Thoughts from here and There…Love Never Burns Out
Love is power. Love is Joy! Love is the source of individual vitality and hopefulness. Love creates the capacity in life to prevent “burn–out.” This thought occurred to me as I was sitting in conversation with a student in the Lay Ministry Training Program whom I was mentoring.
In response to his comment I made a audacious statement. “I will not burn–out!” This is something that I had not said before that moment. “Love is the source of power that prevents “burn–out.” It is true! Let me explain.
Love begins with God. We love because God first loved us(1 John 4:19). God is the one who defines God’s love (1 John 4:8). God is the one who illustrates love (1 John 4:9). God is the one who demonstrates the actions and attitudes of love (Jeremiah 3:3). One can only learn love through knowing God (1 John 3:14-18). God is love, unlimited and unconditional, though not necessarily approving. This kind of love, generally, cannot be readily observed in the world, or, generally, discovered in the life of the common citizen of the world.
Jesus as God’s representative illustrates love, in his thoughts, in his attitudes, and in his actions. Jesus commands us to love God, ourselves, and our neighbor/enemy. Loving one’s self means accepting one’s self for who and what you are. There may be things that you do not like, that is okay. You can always change, if change is what you want.
Loving one’s self means that the individual takes the time to develop the necessary order in one’s life so that it may be lived optimally. That is you get enough rest, the necessary food, not only for the body, but also for the mind, the spirit. A person who has come to love his or her self is at peace. There is great restfulness in love. Love does not reduce activity, but it is the great antidote for worry. Love helps to keep life in balance. Love helps us to realize what is important and necessary.
Once you have come to the place where you can love, and forgive yourself, you are ready to apply this principle to all your relationships. When you encounter frustration you will find the means to cope. When you face losses, you will discover the energy and wisdom necessary to see the situation through to a positive conclusion. It makes no difference what happens to you, you will be optimistic and up–beat, creative and hopeful.
In this way you will never burn–out. Love is energizing. You will have all the energy of the Energizer Rabbit. You will keep going, and going, and going. God gives us every opportunity to understand and grow in love. The best place to observe love and to grow love and to participate in a loving relationship is in the community of the faithful. We call this the Church. It comes as close to the ideal that God and humans can make it.