Just one word, but it makes the world go round. LOVE. They asked if I鈥檇 speak on that.
For forty minutes.
I don鈥檛 accept many speaking engagements these days, but I said yes to that one. The mission of the event and the organization echoed my own: to make Jesus known; to reflect God鈥檚 love and truth to one person at a time or one crowd at a time. Sometimes I use words.
But I said yes for another reason. As every teacher knows, it鈥檚 always the one up front who learns the most, long before students even show up. That鈥檚 been true every time I鈥檝e spoken or taught, regardless of audience size.
I welcomed the chance to think more deeply about love; to glimpse through my preparation new facets of what most of us take for granted. To explore how to give and receive it with a fuller heart. I feel weak in the subject of love so very often. I have daymares of walking into a graveyard and unearthing my own tombstone: Kathleen Gibson. She had all the right words, but little love to prove them. She will not be missed.
It turns out I can鈥檛 make the date the organization had planned for that event. Perhaps the Source of All Love wants to teach me more before I teach so many others. I鈥檓 pondering that Divine voice, reflected strongly in these remarkable words from my friend Bryan鈥檚 Facebook post on married love 鈥� author unknown:
鈥淟ifelong commitment is not what everyone thinks it is. It鈥檚 not waking up early every morning to make breakfast and eat together. It鈥檚 not cuddling in bed together until both of you peacefully fall asleep. It鈥檚 not a clean home and a homemade meal every day.
鈥淚t鈥檚 someone who steals all the covers. It鈥檚 sometimes slammed doors and a few harsh words, disagreeing, and the silent treatment until your hearts heal. Then..forgiveness!
鈥淚t鈥檚 coming home to the same person every day that you know loves and cares about you, in spite of and because of who you are. It鈥檚 laughing about the one time you accidentally did something stupid. It鈥檚 about dirty laundry and unmade beds without finger pointing. It鈥檚 about helping each other with the hard work of life! It鈥檚 about swallowing the nagging words instead of saying them out loud.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about eating the cheapest and easiest meal you can make and sitting down together at 10 p.m. to eat because you both had a crazy day. It鈥檚 when you have an emotional breakdown and your love lays with you and holds you and tells you everything is going to be okay, and you believe them. It鈥檚 when 鈥淣etflix and chill鈥� literally means you watch Netflix and hang out. It鈥檚 about still loving someone even though sometimes they make you absolutely insane.
鈥淟iving with the person you love is not perfect and sometimes it鈥檚 hard, but it鈥檚 amazing and comforting and one of the best things you鈥檒l ever experience.鈥�
Forty years in - and I couldn鈥檛 agree more.
