Reckless Love

We’ve all heard these tragic love stories

Where two people are madly in love

But one of them is self destructive

This person may love the other one dearly

And yet over and over again they bring hurt and pain into the lives

Of the very one they love the most

 

There they are

A beautiful love story

And then it happens

Because maybe one of them struggles with something

An addiction perhaps

And though this person promised over and over again

That they would never fall into that behavior again

They slip

 

They’re driving home from work with flowers in the front seat

Ready to spend the evening with their beloved

Then seemingly out of no where

After months of faithful sobriety

They just turn into the corner bar

And the next thing you know

A week goes by

They wake up in some stranger’s bed

To the sobering realization that a week has passed

And this latest drinking binge

Has brought more pain and heartbreak

Than they ever intended to inflict on their one true love

The one they betrayed yet again

 

Or maybe it’s the other way around

Perhaps it is she who has some conflict within

She struggles with her self esteem

And once upon a time she would go with any man who looked her way

But then she found him….and he loved her

He gave her the love no one else ever had

He made her feel beautiful

Cared for and protected

He didn’t care about her past

To him, she was a princess

And she knew she had finally found the love of a lifetime

 

She promised to be true to him forever

But as the months wore on, monotony set in

She got accustomed to him always being there

And the newness wore off

She longed once again to have that attention she craved

She desired more validation that she was beautiful

More confirmation of her worth

She knew his love for her reached further and deeper

Than any man she’d find in the bar that night

And yet still

She fell back into her old habits

And woke up empty

Full of guilt

She traded her life as a princess

To be treated like trash

 

There are other tragic love stories

What about the love between a parent and a child

They come into your world and you vow to protect them

Nothing will ever harm them– you promise

You can’t imagine a love so strong until you hold them in your arms

And then you know–you will never be the same

Your love for them knows no limits

 

But the child grows up

And gets in with the wrong crowd

You try to convince them that this path will end in heartbreak

But all they see is you controlling them

All they hear are rules

You try to tell them….This is love

I want to protect you

But they rebel

“I hate you !”, they scream

And the words pierce your heart like a sword

 

Memories of their first smile

First laugh

First steps

Memories of them falling asleep in your arms

Like a faraway dream

As they slam the door

Running away

Once again

 

You’ve been down this road before

The disappearing act

You wonder where they’ve gone this time

Who they’re with

And you fear where it will lead

Your imagination runs with fury

Dread fills your mind

Your baby is out there somewhere

And you have no way to protect them now

 

She’s missing—your child

Missing for years

Then one day you receive the call

She’s in a dark and dirty place

Her spirit robbed

Her innocence gone

Her life wrecked

She fears rejection

But in her despair, she dials home

 

You don’t care what she’s done

You just want the address

You want to get there quickly

To rescue her

But your child is owned now by someone else

And they won’t give her up without a price

 

You see her crouched in the corner

Dirty tear stains on her face

Bloody and bruised

Abused and broken

Her body weak and frail

Destroyed by the life she has led

And the person who now controls her refuses to let her go

Without a price

 

“I’ll pay anything“, you say, “Whatever it takes”

Your eyes meet hers

The child you’ve loved

You don’t see what she’s done

You only see your precious treasure

But she shrinks back in shame

She knows they will never set her free

 

Her guilt consumes her

Because she’s brought you into her mess

She’s put you at risk

She loves you but she’s trapped

Regrets swirl through her mind

“Your life for hers“, her owner says

“That’s the payment for her freedom”

 

And you don’t think twice

It’s not a choice

This is your child

You’ll do what it takes

No pain is too great

So you take your last breath

And with it–you set her free

 

These are tragic love stories

Because they love each other deeply

Yet one seems hell bent on hurting the other

They have begged for forgiveness

Their remorse is clear

Their guilt is obvious

And yet they seem helpless at times to keep themselves faithful to the one they love

How could anyone take this person back?

Knowing they will break your heart all over again

 

What would we say?

What would be our advice?

If a friend of ours was in this kind of relationship

Destined for betrayal again and again

“Protect yourself”, we would say

“Run!! Flee!!”

 

Yes– they love this person

But this is a reckless kind of love

A love with guaranteed pain

Guaranteed betrayal

 

This is a relationship we all exist in

Whether we realize it or not

And the one waiting for us by the window

Waiting for us to return to Him

Is the Prince of Peace

The Saviour of the World

The Hero of the story

Who will give His life

For our freedom

 

Like the people in the stories above

We struggle too

Guilt ridden and heavy hearted

That even having experienced His great love

We still stray!

Because no matter what we do…we will make mistakes

We will fall

We will miss the mark

We will break his heart

 

Romans 7:15-24

The Message (MSG)

We are in a relationship with someone

Who loves us more than we could ever love Him

Because His love is perfect

And we are not

His love never fails

And we do

His love never betrays

And ours does

 

His destiny is heartbreak

For loving us

His fate is a thousand tears

When we reject Him

But His love knows no bounds

 

Though we hurt Him

He still waits by the door

Broken and sorrowful

Yet unable to turn away

He loves us so powerfully

He longs for us so deeply

That even the threat of death

Cannot convince Him to let us go

 

He throws caution to the winds,  giving to us in reckless abandon

 (2 Corinthians 9:9)

 

He’s not the spouse that can’t forget your failings

He’s not the friend that holds a grudge

He’s not the father that makes you earn back His trust

NO—His love surpasses that all

No human mind can grasp

How deep and how far He will go

To bring you home

And when we feel unworthy to return

He says “Look at my hands”

And there you find—your name

Your name engraved in the palm of His Hand (Isaiah 49:16)

Like a tattoo He wears reminding you

“No man will ever snatch you from My Hand” (John 10:28)

 

He restores His princess to her throne

He redeems His daughter with His life

He reclaims his son from addiction’s grasp

And then He washes the slate clean

White as snow

 

We hurt Him

He loves us still

We betray Him

He takes us back

 

And He knew it would be this way

He knew His child would betray Him

He knew she would require His life as a sacrifice

Yet He chose us still

From the beginning of time

 

His love is too deep

Too strong

His passion for us is too great

To ever let us go

 

It’s not a love to comprehend

It’s not a love to understand

It makes no sense

It’s reckless

 

But that’s the choice He made

That’s His Kind of Love

Reckless for me

Reckless for you

And because of it

We are loved always and forevermore

In spite of ourselves