Taking Risks

There's something about love that transforms everything and everyone it touches.  The depth of feeling, the sincerity, the passion, the insanity, the intensity... and the dream.  The moment we encounter love - real, seemingly unconditional love - we crave more of it.  It is the one universal that is healing, binding, energizing, and so much more.  The magic that is love is fundamental to our very existence.

Whether it is the instant, overwhelming love at first sight when you first stare into your newborn's eyes or glimpse the woman who'll be your wife... or the knowing smile from a lifetime together, those are the moments we live for.  The moments that are frozen in our mind's eye - our soul.

And it is for this very precious reason that love can also make us crazy...

We can all recognize it.  We root for the hero in the movie, the underdog sports team, the couple in the romantic comedy.  Save the dog from the flood waters!  Rescue the child from the well!  Spend time with the elderly in the home!  For all these also, our hearts cry out with love. 

We recognize it.
We want it.
We dare to hope for it.
Some of us even find it... and almost all of us are afraid to lose it wherever or however it exists in our lives.

Despite all this, very few of us are willing to risk everything for it.

Why is that?  Why do we let the fear overwhelm the faith?

Think about some of the great love stories or the depictions of a great love:

• Gandhi's love of peace
• Mother Teresa's love of the poor
• Boston's adoration for their Red Sox
• Rocky's love for Adrienne - Yo!

How about a few of my favorite romantic movies?  Did you see The Notebook?  Serendipity? How about The Blind Side? 

While we were all rooting for Allie to leave Lon and return to Noah and the beautiful house with the art room and great deck - how many of us would have broken up with Mr. Wealthy Perfect Pilot, loved by the parents, and who is in love with you to go back to the person who pushed your buttons, was unpredictable, equally as stubborn... but...who knew you better than anyone and who you just can't be without?  Hmmm.

Would you really leave Halley at the altar after you think you witnessed Sara with someone else?

And would you really turn the car around to save a 6+ ft. hulking teenager from walking in the rain?

The answer is that most would have stayed with Lon for the stability, settled for Halley, and probably kept driving if we even noticed the teen at all.

The difference here is that in these stories - fictitious or not - these people had to TAKE A RISK.  And more often than not, they had to take SEVERAL risks before they got their happy ending. 

For most, the fear of the potential hurt and rejection outweigh the happy ending.  Those same negative thoughts (the Dark side) come crashing through our minds destroying all positives:  hope, faith, and even love.

But here again, there's a cure for the love risk - in whatever its form:

If you've taken the time to write down exactly what you want in your mate, for example - the little details about mutual beliefs, children, talents or hobbies or even squeezing the toothpaste from the bottom of the tube, or playing an instrument... you're more likely to recognize him or her when you meet them.  It will also give you the opportunity to consider that person before you even meet! 

What if you started your day as if that partner was already with you?  Maybe say a prayer for their safety or wish them a good day. 

Same holds true for whatever your desired love may be -- a child, a pet, a home, a reconciliation with a loved one.

Write down the future you want so that when you do come face to face with it, you'll be more likely to take the risk!