Love Isn't Soft And Squishy

Sin is ugly and hard, pointed and sharp.

Like that strand of barbed wire above. With prongs pointed in all directions, it cuts deep and indiscriminately. Sin doesn't care who it grabs hold of or what damage is done. It's goal is to tear through whatever protective layers stand in it's way to get to the soft flesh beneath.

Sin is dangerous.

You don't cover barbed wire with a Kleenex and try to cross the fence. Important parts are liable to have an unpleasant experience if you do.

Love has to be tough.

If the Bible is correct, and I believe it is, then love must be pretty tough to be able to cover over sin. Tough doesn't mean rough, harsh, or offensive. You can push down a strand of barbed wire with a pick-axe to get across, but I'll take my chances straddling 1 inch barbs over a 1 foot steel spike any day, thanks just the same.

Tough means strong, durable, resilient. One definition of tough is the ability to withstand adverse conditions or careless handling. Like a good canvas coat. It's not the most comfortable material to wear, but a pair of Carharts saved my leg from the careless handling of a chainsaw a few years ago. Talk about covering a multitude of sins!

That tree in the picture above is tough. See how it has wrapped around the barbed wire, completely engulfing it's barbs, rendering them harmless? I really like that as a metaphor for love covering sin. That tree may not be something you want to snuggle up against--until you realize your other option is braided strands of wire with sharp points sticking out all over the place.

Which would you choose?

Sometimes love is confrontational.

The world would have you think that if you love someone, you give them anything they want. OK. Someone you love is in a burning building and doesn't want to leave until they find their favorite pet. What are you going to do? Sure, the pet is important. But is it worth dying over?

I hope you'd pull them out against their will. They'll probably be mad at you. It may strain, or even end your relationship. Your actions may cost you a few burns, bumps, and scrapes, but you saved a life. Hopefully one day your loved one would realize that, but even if they did not, the reality would be the same. You'd be a hero, whether they acknowledged it or not.

The ability to withstand adverse conditions or careless handling. That's toughness. That's love.

Love isn't free.

We who are patriotic recognize that freedom isn't free. We who love also realize loving someone else isn't without cost. Loving those who love us back is emotionally expensive; loving those who don't . . . that's a hard enough subject for another blog.

Love, in it's toughness, covers a multitude of sins. That works both ways. My love for you covers your sins against me, and my sins against you. Love and forgiveness are so intricately interwoven as to be inseparable. Forgiveness isn't easy. Love doesn't come cheap. If it seems so, it probably isn't love.

Teddy bears, lingerie, and heart-shaped pillows are soft and squishy.

Love isn't. Those things may be symbols of affection. Giving them may be an act of love. But the driving force behind had best be a lot tougher, and go a whole lot deeper than the world's idea of love.

Because I guarantee you this--a teddy bear, bustier, or cheap pillow don't stand a chance against the barbed wire of sin.