Friday, April 8, 2011

Love in this mortal, fallen sphere

I have learned that to love someone here on earth is to love an imperfect person, whether that be a mother, father, son, daughter, brother sister or spouse.  I think my wife understands this best of all.  The imperfect partner will sometimes sin, and sometimes have weaknesses that will harm others.  Sometimes he/she will hurt others intentially – sometimes simply by being imperfect. 

It is very difficult to love and trust someone that is imperfect without experiencing pain, sadness, and fear.  Often these emotions are overwhelming.  The best way to manage those emotions, heal from those wounds and still love and trust is to turn and recieve the help of the Savior. 
He asks us to offer up a broken heart and a contrite spirit to show our love and gratitude to Him.  Yet offering up a broken heart and a contrite spirit is not just for forgiveness - experiencing the cleansing power of the atonement - but is also to be able to weather the storms of imperfect love.  we need access to the atonement in order to be able to love and be loved in this mortal fallen world. 

It is very difficult to be vulnerable – to be open and willing to love (vulnerability and willingness are parts of what a broken heart and a contrite spirit is) without the cleansing, healing, comforting, forgiving power of the atonement. 

Loving – giving it and receiving it – requires a broken heart and a contrite spirit. 
Trusting – opening up to another – requires a broken heart and contrite spirit. 
A broken heart feels, is vulnerable, is living a life without walls or self imposed protection, without withdrawal/isolation or escaping and hiding. 

And the protector of that broken heart? None other than the Savior of the world. 

A contrite spirit is humble, willing – to forgive, to repent, to own one's actions, to try again, to reach out and to love again, to reconcile one's self to God’s will. 
A contrite spirit is willing to say “I’m sorry,” just as much as saying “I love you,” or “I forgive you.”
A contrite spirit lets go of the past when the past has been processed through the broken heart. 
A contrite spirit forgives and doesn’t bring up the resolved past.  A contrite spirit trusts in moving forward. 

1 comment: