Lesson 167. Sorrow in Love

Love has one very interesting quality: it greatly loves to give itself away, and, moreover, it longs to do so. And this is love’s greatest problem. At times it brings those who possess it to bitter tears and suffering because there is so much of it, yet no one needs it.

For example, the good angels, who have never fallen and spend all their time caring for us, turn away all kinds of dangers and illnesses from us, dispel darkness, fill us with light and joy, serve us, rejoice in our victories, and suffer when they see our falls. They always direct our thoughts toward that which is heavenly, true, and bright. They know us completely; they know all our attachments and habits. Perhaps they can even read our thoughts in order to coordinate them. In short, we are always in their sight. And in spite of all this, they love us very much—so much that words cannot express it. But we do not even know their names, do not think about them, do not communicate with them, and do not thank them. Yet they love us. They love me.

And there is more. The Second Coming. The righteous are resurrected, receive new bodies, and ascend to Heaven to Jesus. He so completely absorbs everyone’s attention that we see no one but Him. The Heavenly City. The sea of glass. The Millennial Kingdom. We are occupied with spiritual growth. And the angels stand to the side, ready to serve us in any way. There are many of them—possibly millions—and every one of them has perfect love, perfect wisdom, and perfect knowledge and is ready to share all of this. Perhaps somewhere in his heart each one dreams of becoming my close friend so that he can give himself and teach me everything he knows. But the angels respect my choice and modestly stand to the side, meekly awaiting my decision, waiting for years until I notice them. I think each one dreams that someday his turn will come and he will be noticed. Yet there are millions of them, and they all love and rejoice that we are with Jesus. And the heart longs to give; it is overflowing with love and is ready to leap with happiness at even one glance in its direction.

Now let us look at a loving person. This is a special being, yet he lives according to the same laws as all the inhabitants of Heaven. He receives God’s Love and greatly desires to give it away. And he searches. Yet there is more and more love, while there are not many who wish to receive it. You simply desire to give it to anyone, but you see that your neighbors’ freedom of choice closes the doors before you, and you yourself have no right to open them. You want to speak, help, serve, and give, and you do so, yet no one needs you. You would like to give up, but you cannot and do not want to, because you love, yet this love is not accepted. And after another knock on the stone door of the human will, you go sorrowfully to Jesus and complain. And He shows you His hands and comforts you with the fact that He experiences the same thing and irretrievably loses those whom He loves.

But this is a special sorrow. It does not destroy the heart but draws it closer to God, Who understands you and loves you very much. And the more love there is, and the more wisdom there is in love, the more sorrow there is.

Love is the most proper attitude toward people; it is the truest relationship between people. And if this exists, then it is forever. And this is wonderful. God is glorified when we love one another. He gives this love, and He blesses such relationships.

What is the enemy of the human soul doing at this time? He prowls around like a roaring lion and looks for every opportunity to steal, kill, and destroy, to ruin things and convince people that true love does not exist and that we will never be able to love as God expects us to. And satan constantly agitates the minds of our neighbors so that they will convince the one who loves them that he is a hypocrite. Yet you simply love—that is all. Love never fails and never ceases. It brings many experiences and trials into your life, and after passing through them, it becomes stronger and more confident.

Love is not a land of pink hearts. It is a path of special trials, experiences, and victories that add gray hairs, temper firm principles in a person’s character, and make you tender, sensitive, friendly, and cheerful.

And you live with this and cannot hide it.

As long as there is no personal, close contact with your neighbor, love may not manifest itself visibly; it will not be noticeable, and you will be like everyone else, having no form or comeliness. But when you become acquainted with a person, when you can touch his inner world and open your own heart, then love begins to act and manifest itself. It studies the situation, studies the person, respects the neighbor’s freedom, and at the same time seeks paths to his heart, gently offering itself and its services. How this is expressed depends on many factors, and every person is a special science of relationships requiring a special approach. What works with some does not work with others, and vice versa. There are general laws governing love’s influence, but there are different characters and destinies of people, who have different love languages in their hearts or are simply closed to everyone forever.

For example, if I decide to love satan, where will this love lead me? I cannot expect love in return. But I will learn something. I will learn to respect him as a person while hating his deeds. I am not suggesting that you befriend demons, but treating these spiritual forces of wickedness in high places with respect will be the right position. They have authority from God to influence and tempt those who accept them, and they surpass us in many respects. My insults and mockery directed at them may complicate my life, which is already full of trials. Through my ignorance, I may attract them to myself and be subjected to a special attack.

But my respect for their freedom and my understanding of their status will protect me from their attacks.

We know that we must treat every earthly authority with respect and be law-abiding citizens as long as those laws do not violate God’s commands. And God expects our obedience and respect for secular laws. The same conduct also applies in the spiritual world.

Our neighbors may be possessed by unclean spirits and led by them. They may be so closely connected with the powers of darkness that they will never again be able to escape the influence of this power—not because it is impossible, but because they have chosen this life and have established themselves on this path forever. This must be remembered and taken into account. Jesus counsels us not to give pearls and holy things to those who will neither appreciate nor accept them, yet at the same time He does not teach us to turn away from these people and become their enemies, giving them a reason for evil thoughts. But even if all Heaven were to pour all its blessings into the lives of these unfortunate people, they would not repent, and this must be taken into account. Nevertheless, such people will teach us much. They will teach us unconditional love, which never fails. And you will have to carry the pain of being rejected with you throughout your life, but this is those people’s choice, and it must be respected.

But love goes farther, and it sees new prospects for future victories. It looks boldly ahead and believes that every place upon which its foot steps will belong to it. And, of course, love feels wonderful where it is accepted, valued, and awaited. It lives by itself, having an inexhaustible Source, and sorrows greatly as it waits to be accepted.

1. What interesting things did you learn in this lesson?

2. What wonderful quality does love possess?

3. What do the angels do?

4. Why does greater love bring greater sorrow?

5. What kinds of sorrow are familiar to you?

6. What determines how love is manifested?

7. How should we treat people who are possessed by unclean spirits?

8. Please read Psalm 91:11; 34:8–9; Jeremiah 29:10–13; Matthew 5:44–48; 7:6; 12:19–20; John 1:11; Hebrews 5:2, 7–8; Ezekiel 22:30 in the light of our lesson.