A flower without color is just another flower

One of the faces of love is a willingness to be involved in another person's pain.  And you might as well know right away that this will mean you are going to suffer too.  Loving is not easy and not free of hurt.

We are constructed in a very complex way.  It's our natural tendency to avoid pain.  We don't like to feel uncomfortable.  We are masters at building protective devices in our lives.  When we are rejected by another person, we almost unconsciously figure out how we can avoid that kind of hurt again.

When someone screams at us or spits out some spiteful comment, our natural reaction is to protect our own self-image by defending ourselves from hurt, pain, and discomfort.  It's only as we keep pouring the love of God into the big, demanding hole of self that we become conquerors.   Are we prepared to take on the pain?

"While Jesus lived on earth, he prayed to God and asked God for help.  He prayed with loud cries and tears to the One who could save him from death, and his prayer was heard because he trusted God.  Even though Jesus was the Son of God, he learned obedience by what he suffered.  And because his obedience was perfect, he was able to give eternal salvation to all who obey him."  Hebrews 5:7-9

Loving someone enough to share their pain, isn't that what Christ did for us?

A noble woman seeks knowledge, but if knowledge were the key to unlock the door in solving all human suffering, our problems would be over.  Mankind today possesses more knowledge than ever before.  The unfortunate truth is that our great strides in knowledge and in understanding the mysteries of the universe have done very little to solve man's problems.

The past six years I have made it a priority to research and study all of the health issues my mother is facing.  I understand the complexities of diabetes probably better than most diabetics.  The correlation between medication, nutrition, and exercise is so second nature to me that I tend to forget I am not a diabetic.

This knowledge has been an aid in easy communication with my mother's doctors and nurses, and it has possibly kept her with us a while longer.  But knowledge alone can become a burden when there is not enough love...

"Knowledge puffs you up with pride, but love builds up." 
1 Corinthians 8:1

With all the information I've gained I forgot the heart.  Being a type A personality I tend to focus on the task and forget the human emotion needed to care for someone in need.

My mother is a human being suffering from unimaginable pain and humiliating degeneration.  Her body and spirit are giving in the the disease.  As much as I want to fight, she is overcome with defeat.  She needs me to fight the disease, but in the process I need to lift her up with a gentle, loving attitude.

Where there is pride there is no love.  It seems the lessons never stop, and I'm not done learning yet...