I Love You And There’s Nothing You Can Do About It
~ I turned to the man on my left and said, “I love you! And there’s nothing you can do about it!” He was a stranger… and for the most part, still is. I turned to the woman on my right and said, “I love you! And there’s nothing you can do about it!” After many years now, to this day, as far as I know, I’ve never seen her again either.
Last weekend, I went to see Soul on Fire with an entire movie theatre filled with my extended family. My cousin is married to John O’Leary. And for the first time, I realized where this quote originated. John’s Dad exclaimed these words to his 9-year-old boy as he arrived at the hospital after an accidental gasoline explosion. John’s entire body had been burned. He had been given 0% chance to live.
“I love you and there’s nothing you can do about it.” It was these words that John challenged us to say to each other during a conference downtown many years ago. It felt so weird to get these words out of my mouth to a total stranger.
However… this challenge… and actually saying these words out loud to another, helped open up how I view my life in connection with God, with others, and with the world.
I am You. You are Me. And He is Within Us and Between Us.
I totally get today’s first reading from Habakkuk. How LOOOONG O LOORD?!, (that’s me wailing), must we put up with today’s violence and destruction and hate and misery?
And here’s His answer today…
Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets,
so that one can read it readily.
For the vision still has its time,
presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint!
Through Habakkuk, isn’t God saying this exact thing to us?! I Love You! And there is NOTHING you can do about it! In other words: It is what it is.
So write this down so one can easily read it. Say it out loud so one can easily hear it! This is what’s already been written on our hearts anyway! This IS the vision, isn’t it?
Accept it. Be present to it. Live from it. Let’s press on! It will not disappoint!
Throughout the year, we present an article in the bulletin each week on a variety of topics, written by a member of our Parish staff or ministries on a rotating basis.