Real with Rue

I think love is the strangest human phenomenon, and I think about its power a lot. I cannot say whether it is an emotion, a feeling, a chemical reaction, or a process. Maybe it is all of these things, intertwined to create a concoction that humans crave and relentlessly seek. Love is an intrinsic component of human life, second only to the physiological needs outlined in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Love encompasses the purpose of life, or rather, it should. It gives us a guide for how we ought to live and how we should see the world, it fills the music world in every angle.

I can only describe the feeling of being in love as something like a cloud; every bad day is lined with silver and gold, knowing there is someone out there who sees you exactly as you are and still chooses to love you, a comfort. Yet, in my opinion, humans are fundamentally unlovable creatures. Since original sin, wickedness, and hatred have become the currencies traded in the name of pride, power, and greed. These forces have usurped the essence of life, shielding us from the reality that love is, in fact, all we truly need.

When I look at my own life and the things I chase, a high-flying career, impressive savings, travelling to a hundred countries- the tangible goals, let’s say Solomon scoffs at them and calls them “fleeting.” In Ecclesiastes, he describes them as “chasing the wind.” Even Paul echoes this truth when he writes that if I do everything God commands, exercise every spiritual gift, and do what is right, but forsake love, then it is all meaningless, just as Solomon described work itself.

The fragility of life demands love: the fragility of our minds, our bodies, and even the state of the world. Love appears to be everything. Dare I say it, love is the antidote to all our problems. Think of someone you could have shown love to on an angry day, and how much that single act might have changed them. Imagine if our leaders operated in love. Imagine if social media responded to vulnerability not with ridicule and scepticism, but with compassion.

So what is the problem? Pride.

To me, pride is the most destructive, flesh-rotting force of all. It begins as a seed, fed by insecurity, greed, and fear, and grows into a spiralling reaction. Pride convinces us that others are beneath us, undeserving of love. My request to you and to my own heart is to examine your pride and uproot it. Deal with it aggressively. Pride blocks love. It prevents us from seeing who Christ truly is, and therefore how to love His people.

Love is like a blood-red river: once it touches you, it stains you. It is obvious. It is loud when it is felt. Love is like a lighthouse in a storm; it does not stop the waves or the wind, but it gives you a reason and a direction to keep sailing. Unfortunately, our world seems to have less of it today.

When we look at the love of Christ, we see love in its purest form: sacrificial, forgiving, and keeping no record of wrongdoing. A love that loved us before we ever loved Him. A deep, unwavering love that cannot be fully fathomed. For me, the word that best describes God’s love is thoughtful. It is so kind, so gentle, and so attentive.

It is like a child crossing a road, oblivious to danger, because their father is watching carefully instead. This is the love that transcends all understanding: that an innocent man would die for my guilt. A love unimaginable and incomprehensible, and yet, it exists.

It’s been real,

Rue