Dilemma

Loving people gives them so much more power to hurt you.

I'm tired of that pain, because it's a new, fresh, painful hurt every time, and I want to stop hurting.

But yet... God is love. (1 John 4:7-8)

And I know that Heavenly Father is the one who makes all happiness possible, because when I follow the commandments, that is what I experience. That's what I know.

The choice seems obvious, but it's so hard. I have to keep loving people, even though I know they'll hurt me like nothing else. I have to exercise faith that romantic love will pan out; I have to exercise faith that God and love are stronger than Satan's power in a family; I have to exercise faith and trust that God loves me enough to let me hurt for a while so that I can learn and grow. Faith requires consequent action to be of any real efficacy.

I guess it really does take faith to love.