New Love

Haven't we all experienced that feeling of new love?

Those first moments of a budding relationship where we can't stop thinking about that person and we love the idea of who they might be.

Or when a baby is born into our family, our hearts burst and we feel as though a second heart has grown inside our own, making room for all the love we have for them.

The same holds true for friendships. On rare and treasured occasions we might meet someone whose presence both calms and excites us. We feel a connection with them and a desire to get to know them. But at the same time don't we feel an inkling that we already knew them? We might want to express this love, but we hold back for fear of "freaking out" our newfound friend. Our deepest hope is that they feel the same way toward us.

When we think about this new friend we feel an overflowing joy in our hearts. It's hard to explain, really, but overall it is a deep and real feeling. We love them already. We have hopes for what they might be like as we get to know them. We imagine them in the best possible light since we probably haven't seen any of their flaws. This love is without judgement, without any strings attached. It is pure love.

Last night as I thought this concept over it occurred to me that, perhaps, this new love comes closest to the way God loves us...his children. He sees our greatest potential and loves us through all the mistakes that we make. He desires us to live our lives in a way that would bring us happiness. He wants us to turn out to be as incredible as he knows we can.

Remember,

"...let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

1 John 4:7-8