Love is a Good Thing

This week, as part of the Walk to Emmaus, I had an overwhelming experience with love. Without giving too much of the magic away for those of you who may want to do the walk, let's just say that I was hit pretty hard by how much God loves me, and how God shows his love through the people around me. However, even after being surrounded by all of this love, I woke up Monday morning feeling like I had been hit by a bus. My facebook status turned from "Erica is loved", to "Erica is blech." I was a mess, and that fact drove me crazy.

As I was recovering from this experience I had my iTunes on shuffle and heard a song from Andrew Peterson's new album "Resurrection Letter's Volume 2, called "Love is a Good Thing." I wasn't really hearing the songs that were playing until I got to this song, which seemed to portray just what I was feeling. I played several times over and over, as a reminder to myself. I found an interview with Andrew Peterson about this album where he says; "Yes,Love is hard and love stinks, but love is not bad. Love is good, and if it does stink it's only because it's on it's way to making you into something that you needed to become."

It made me realize that sometimes love hits you in a weird way, and sometimes it hurts, but at the end of the day all experiences of love are bringing us closer to who we are meant to be. God uses love as a transforming power in our lives, so that we may never be the same.

You can listen to the song by scrolling to the player and clicking "Love is a Good Thing."

Lyrics:

It knocked me down, it dragged me out, it left me there for dead. It took all the freedom I wanted and gave me something else instead. It blew my mind, it bled me dry, it hit me like a long goodbye, and nobody here knows better than I that it’s a good thing.Love is a good thing.

It’ll fall like rain on your parade, laugh at the plans that you tried to make, it’ll wear you down till your heart just breaks and it’s a good thing. Love is a good thing.

It’ll wake you up in the middle of the night, it’ll take just a little too much. It’ll burn you like a cinder till you’re tender to the touch. It’ll chase you down, swallow you whole, it’ll make your blood run hot and cold. Like a thief in the night it’ll steal your soul, and that’s a good thing. Love is a good thing.

It’ll follow you down to the ruin of your great divide, and open the wounds that you tried to hide. And there in the rubble of the heart that died you’ll find a good thing. Love is a good thing.

Take cover, the end is near. Take cover, but do not fear. It’ll break your will, it’ll change your mind, it’ll loose all the chains of the ties that bind. If you’re lucky you’ll never make it out alive, and that’s a good thing. Love is a good thing.

It can hurt like a blast from a hand grenade when all that used to matter is blown away. There in the middle of the mess it made you’ll find a good thing.Yes, it’s worth every penny of the price you paid. It’s a good thing.

Love is a good thing.
Do not fear.