Glorious Beautiful Mystery

Daddy, can you tell me a story? I want to hear a really good story. A story about love.

It doesn’t have to be about a Prince Charming. …Actually, I don’t want a Prince Charming. I want to hear a story about a love that never fails. And always heals. And inspires. And makes us whole. A love that fills us up and pours out into others.

I don’t want to talk about the hardships of sacrifice. I want to talk about the motivation of love. God, someone like you deserves all our sacrifice. Can’t love make us forget the loss and only swim in its fullness? Can’t love overtake all our desires and meet all our needs?


So, back to the story….

Once upon a time, there were three friends. They did everything together, and loved each other with the deepest of loves. They looked out for each other, and cared for each other, and were always there for each other. They also knew everything about each other. One of their favorite things to do was find ways to put the other two friends before themself and bless them with a fantastic act of love. It was their greatest joy on those days.
     Then one day they met this girl. She was so lovely to them. She had just been born to this wonderful family. They were so excited for the day when they could officially meet. But until then, it was going to be the most fun ever to shower her with so many gifts of their love. The one thing they loved even more than loving each other, was finding someone else whom they could love (and eventually teach to love, like them). This little girl brought such joy to their heart. They would pass everyday thinking about her and caring about her and loving her.
     The day she turned 5 was a most glorious day. One of the three friends was able to meet the little girl for the first time! That friend was so happy!! This meant more to him than anything in the world. Loving this little girl was such a joy and now he could have a relationship with her. He could talk to her and listen to her, and she would know he cared. More than that, he could tell her about his other two friends and they could begin to teach her about their wonderful love.
     Fast-forwarding years ahead, past so many wonderful times the three friends had showing this girl love and teaching her about it, the little girl became a beautiful young woman. The three friends were so proud of her. They had been through so much together. They felt so close to her. Seeing her smile was a joy they always sought after. From such a young child, making her smile came in so many different forms. It was magnificent to draw her attention back to love and watch her smile. Their hearts were so full of love for her. All they ever wanted was to see her experience it. To experience the way their love changed her and made her fuller. The way her eyes would light up… or even spill over. They wanted to do everything in their power to help her see their love.

     The girl knew a lot about their love, but they knew she didn’t always understand it. Other people didn’t love the way that these three friends did. The three friends were not physically living with the little girl like everyone else she knew was. Yet, the three friends knew their love was what the little girl needed more than anything else in the world. It was hard to see how the little girl didn’t understand. And it was harder when the little girl began to think the people’s love was more important than their love. She would value the affection of other’s more than those three friends. And the three friends could see the affect it had on her. Her heart was not always full of joy like theirs was. And her heart was not always taken care of like they wanted. They knew only she could choose what she did with her heart, but it was sad for them. They would not push her to do anything she didn’t want to do. Yet, they knew the love they had was what she really needed. And the more she gave herself to other things, the more difficult getting it back was going to be.

     Yet, her beauty did not fade. Their attraction to loving her was still there. The three friends still found ways to make her smile. And they still found ways to help her understand. She was learning more about their love. And she was beginning to value their love for her above everyone else’s. Their love would fill her heart and bring her joy. They were so excited to have her attention. They wanted to teach her more, and love her more. And she was ready to receive it all.
     Sometimes, her beauty blew them away. Just as the three friends loved finding ways to show each other love in new extravagant ways, this girl sometimes would cling to them in such awesome breathtaking ways. Her endurance and perseverance to learn to love even when she so clearly struggled to understand was so penetrating. There were times when this girl had grieved their hearts so deeply, yet there were other times when nothing seemed to compare to the mountains she mastered by her will to go on.
     The three friends knew she could never do any of this without them. It was their love, and their desire to teach her, that gave the girl hope. They were the ones who had an answer to all her questions. But they also knew she didn’t have to fight like she did. They knew she could give up and choose not to ever seek out love again. They knew she didn’t have to admire them like she did. And she didn’t have to desire to become like them.
     She also didn’t have to fight for others. As she learned more about the three friends, she saw how they loved more than just themselves and her, they loved everyone. She began choosing to seek out a way to love others like they did. …The three friends knew this girl was weak. They knew she could do nothing apart from them. But they also knew she was going to change the lives of many others because she wanted them to feel the love she feels knowing these three friends.

     THAT is why her beauty is beyond words, and her value is of the highest price. Her love is unreplaceable, and moves even the hearts of these three friends.