While I was preparing my Valentine’s talk for Sunday morning at Sierra Pines Church, I found this gem in my file. It’s worth passing on.
When you love someone, you love them as they are.
not as you wish them to be,
not as you “help” them become,
but as they are.
When you love someone, you love them because they are they.
not loving in order to change them,
not loving as a way of remaking them,
but loving them because you love.
When you love someone, you love them warts and all.
not blinding yourself to their faults,
not denying the other’s imperfections,
but loving in spite of. (God did.)
To love another is to commit oneself with the risk of rejection.
Love is not contingent on the beauty of the loved,
but on the appreciation of the one loving.
To love someone is to affirm that they are worthy to recognize,
to recognize their dignity as a person,
to invite them to grow, and
to inspire them to become all they can be.
By David Augsburger
Here’s to love! Happy Valentine’s Day,