Love is not Tame

"Love is an untamed force.  When we try to control it, it destroys us.  When we try to imprison it, it enslaves us.  When we try to understand, it leaves us feeling lost and confused."  Paulo Coelho

When I read, The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis for the first time I was drawn into the description of Aslan.  Aslan is the Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer of Narnia and is also a lion.  The thing about Aslan is that he is always close to the people and talking beasts of Narnia but he cannot be held or captured.  Throughout the story we are reminded that he is not a tame lion.  As I read this quote, it reminded me of the way that characters in the book long to hear from and talk to Aslan but there is no way to control him.  He comes...always at the right time but not a moment before.  Or maybe he is there all along but just doesn't appear until the moment of decision.  


As the "Church" has developed over time and into institutional structures, many of which are valuable and helpful to the edifying of the Body of Christ in the world, we have sometimes sought to control God or at the very least humanity's understanding of God.  Keeping God safely within our expectations and comfort levels.  It is hard for me when I don't understand things.  Part of me would love to get "it" and never have to deal with the ambiguity of living my life without all the answers.  But the truth is that the more I live into the Good News of God's love for the whole world I get further from the black and white and go deeper into a fullness of grace and peace than I ever imagined.  Accepting that I won't understand it all, makes it easier for me to live into Jesus' challenge to "Love the Lord with all you heart, soul and mind" and to "Love your neighbor as yourself."  

God is Love!  Here I begin...

There is rarely an explanation that really shows how and why love happens here or there.  There is nothing that explains how love can be so difficult and even sometimes lead to our own suffering and yet we continue to search for it.  Love in all its manifestations is  powerful and motivating while also being very unpredictable.  It seems that love picks us not the other way around.    

Love is a word and an idea that many of us use to talk about our passions, to push us to do better and sometimes it is also the excuse for why we do not do enough.  When we love the lines get blurred and our ability to be objective goes with it, at least that is true of me.  But I don't think that is all bad...when we are subjective, we are less likely to make judgements based on assumptions, stereotypes, or extremist opinions.  What if we were able to make our decisions always based on personal experience?  What if we "always" knew someone who was affected?  How would that change our rhetoric about family, human sexuality, politics, immigration, workers' rights, gun control, abortion...and the list goes on?  How might we begin to see the world through the eyes of love?  What would it be like if every agenda became the life or reality of our child?  How might our reactions be different? 

I imagine that we would all see ways that we had over simplified our arguments due to lack of knowledge or experience.  I imagine we would be more compassionate with others and ourselves as we began to delve into the complexities of an issue that connects to our lives.  I imagine that we would listen more than talk.  I imagine that we would be less efficient but more effective in our relationships and world.  I imagine that we would find great abundance and joy in the living of life.  

Love is tangled web...and with faith and hope I pray we will weave together a story of reconciliation and redemption for all!  I believe that love like Aslan, always shows up just in time!  As God leads us by loving us despite our faults and failures we can do the same for one another.  I imagine that love will continue to transform the world as we learn to let it control our lives rather than our lives trying to control love.