No Strings Attached

As a human being, I am flawed and imperfect. I am learning to live with that. But even in my imperfection, I am surprised to see moments when I am more than just skin and bones. There are times when I have felt the Spirit working through me.

There is no possible way to describe that feeling. For me, it's kind of like an electric charge coursing through my body. It's exciting and full of joy. At the same time, it's peace, like lying out in the sun next to a mountain stream.

So much of the time, I push away that divine impulse. I reject God's love. All through high school, I was shut off emotionally. No one knew the pain and the heartache. Some people sensed that there was something wrong and tried to help, but I pushed them away every time. I now see that God was working through them to crack open the cold hard shell I had built over my heart.

My senior year, I came to a time of crisis. I could no longer carry my burden alone. By the grace of God, my friends were there, ready to share the load if I was willing to open myself up. It was scary, accepting that love. Perhaps it's human nature to assume that everyone, even God, has a motive, and that love must carry a price tag. But the Kingdom of Heaven, I have learned, is not at all like the world we live in.

My friends wanted nothing in return for my trust and the opportunity to be a shoulder to cry on. They just wanted what was best for me. So, too, God wants what is best for us.

When I opened up my heart, I was exposed to even greater heartache and emotional exploitation. I lost control, but in giving up that control, I opened myself up to an even greater gift of love. Love that was unconditional, that filled the empty places in my heart. I didn't have to pay for this love or earn it in anyway. A love with no strings attached and no fine print. This was a love that I had never before known and a love that I cannot live without.

And with God's love, I am complete. In the immortal words of the Beatles - all you need is love.