Wisdom from unexpected sources

‘’It’s hard,’ I told her,

She said, “it’s not supposed to be easy.”

When I turned to her with a question on my face, she said, “Love is not supposed to be easy.” 

It was difficult to swallow, and at that moment my only response came from my eyes.   The tears flowed.  That was it.  She asked if I needed a hug - which of course I did, and then she had to leave. 

But those words have stayed with me.  

No, love is not supposed to be easy.  It never was.  When God created man, knowing that mankind would disobey Him and walk their own way, love was hard.  When He had to remove them from his beautiful garden, love was hard.

When after many years God had to cleanse the world and just save one family, love was still hard.  And with all the opportunities He gave man to live in His way, men kept turning their backs and going their own way.  Love again, was hard.

And finally. when God the Son chose to die on the cross, to bear in His body and spirit man’s sins, those sins accumulated from the beginning of time, love was very hard.  It had to have been hard for The Father to turn His back and allow Jesus to do it alone.  Yes, love is very hard.

So when I love my husband and that love hurts so terribly because he hurts. I can be assured that my loving God knows what loving costs – that loving is hard. 

Thank you, Heather, for those wise words.  I didn’t need someone to say, “It will be OK” I needed the wisdom you probably don’t even realize you had.