I LOVE that!

I use the word "love" very loosely. In fact, I think the word "love" is a cultural phenomenon. "I LOVE chocolate. I LOVE Taylor Swift. I LOVE Edward Cullen. I LOVE my guitar...." We love TV shoes, music artists, movie stars, movies, books, foods, and all sorts of cool fads. We love our things, our possessions, whatever brings us pleasure. The author of 1 John says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in her." (1 John 2:15). The last month I've been trying to answer the question, "What do I love?" What stirs my heart? What makes me tick? What inspires me? What makes my heart sing? I recognize an inner battle between differing subjects. The first is the things of the world, fighting for my affections and devotion. It's so easy to love the world and it's temporary pleasures. But loving the world leaves me feeling empty, drained, lifeless, disappointed, frustrated, and always wanting more. The second is Jesus, who has embraced the entire human race and carried us into the presence of God and dropped us in God's lap, where we remain forever. Loving this Jesus stirs my heart and makes my inner being shout for joy. Loving this Jesus... is fulfillment, satisfaction, acceptance, and belonging. Loving this Jesus... well, it's something worth dedicating my life to.

And that is the question, isn't it? Once I answer "What do I love?" the remaining question is whether my life demonstrates that it is Jesus who I love. It is not just Jesus, but it is the things that Jesus loves. I love the Church. I love the world. I love life. I see the world, not as a place of immense suffering and darkness, but as that which has been redeemed and made new in Christ. In Christ, there is beauty and hope for the darkest of circumstances. Like a puzzle I've struggled to put together that suddenly is completed, but I have no idea how the pieces fit together, only that they do, and it is beautiful, and it is finished, and I didn't do it. It can never be taken apart again and the fact that I don't understand it doesn't change it. This is what I love... and this is what I want my life to be - captivated by this Jesus. What do I hope for, in my wildest dreams? I hope that I will be so captivated by Jesus that people will meet him when they meet me, see his eyes in mine, hear his words in my voice, and feel his touch in my hands.