It is happy to love!

I recently embarked on a journey from fear to faith alongside the character Much-Afraid in the book Hinds’ Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. Much-Afraid desperately longs to go to the High Places where she can be near her Shepherd and dwell in safety, far removed from her nasty relatives, especially her cousin Craven Fear.

Like Much-Afraid, I too am trying to escape fear, and am desperate to get to the High Places where I can be constantly in the presence of the Shepherd and dwell in peace. The deceptive voice of fear seems to follow me everywhere, especially as I journey down unfamiliar paths that test my faith. I am new territory, navigating relationships and challenges that feel like the dangerous, narrow mountain ledge Much-Afraid found herself on.

Every time Much-Afraid was tempted to turn around, the Shepherd listened to her fears, then beckoned her further. Giving up on the journey was not an option, especially when going home meant she would fall right into Craven Fear’s trap. But going forward meant embracing her companions for the journey, Sorrow and Suffering. Much-Afraid had to keep moving forward every day, through the pain and disillusionment of a long and winding path, trusting the Shepherd’s heart and believing he would not lead her astray.

Throughout the book, Much-Afraid is invited into love. She is invited to be loved by the Shepherd and love him in return, to love Sorrow and Suffering, the companions she was given for the journey, and even to love her relative Craven Fear despite his cruelty towards her. The Shepherd says this about love:

“It is so happy to love. It is happy to love even if you are not loved in return. There is pain too, certainly, but Love does not think that very significant. If you would know Love, you must know pain too.”

What is the nature of love?

The very nature of love is self-giving, like water that pours itself out in a waterfall, desiring to fall lower and not hold anything back. A waterfall crashes down towards rocks and obstacles which look terrifying, but are actually harmless to the water. These rocks shape the direction the water flows, and actually reveal the water’s power to break down hard edges.

Self-giving love finds its source in a mighty and generous God who pours so much love into us that we simply can’t contain it. When we sit under the waterfall of God’s love and find ourselves caught in its strong current, we’re invited to move in its force with freedom and delight. The closer we draw near to the source, the more incapable we are of holding back any part of ourselves; we must give ourselves completely to Love himself. We surrender to the current of love even when it pushes us towards the people and obstacles we fear will hurt us, trusting that when we crash into hard places, we are pouring out a supernatural stream of love that is able to soften even the hardest heart.

Why do we show self-giving love?

We show self-giving love because that’s how Jesus loved us—at great cost to himself.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:4-8)

The Father gave up his Son to rescue us, and Jesus gave us his very life by dying on the cross. We respond to this by laying down our own interests, ideals, desires, and decisions. As we die to ourselves, we are not without a Helper; we are given the Holy Spirit so that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead can live in our bodies. In choosing self-giving love, we embrace trials and worldly pains, trusting that each death to self is an invitation to new, abundant, joyful, eternal life in the Spirit.

How do we show self-giving love?

We love selflessly by pouring ourselves out for those around us without thinking of the cost to ourselves. This might mean washing someone else’s dishes, giving generously of our limited free time or money, or taking time to sit and listen (again) at the expense of our growing to-do list. It means accepting where others are and what they can offer, even when they can’t offer what we long for in return.

We love selflessly by surrendering every expectation of what our journey should look like, AND where we should end up. We forfeit the right to anticipate where love will lead us and how we will receive love in return. We submit to the challenges and trials of love that come our way, as much as to the surprise and delight that is sure to come as well.

We love selflessly by casting ourselves on the Father’s love and leading. We learn to say with Much-Afraid:

“Nothing else really matters, only to love him and to do what he tells me. All the time it is suffering to love and sorrow to love, but it is lovely to love him in spite of this, and if I should cease to do so, I should cease to exist.”

As I think about the nature of love in my own life, I’m asking, am I making sacrifices to love the people around me? Am I loving without thinking about how I will be loved in return? Am I loving because of my own affection for people, or drawing from the source of love? Do I love the path I am on, even when I don’t like where it is leading? Do I love the Shepherd enough to keep moving towards him, even when the road doesn’t look safe or comfortable?

I love so many quotes from Hinds’ Feet on High Places, but my favorite is the Shepherd’s invitation to Much-Afraid when she has almost reached the High Places, but is once again on the verge of giving up:

“I love doing preposterous things. Why, I don’t know anything more exhilarating and delightful than turning weakness into strength, and fear into faith, and that which has been marred into perfection. Will you let me do it?”

When we choose to embark on a journey of love—giving of ourselves selflessly, even beyond our means—God fills up what is lacking. He promises to take the weak, fearful parts of us and make us strong and courageous. He wants nothing more than to fill us with HIS self-giving love as we pour ourselves out for others. Will we let him do it?