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When it seems like a waste

I'd rather everything stay the same than face the adjustments of change. 

There have been seasons of my life when everything feels settled and as it should be. There have also been seasons where I've felt uprooted, unsettled, and out of place. Several seasons involved losing close friends and family - to new jobs and new cities, to illness, and to simply growing apart. I've walked away from many of these seasons wondering why I put in the effort to love deeply, fully, and intentionally if people are just going to leave. 

It is hard work to open yourself up and deepen relationships. It requires a lot of vulnerability to welcome people into your limitations and struggles, which makes it even more difficult when those relationships shift and change due to distance or life circumstances. 

Like I said, I'd rather everything stay the same than face the adjustments of change. 


 


“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. 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. To love is to be vulnerable.”

These words feel convicting to me - especially during times when it seems easier to just close myself off. I've had to ask myself the question, "is deeply loving people worth the risk of potentially losing them?" 

And every time, my answer is yes. 
 

Think about all the moments you spend loving people - holding your baby in the wee hours of the morning, or sitting with your spouse sharing about your day, or carrying the weight of a a dear friend's grief. These moments are far greater than walking through life alone, closed off, and numb. 

I don't want to live my life based on things that could potentially happen. Friendships change, loved ones die, and seasons of life ebb and flow. What I have control over is the amount of love I pour into each one. 

 
Love as deeply as you can, as often as you can friends. It's worth it. 

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