The Retort

Sacrificial Love

February 19th, 2010 by Dixie Lee Green For The Retort

Here we are again, celebrating the time of year where we honor friendships and love, where we send sweet, affectionate words to those whose hearts have somehow affected our souls. We buy sentimental gifts, we share extra hugs, and we say: “you are special to me.” It is a time of renewal for our emotions, as we are reminded to simply say: “I love you.” This time is unique for everyone, but through all its fury, love resonates in the atmosphere.

But, strangely enough, amongst all the frivolity, there exists a style of love which separates, which puts a bridge between two connected hearts; it is the love of a significant other stuck in an addiction. There are no sweet sentiments of affection, only words of sacrifice and sorrow, as sometimes saying “I love you,’ is having to say good-bye. Our hearts bleed, our thoughts beg, as we watch them self-destruct. There is never ending pain as we torment ourselves with what to do, where we wrestle with do I or don’t I, wishing love would simply end its plea.

Anger and resentments build as we come to acknowledge we no longer can watch them die. It hurts. We weep. We mourn, and then we risk it all. We cross the bridge alone, and there we pray incessantly, yearning for that individual we left behind, to pick up the pieces and follow. We continually look back. Will he cross over? Will my sweetheart return? Will my sacrifice have been for nothing? Yet, under all the whirlwind of questions and emotions, we recognize that what we’re forced to do was crucial for everyone involved.

Love is unique. It can be about the courage to move forward or it can be about the strength from despair, or it can merely be the hope of a better tomorrow.

But wait! Is there a familiar story in here? Did not someone make a huge sacrifice for us? Did He not risk His love for us? For this there is no greater love than sacrificial love.