i love quotes. no question, no doubt. c.s. lewis and corrie ten boom being among my favorite minds to plumb. this one from Mr. Lewis was one I unearthed just this morning…and it’s a doozy:
“to love at all is to be vulnerable. love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. if you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. but in that casket: safe, dark, motionless, airless…it will change. it will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. to love is to be vulnerable.”
way to keep it real, brother clive! sure we could keep ourselves hidden away, and while we’d be safe from hurt, we then have to face the pain that comes with isolation…and trust me, that’s when the real trouble begins…lewis refers to the “coffin of your selfishness”; a dark, airless place where things decompose and change into something less than beautiful. something irredeemable. sorry, but i can’t live that way.i want to love with everything that i am…even when it means i run the risk of a broken heart. because when it’s broken, it’s OPEN. open so that the pain can spill out at the feet of my compassionate Savior. open to receive all that He has for me in order make me whole again.
love equals risk. love is worth the risk.