Only those who are willing to risk heartbreak and disappointment will ever know what it means to truly love. 

As C. S. Lewis put it: “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping [your heart] intact, you must give [it] to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket - of your selfishness. But in that casket - it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”¹ And ultimately, incapable of experiencing true love!

This simple truth applies to all of life's beautiful, blessed experiences—each one comes only to those who open themselves to the possibility of their opposites: joy and sorrow, heartache and happiness, abundance and loss. It is in the very prospect of pain that we learn to truly appreciate love.

Many years ago, a woman purchased a greeting card about love. She intended to give the card away, but she ending up keeping it because she liked the sentiment so much. Eventually, she framed it and shared it with someone she loved. The card read, “Another's heart is a rare and precious gift. Hold it gently and with both hands.”

When others give us their love, they give us great power—the power to hurt them as no one else can, but also the power to bless and lift and delight them as no one else can. And they have determined that this possibility is worth the risk. So when we love, we must be gentle with our criticism, generous with our praise, gracious with our forgiveness, and ever grateful for those who have entrusted us with their heart.

Truly, to love is to walk on holy ground. One who loves holds—in both hands—a portion of the potential, the joy, and the happiness of another. It is a sacred trust, born of the confidence that love is a song that never needs to end.²

1. The Four Loves (1960), 121.
2. See Larry Morey, “Love Is a Song” (1942).

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Few things release the feelings of the heart like singing does. It brings deep emotions to the surface that we might otherwise struggle to express. When we sing, we reveal what’s in our soul, and this honesty of heart connects us with others despite barriers of time, place, and culture. 

But sometimes we need a little help appreciating the power of music. One young man, searching to find his niche in middle school, had no intentions of joining the boys’ choir - at least not until the choral teacher approached him and asked why he was not registered for her class. He couldn’t quickly come up with any good reason or excuse, so she walked him to the school office and made the necessary adjustments to his schedule. She told him that she needed him in the choir, that he would love singing, and that she wanted to be his teacher. 

The next thing he knew, he was sitting in the front row of the boys’ choir. Placing him next to one of the strongest singers in the class, the teacher made sure the young man could not fail. And succeed he did. Singing in that choir changed him: he discovered his voice and learned about the powerful influence music could have in his life. Perhaps most important, he knew his choir teacher cared about him. She cared enough to expose him to music that would enrich his life for decades to come. He never became a soloist, and he may not ever sing in a choir again, but he still loves music and remembers with fondness his dedicated teacher. Both he and his parents still praise that wonderful choral director. 

Whether we blend our voices with others in a choir or simply sing in the shower or car, singing can lift our spirits, express our feelings, and help us make meaningful connections with others - and with the divine. The song of the heart can be more than a song; it can be a prayer, a confession of heartfelt emotion, an expression of love. 

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Inspirational Poems: Miracles Happens: Though troubles assail And war affrights Though government should fail And sickness unite Yet one thing secures us Whatever be...

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