Beauty,Flowers and Fairytale love

I am deeply challenged by a love which expresses itself in sincerity and unselfishness. A love which places the interest of another before my own. I am strongly compelled to act by way of this ‘Christian love’, yet my heart is torn…

When gazing upon the splendour of a rose I am able to admire its delicacy and its beauty, to enjoy the sweet fragrance it brings without ever feeling the urge to possess it, without needing to touch the petals and in so doing damage it. When admiring a daisy in the field I can enjoy the way God has carefully crafted it with his hands, and still never do I feel the urge to wrench it from the ground, seal it in a box and show it off to the world as my own.

For some reason though, the enchanting beauty of a girl is one which rouses the desire to possess, it awakens in the heart a sort of jealous love. Like a savage our eyes light up and we wish to have her as “our own”, dare anyone try to steal our newfound “treasure” from us.

I am not convinced that it is all for the wrong motive, surely we too desire the sort of security there is in knowing that her beauty won’t be snatched away from us, but what right have we to even think of it as being snatched away. Perhaps this jealous love is rooted in our own insecurities, our marred identities of ourselves, or is it simply the masculine heart? I sympathise with the one who fears a day when the beautiful ‘rose’ he admired, and which has become the object of his affection is swooped up by another, yet… I am moved now by a higher kind of love. One which appreciates the princess, but which understands that she belongs to the God the King. This understanding and realization of God’s involvement brings with it a deep sense of peace for the restless admirer. A greater sense of joy and excitement in participating with God in protecting that beauty. This new understanding brings about a radical change of conduct through respect for her as God’s loved. Friendship is transformed from a desire for intimacy because of the fear of loss, to the desire to see your friend grow and become more beautiful in every way because friendship is now driven by a sincere love.

Robert Frost in his poem “Walking Away” describes the gut-wrenching pain of watching his son head to school alone as he begins to spread his own wings. How much more intense is that feeling when a guy and a girl have been in a close friendship? … Nothing can lessen it… but sincere love seeks to see her happy and needs her to choose where she will find that happiness.