Life is Easy, Love is Hard

I have a love of the band U2 that somewhat embarrasses me. When I was a freshman in college the Elevation tour came out, based ont heir CD, "All That You Can't Leave Behind", and that's when my love of the band was born. The song that really did it for me, "Walk On", has become one of the theme songs of my life. In that song, the very first line hits me every time: "Love is not the easy thing".
People often say that life is hard, and it's true that there are many difficult and painful things that come up, but all that is truly required of us to live life is to trust God. He has promised to lead and guide us. He is our Shepherd and will make sure that our needs are met. Where much begins to be required of us is in the area of love. We are required to love one another as Christ loves us! Let's think about His love for a moment.
Christ never showed an aversion to society's outcasts. Tax collectors and lepers were all the same to Him. He ate with the unclean, and He loved the hopeless, offereing them something their souils craved.
Christ loved sinners. To the woman caught in adultery, He said "Where are those thine accusers?" And though He was the only one there without sin, He didn't condemn her. "Go and sin no more," He said, and gave her hope for a better life. Mary Magdalene, out of whom Christ cast out demons, loved Him so much because of His love for her, that she followed Him and His disciples for the rest of Christ's life on Earth. And He loved her so much that she was the first person He appeared to after His death.
Christ took care of those in need. From feeding 5000 people, to restoring a widow's son, He saw the needs of the people around Him and He was compassionate. Even in the case of the 5000, some were not there out of a desire to follow Him. Some were there chasing the latest trend, or even trying to gather negative information about Him. He knew that, and yet, all were fed, all were cared for, all were loved.
Christ loved his friends. He wept at the tomb of Lazarus, not because Lazarus was dead, for he would soon be alive again, but because of the grief of Mary and Martha. The fac thta tthey were devastated broke His heart.
Christ forgave everyone, even those who were not seeking His forgiveness. The prime example of this is His prayer for the forgiveness of those who were mocking Him even as He hung on the cross.
And I fall short of this. I sometimes avoid those I consider undesireable. It is easier for me to pass judgement on a sinner than to show love. I am sometimes too selfish to even see the needs of others, even my own friends. At times I harbour unforgiveness in my heart.
And changing isn't easy. Our minds are programmed to act and think and feel a certain way, and they need to be reprogrammed. The problem with that is, we are often too far gone to even recognise our need. I know I often am. The solution is found only in the mercy of God. He finds us where we are, and moves us closer to Himself by changing who we are. Sometimes in a quick, miraculous way, and sometimes in a way that is so slow and gradual tthat we don't even see it in ourselves until someone points it out to us.
Then we can look back and realize, "That's right, I don't think abou tmyslef as much." or "I do spend more time helping others than I did." or "I really have had a softer heart toward my family recently." And this is a true miracle.

And love is not the easy thing
The only baggage that you can bring
Love is not the easy thing
The only baggage you can bring
Is all that you can't leave behind...

And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
And for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong

Oh, oh
Walk on, walk on
What you got, they can't steal it
No, they can't even feel it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight

You're packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen
You could have flown away
A singing bird in an open cage
Who will only fly, only fly, for freedom

Oh, oh
Walk on, walk on
What you got, they can't deny it
Can't sell it, or buy it
Walk on, walk on
You stay safe tonight

And I know it aches
And your heart, it breaks
You can only take so much

Walk on...
Walk on...

Home...
Hard to know what it is, if you never had one
Home...
I can't say where it is, but I know I'm going
Home...
That's where the hurt is...

And I know it aches
And your heart, it breaks
And you can only take so much

Walk on...

Leave it behind
You got to leave it behind
All that you fashion
All that you make
All that you build
All that you break
All that you measure
All that you feel

All this you can leave behind

All that you reason, (it's only time)
(Love is a feeling on my mind)
All that you sense
All that you scheme
All you dress-up
All that you've seen
All you create
All that you wreck
All that you hate

All this you can leave behind