Love is a Choice

For the past year I've been thinking about something that, I think I'm starting to understand...

CS Lewis wrote a book called, "The Four Loves." (It's a short book, and would recommend it to anyone.) Anyway, in the book he says something about how God loves us because he just does. He doesn't love us for a reason, he just loves.... which at the time was an incomplete thought.

Despite what we are taught, I would think, "how can He love me?" He is perfect. I am no where near perfection, and cannot even hope to obtain it in this lifetime. I can only strive to be a better person than I was yesterday. God is not a respector of persons; He is thorough. He is whole. He loves ONLY good. Yet, He loves me. I'm not always good... even when I don't know I'm transgressing.

So, in my sins and transgressions, my weaknesses and faults; when I disobey His will.... how is it possible for Him to love me? The idea didn't make sense to me, and it was hard for me to accept because there was some thing missing. I felt that a perfect being could not love an imperfect being. A clean person cannot live in dirty house, they'd go mad. An honest person can't live in a cave of thieves...etc.

But recently through some experiences I've had, I realize that if I really sat down and thought about why I loved someone (for example: my brother, James) I ask, 'Why do I love him?' Not because he sees the good in people, or because he's adventurous, or because he has the conviction to do good things, but I love my brother because I want to---I'm choosing to love him, just because. And that's when it clicked :)

God loves us, not because some of us are beautiful, or because someone of us give humanitarian aid, or because some of us go out of our way to do something nice for someone. He Loves us because he wants to, He chooses to Love us, because he chooses to Love us.

Furthermore, like I said earlier, God is not a respector of persons. He loves every single one of us, the same amount--(unconditionally!) But He can't love two people the same amount when one person gives money to the poor, and the other person doesn't. That would be unjust! He would cease to be God.

Therefore, I know that God loves us, not for any beautiful reason, or for any reason that we tell ourselves is why God loves us, but because He chooses to love us. That is the ONLY reason that He loves us, and that is what makes Him perfect... because of His perfect love. It has nothing to do with OUR weaknesses.

The greatest form of flattery, is imitation. So I think to myself, how can I even begin to love like God does? I guess in my quest, it will be by choosing to love others... just because.