Love According to Wikipedia
Love According to Wikipedia
I write a lot of songs. I’ve been lucky enough to write with some
amazingly talented people over the years. Some famous, many
not, but all were very passionate about their craft. Songwriting
is such a strange process because for some it’s not really a process
at all; it’s more like an experience. For others, it’s much more
mechanical; show up at work, write some melodies, articulate
some lyrics, throw in a catchy guitar riff, and move on to the
next one.
Many of my songs are inspired by my woeful love life or the
romantic happenings of my friends. One of the recurring themes
in my lyrics and in my life is unrequited love. I have a skill for
being captivated by the uninterested. Don’t get me wrong, this
is not a cry for sympathy as much as it is a communication of
empathy. Most of us have experienced that pit in our stomachs
when someone we like walks into the room and we are dying
to confess our feelings, but we don’t for one reason or another.
Also, I imagine many of us have mustered up the courage to
actually speak our heart only to be let down easy with some sort
of “Thanks, but no thanks or, let’s be friends.”
Rejection hurts. Whether we are paralyzed by the fear of it or
immobilized by the feelings after it, it’s painful. I read an article
recently about how great music comes from broken people. For
me this is true. Some of my favorite songs are ref lections on my
least favorite moments in life. There were the girls with whom I
fell in love with the idea of them, the ladies with whom I landed
quickly in the friend zone, and the women who I actually shared
my feelings with only to be shot down like a bird in hunting
season. Yet, I have no regret of being willing to take chances
with love.
Does it hurt not to be loved back? Yes. I have been disappointed
and let down by those who used me as their backup plan, as the
emotional fill in or the fake boyfriend. Though, if I’m honest, I’m
guilty of the same with others. Everyone wants to feel love; we
crave it, live by it, and above all it’s part of who we are designed
to be. It’s no wonder the great commandment is to love God and
love others.
According to Wikipedia, “Unrequited love is love that is
not openly reciprocated or understood as such, even though
reciprocation is usually deeply desired. The beloved may or may
not be aware of the admirer’s deep affections.”
The greatest unrequited lover is Love Himself. He has deep
affection for me and sometimes I am completely oblivious.
Sometimes I make God the backup plan. I give Him a call when
I’m a little sad or lonely. I send Him a message when things with
whatever idol I’ve replaced Him with aren’t going so well. I put
Him in the friend zone and only allow my ability to give and
receive love to go so deep.
One of the worship leaders I played with years ago used to say,
“Christians don’t tell lies, they just sing them.” “…I give you my
heart, I give you my soul, I live for you alone” or “All I want
is you…” If grace is God saying “I love you,” and worship is us
responding with “I love you too”, my worship has to be more
than empty adoration sing-a-longs. I have to live love.
There is a God in Heaven who is desperately longing for a
relationship with me. The beautiful part is He loved us first, with
no hesitation, and put all His cards on the table. The cross stands
as a shameless display to win my affection. The Groom is down
on one knee, ring box open, saying, “I know you don’t really
know me, but you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve
been watching you for a while, for your whole life in fact. I love
everything you do. I see so much goodness in you. I want to spend
all of my time getting to know you better from now until forever.
I’d be honored if you would let me.” And sometimes I say no.
While many of my songs are about unrequited love, there’s an
Author writing the poems and prose of eternity on the pages
of humanity with a pen dipped in the ink of compassion. How
incredible is the invitation to have a part in this love story?