Love is Enough

It seems like we're always longing for people to see us.

Notice me and my efforts are made worthwhile.

This thought has bothered me for a while. Humility is something that I struggle with. I need people to see me. To see that I'm a good piano player, to see that I'm a quote/unquote "amazing" writer, to see that I'm a good Christian. I need you to see me, otherwise, I'm not important. I'm nobody. Just another face in the crowd. 

I need to be needed, to be essential, to be important. Big crowds don't bother me, being part of one does. 

...

What do I do about it? How do I change this desire, this need for attention, respect, or acknowledgment? I feel like I'm starved for something. It's not hard to find. 

Even if I have the approval and praise of everyone, that's not good enough. I think I know why.

I'm always looking to be seen, but never realizing how much I am known. Every minute of my life, there is Someone who says: "I love you." It's because of this love, that I breathe. It's this love that's given me so much. A family to love, talents to use, friends to trust, a Savior to believe in.

So often, I need to prove that I'm "something" to people around me. Strangers, friends, family, it doesn't matter. If they don't see me excelling, then I'm not special.

Does a diamond become less valuable if you hide it away in a box?

It's nonsensical. We don't need to prove anything! We might as well say the Cross isn't worthwhile because we didn't see it.

After all, the cross was just an ugly piece of wood. It's just a brutal, inefficient, macabre torture device. There's nothing "special" about something just because it's good at what it does. The cross was designed to kill people and cause pain. It performs its job hideously well.

That's what we look like without love, covered in sin. That's what our talents become if we lose our love. We become mechanical, boring, stale, inhuman, dull, painful.

The cross became beautiful because it was touched by beauty. It became holy because it bore holiness. It became lovely because love poured out upon it.

Love doesn't need an audience. It needs only one other, Love Itself.

Talents and good works mean nothing without it. God doesn't need talented people, He needs willing hearts. Love does all things well. We can struggle along on sheer willpower and talent, but a plant without the Sun will die, no matter how beautiful it is.

Give me sincerity over superiority any day.

We don't need spectators, fans, or fame. We need God. He's promised to be with us forever, have we ever considered what that means? God's at your dance recital, the finish line of your race, the encore of your concert, the last sentence of your novel. Why don't we do it for Him? Why don't we do everything for the love of Him? God is easy to please. Every little thing we do for love of Him is incomparably lovely to the finest sonata ever composed.

If you want to find the fulfillment of your talents, then turn to the One who gave them to you. Spend time with the source of beauty, excellence, goodness, and love and you'll reflect that in all you do. The moon is beautiful because it reflects the sun. Alone, it's just a cold, dark, lifeless chunk of rock floating in the sky.

“At the end of life, we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by "I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.”

-Mother Teresa

It doesn't matter what you are. A painter, novelist, blogger, musician, plumber, that's irrelevant. God is going to look at your life and judge it on one criteria: Love.

Nothing else in your life matters as much as love. It's the key. The key to free your heart and unlock the beauty within.

Yes, I'm important, I'm special, I'm amazing. Not because of what I do, but because of who I am. 

I am loved by God.

And that's good enough for me.

Who needs applause anyways?