“God has never acted in love at the expense of light” (W. Graham Scroggie) and “love is a condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own” (Robert Heinlein). (This is why Thomas Aquinas could declare, “To love is to will the good of another”). Since love insists on the truth, love will sometimes appear to be intolerant (Jn 14:6; Acts 4:12). It seeks to help others come to love God by having faith in Jesus Christ. “To love another person is to help them love God” (Soren Kierkegaard). It is willing to reach out not just to those who are easy to love, but to those who are difficult: “The test of love is in how one relates not to saints and scholars but to rascals” (Abraham Heschel). We want them, too, to be eternally happy and to love God. Love’s inclination is to look at what is needed then love seeks to be constructive in meeting those needs (1 Cor 13:4, Phillips).
Love, then, is vulnerable because it risks rejection and hurt. As C. S. Lewis put it, “To love is to be vulnerable.” If we merely respect a rascal, we may not approach them for fear of being hurt. But love is willing to be bold when that is needed. We see them for how they are and for what needs they have. Yet, our love for them may give them the courage to approach God.
It is not enough to simply love, however. We also need to be humble enough to receive the love of others. Love is willing to take risks that could lead to loving connection with another. We give them a chance to love us and be vulnerable with us. Hence, we have an opportunity to know and be known. As George Macdonald said, “It is by loving and by being loved that one can come nearest to the soul of another.”
Instead of being timid, learn to be appropriately bold.