour and need some support, call me. When I say that I love you, it means that I will stand with you, even in the messiest of times. I’ll even bring an umbrella...and probably a thermos of coffee. You just never know how long these storms are going to last, and it never hurts to be prepared.