I want to begin this post with an excerpt from "The Four Loves" by C.S. Lewis. He writes:
"There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal... lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket - safe, dark, motionless, airless - it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the danger and perturbations of love is Hell."
Let me first state that I have no intention of even attempting to add to the eloquence of Lewis' words here. What an incredible statement though. The way that he finishes the thought that we really aren't safe in vulnerability, and that is the point, we take a risk for a reward. I don't want to end up with a heart that is "irredeemable" as he puts it. What a disaster that would be! I pray often that I would remain tender towards those around me, that my love would extend beyond my family, my friends and to my enemies. I can be quick to speak, quick to pass a judgment on a situation where I don't necessarily have all the pieces in front of me. Despite this, I want to continue to learn to love well, to love freely. I don't think this excuses a need for discernment and earning of trust, but man do I want to risk tragedy over a guarantee of damnation.
We have just finished a series called "Church:Deconstructed" at The Community, a ministry I have been going to for about 5 months now that is a part of Community Bible Church here in Nashville. The main body of the series centered around learning what the church is: not a building, not a denomination, not even a small group or community group as are common terms in the post-modern church. It is, simply, the body. A network of believers. We are ALL the church, together, collectively and we are to encourage one another to become more Christ-like. A few references to this concept of a biblical body of believers are as follows: check out Ephesians 4 or 1st Corinthians 12:4-22. And how do we live it out? Look at Hebrews 13:1-6.
I would argue that at the center of all of this is love. We can become impenetrable to our spouses, our friends, our children, our co-workers and most notably to the church if we do not prioritize loving one another. Conversely, when we do, it's not always the peachiest of notions. We will expose ourselves. We will be hurt. We will be disappointed. But as Romans 5:3-5 states, we persevere through that. It builds our character. It gives us hope. Christ has not abandoned us, and if those around us are effectively living and breathing as the church, they will give us a leg to stand on. That's what we are called to do. It applies to all contexts, not just to how you treat your wife or husband or best friend, but to everyone. Love doesn't always mean mush. It doesn't always feel good. It is constructively critical at times, if it needs to be. We ought to expect that of one another that we call each other on things, on discrepancies and when one of us has drifted from the path. I need that accountability as much as the next man does.
So, take a small step. It doesn't have to be or feel life-changing. Often what we see as an insignificant act of love may be of undeniable importance to the one receiving it. Also, don't be afraid to ask difficult questions. Don't be afraid to let someone air out your dirty laundry. Let there be a push and pull. There's value in it, I promise. Do it. Risk a bit of tragedy in this life over eternal damnation in the next.
