LIMITLESS LOVE

With respect to love we speak continually about perfection and the perfect person. With respect to love Christianity also speaks continually about perfection and the perfect person. Alas, but we men talk about finding the perfect person in order to love him. Christianity speaks about being the perfect person who limitlessly loves the person he sees. ~Søren Kierkegaard, Works of Love

I remember taking art history when I was in college and throughout history you could see what each culture and time period valued as their perfect person. In each historic age, women were valued for wearing their hair a certain way or having a certain body shape. Men have been lifted up as intellectuals and warriors leading the charge into battle. Examining the art of a culture gives us a glimpse of what is valued and lifted up as the ideal but it is often based on physical attributes, accomplishments, wealth, or status.

The perfect human in our Christian world is very different than the one societies have valued over time. Jesus gave us so many examples of what a human is supposed to strive towards. In story after story, we see examples of Jesus reaching out to those considered other and loving them. We see stories of forgiveness and healings. We see feedings to those in need and suggestions to give and share. The perfect person, as echoed by Kierkegaard, is one that loves without limit. Let us strive to seek love in all that we do and find ways every day to love without boundaries.

Prayer

Dear God, we see every day on television and on the internet images of what our society values as perfect. The perfect smile, the perfect body, the perfect lifestyle. You call us to a different perfection and a life that is filled with love of God, self, and others. With all that we do, help us to live in this perfect mold of love, and walk like Jesus through this world. In your grace, Amen.