A Seal Upon Your Heart
BIBLICAL POINT OF REFERENCE:
"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for Love is strong as Death, longing is fierce as Sheol. Its arrows are arrows of fire, flames of the divine."
~Song of Songs 8:6
Time and time again we are told that love is a wonderful emotion, something you feel deep in your bones, and something that intensifies every time you see the one you love. It's magical, there are fireworks, and there is also something that you cannot explain or describe.
If you're a Christian or a Catholic, you may have also been told that "Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
I think that what we are told is true, but something many people in the world today are not told is that love is an action as well. It's not just something you can - or should - express only through words, but through actions and deeds of holiness. It's a gift from God. And when you are lucky enough to find it with someone else, the first person you should be thanking is God.
Do you look up to the sky and see God gesturing you toward that one person? Do you praise Him in Mass because you have, as the Song of Songs says in chapter 3, verse 4, "found him whom my soul loves"? Does that one person draw you closer to Him, so that you can in turn grow closer to each other?
When you and that one person believe in God, God will help you believe in each other. And sometimes it will be so apparent that you'll want to stop and praise Him right where you're standing. Sometimes you will feel love, just as you see it in that person's actions.
Before I get too deep, let me just say that it does not come easy. Love doesn't just show up in your heart without God putting it there, and it won't come knocking at your door just because you want it to. No - sometimes it will be there for a while and it just takes you some time to catch up. Sometimes it comes when you're least expecting it, but it will always come when God knows you need it and are ready for it.
Our goal is to catch it once it becomes present in our lives. And we don't have to be scared - the right person won't let you go. The right person has the love for you like our biblical reference above: "A seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm."
Have you seen that kind of love? Have you felt it? Don't let go of it if you have.
One more thing: God has that kind of love for each of us, and He will never let you or His love for you go. We just have to hold onto it, and trust in it.
Your Laughing Sister,
Callahan
Check out the LOVE and PRAYER quotes pages for more inspiration!