“The deepest sin against the human mind
Aldous Huxley
is to believe things without evidence.”
The simplest example of Aldous’s statement is when someone tells you “I love you” but in the following days and weeks, it becomes apparent that you are insignificant except for maybe one thing. Adoring them.
Of course, we do it all the time. We believe what people tell us. And we do it constantly. To our disappointment. But this sin is already forgiven. Not only eternally but presently if we only awaken to this truth.
What would we do differently anyway? Not believe what anyone says? I know people who do this. And they aren’t happy people. So, their reaction isn’t helpful either.
In my early thirties, I discovered Leo Buscaglia. He said things like this one.
“What love we’ve given, we’ll have forever.
Leo Buscaglia
What love we fail to give, will be lost for all eternity.”
His wisdom regarding love profoundly changed me. From that point forward, I swore that if I felt love, then I would not squelch it. I would share it freely. And if it resulted in my own heartbreak, then it would still be worth it.
I found that the pain of my heartbreaking was directly proportional in intensity to how much I loved. Therefore, if my heart didn’t break much, then I hadn’t loved much. But, if it broke horribly, then I had loved tremendously. And I was proud of that because it takes great courage to love fearlessly. I learned this from Leo and it proved true in my subsequent experiences.
It’s a testament of bravery to bear scars from love. There is no shame in it whatsoever. Simultaneously, there is a small satisfaction. It testifies to the other’s cowardice. The one who couldn’t follow through with promises of love because it was simply too hard. Such sadness in that.
People should be braver with love. They should put their heart out there with valiance. For there will only be two outcomes. One will be a love of a lifetime. Or it will be a scar to bear forever. Neither one is deadly unless we choose it to be.
The Apostle Paul talked about the scars he bore for Christ in Galatians 6:17. They gave him great confidence in his faith and love. The kind of strength that can never be taken away.
That doesn’t mean we have to seek to be hurt. It just means that when we are, we can look up and see that our Redeemer draws nigh.
Blessings,
Faith