Love, unrequited

Have you ever been in love? Not just in love, but very deeply in love?

Have you ever loved somebody so much that all you want to do is to help the subject of your affection? Have you ever loved somebody so much that you just want to give your best to the person, you just want to meet the person's needs, you just want to make the person's life a little better?

In the toughest of times, you just want to face the challenges with the person, to share the burden, to work through the problems so that the person doesn't have to bear the full weight of the yoke. In the darkest of days, you just want to walk beside the person, to put a smile on the person's face, to shine some light on the person's path, so that the person doesn't get overwhelmed by the pain of loneliness and the malaise of melancholy. In the numbest, coldest of nights, you just want to hold the person's hand tightly in yours, so that the person can feel the affirming grip of your fingers, the gentleness of your touch, and the warmth of your palms.

And even when your love is unreciprocated, you still continue to hold on to the desire to give, the yearning to help. You may have fallen out of love, and the love has not fallen out of you. The person may scold you, push you, judge you, blame you, misunderstand you, turn away from you, disown you, and yet you only wish for joy upon the person. You only wish for the good of the person.

You may feel foolish for being so, you may blame yourself for holding on. You may ask yourself why, you may not understand how this is possible. But if you have loved like this, then you're not alone. There is someone I know who loves despite not being loved; someone who is rejected on a daily basis, but never stops giving, never stops forgiving, never stops helping, never stops providing, never stops holding, never stops hoping, never stops blessing and never stops loving.

I imagine this kind of love to be impossible, but it's actually everywhere. It is here, right in front of me, right in front of you. Standing at your door, is One who loves us, even though we can never reciprocate with the same magnitude of love.

My dear, I just want you to know that He understands your pain of a love unrequited.