Love 5 - Love and Limits ...

Friday, Oct 23, 2009. Does love know limits? We have talked about the great possibilities of love. We have realized how far reaching love is, that is overcomes difficulties, that it hopes to the end, that bears everything. But does love know limits? Does it set limits? Does it accept everything? This question is of huge relevance on many levels, for example in family life, in partnership, in our professional life and in our relationship to God.

To love someone does not mean to accept every type of nonsense. To love does not mean to go into unreasonable risk. To love does not mean to accept abusive or violent behavior. Love needs clear limits and it sets clear limits. Love wants to protect the victim and the offender at the same time, and that mean that love needs to formulate clear rules and needs to set clear limits.

God loves men, he loves mankind. God wants us to find back to him, to come to him, discover his amazing love and to live with him in a relationship based on truth and trust. So God is the first lover, he is a holy love, the source of love. Does that mean that God takes everyone into his house, into his kingdom, into his realm? No. He has set clear limits. He has put death into the world, such that men have their life to live, but it will end after 80, 100 or 120 years. God's love has set a limit. Then God came to save us, with and in Jesus he offers forgiveness and eternal life to us. This is a clear open door, but there is also a clear limit. Salvation is in Christ. We need to loose our life in him and with him at the cross. We need to be transformed. God's love is an eternal love in an eternal life - it is not limited. But this life can be found only through Jesus. By clear purpose he wants those who repent. Without repentance there is no faith and no salvation!

We need the limits of love in our education. Children need deep love, they need protection, and they need limits. They need to learn that they cannot do everything when ever they want, that there are other people and that they need to take care. Love will set limits, balanced rules which help the child and help everyone living in the community.

Giving clear limits can be a crucial step to protect someone. If you stay away from a steep scarp, a warning and some distance can save your life. Distance can be important for all kinds of dangers. Stay away from that. Jesus has given this warning many times, and we need to think and do the same. As a society we need to prevent crime, we need to act and carry out all measures possible to keep people from falling into unhealthy behavior patterns, to help them to find the support they need and to become a trustworthy and important member of the community. But to do this, we need clear limits, clear rules and a balanced law.

Love can even mean separation. If I cause damage or fear, I will separate myself from those who I threaten. If there are problems, it might be the right step to separate those who quarrel. Love will go these steps and even accept a time of loneliness. Love can mean to leave some group or some area - if it is better for those who are in it. To find such love is a great goal of life. In Christ we will find it, he has even given up his life to show his love and to open the door to salvation, the door to God, for every one of us. [R.W.E.P., jesusnetwork.eu]

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