Feeling it in My Heart

The human capacity for inflicting pain 

upon one another never ceases to amaze me 

or to break my heart.

“A friend in need is a friend indeed” 

is a cliché that has been all too true in my life.

People come and people go; 

each one for a reason, each one for a season.

The world says to let them go and to not look back,

 to write them off or to bid them good riddance.

But God says to let go as they move on, 

and to allow them to keep a piece of my heart 

and if, one day, they bring it back, 

to welcome them with fervent love but if not,

 to always remember them with that same fervent love.

It doesn’t matter how they love me, 

but it is how I love them that matters.

For me to love any less 

than Jesus does is error, arrogance-

not true love at all.

I don’t love just a little bit. 

I love deeply, passionately and whole-heartedly. 

It’s the only way I know how to love.

So regardless of the pain 

or whether they love me back or not, 

each person I encounter, 

spend time with or invest in

 gets a piece of my heart. 

Whether they want it or not, 

whether they know it or not,

 it’s theirs.

Because this is what Jesus has done for all of us. 

And I don’t care what the world says, 

I want to be like Jesus.

And because He, who began this work in me,

 is faithful to complete it, 

my poor heart will endure.

I just wish it didn’t hurt so much sometimes.