to love, cherish ... and run :)

it’s gonna take me another day to get my writing brain back on all the way. but tonight my friend noel posted this as his status:

Runners are so annoying. Their leg could fall off and be carried into a jungle by a gorilla & they'd STILL find a way to go on their scheduled run. They're all crazy.

and as i sat here contemplating the connection - or lack thereof - between two people, it occurred to me that love is a lot like running.

running is something you have to decide to do. sure, most of the time it feels great and even if it’s hard to get out the door, you’re always glad that you went. you go even when you’re tired, or stressed, or hurt because you know it will make you feel better. if i only ran when i felt like it, then i wouldn’t be a runner. but it’s something i’ve made a commitment to do, and it’s who i’ve made the commitment to be.

in the same way, love can’t just be about a feeling. you love because it makes you feel good, and it’s good for you. the fact of the matter is that feelings fade. it’s simply not possible to feel the same way about a person all the time. stuff happens - you’re tired, you’re stressed, you’re hurt by something they say or do.

love isn’t just something that you commit to do. it’s who you commit to be. as it says in john 4, “God is love.” He doesn’t just show us love. that’s who He is. if you’ve made the decision to love someone, then that’s who you need to be. you have to keep on doing it, even when you don’t feel like it.

even if you’re missing a leg.

because really, to love someone, you have to be a little annoying, and a lot crazy.