The Season of Love

 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.    ~1 John 4:7

Getting back into the swing of things after the holidays and the dreariness of January.  I've been working a lot on me, and not so much on art, so this has been my first illustration of the new year.  My daughter decided at the last minute that she would prefer that I draw a card for her instead of her drawing her own.  I know where the procrastination comes from, so I'll hold my tongue!  Anyway, our foray into fitness meant that we could not include chocolate or lollipops, so we gave out little bubble bottles instead.  Actually, I was very happy to have an excuse to get back to the drawing board.  Usually by this time I'd have at least 4 or 5 illustrations done, but I was in some kind of funk.  Actually, I've been giving a lot of thought to my purpose in life.  I'm wondering if cute illustrations are what God has intended for me.  I have a few book ideas rolling around too, and I feel like I need to decide where to allocate my time and energies.  In that regard, I've been thinking about love for a long time now.  My study of Christianity has led me to conclude that the Beatles had it right: all you need is love.  But then, what is love really?  Christian love is a much more complicated concept than the media and culture would lead us to believe.  It's kind of like respect, dignity and compassion all wrapped into one, and it's much more of an action verb than a state of mind.  Like Dionne Warwick, I think that what the world needs now is love, sweet love.  Meditate on how Christian love would have prevented this economic crisis, would solve the problems in the Middle East and would bring an end to world hunger and poverty.  I know those are not simple problems, and I'm not trying to minimize them.  On the contrary, I really want people to start realizing how crazy, self-sacrificing, unselfish love for others would suddenly and profoundly change the world.  Love isn't just hearts and flowers and chocolate -- it's dirty knees, rolled up sleeves, dirty diapers, sweat and tears and real sacrifice.  We'd all like to save the world if it didn't cost us anything.  But it will cost us -- and I know God wants to push us right out of our comfort zone, right out of what we figure we can stand to give up, right into that area of fear and doubt that forces us to rely on Him alone.  So I don't know if I need to go to Africa, work at a homeless shelter, devote myself totally to my family, or get a book published.  All of those scare me and would require an amount of devotion that my selfish nature is loathe to give.  Geez, isn't it enough that I'm dieting and exercising for the first time in years?  'Nope.' is the simple clear answer that I'm getting from God.  The pursuit of love is leading me toward spiritual boot-camp, and I can tell you, there's fear and excitement, but most of all I don't want to miss the bus (again) and be stuck where I am.

Lord, thank you for pushing us to be more than we think we can be.  Thank you for those momentary glimpses when we see ourselves and others as You see us -- precious, valuable, worthy, special.  Help us to understand our relational nature, and help us to love others, because You ARE love, and only when WE love, are we truly like You. Amen.