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To Love is Like Keeping the Bird’s Cage Door Open
Keeping a bird that doesn’t want to be kept is useless anyway.
“I hate to see birds locked in a cage,” said dad. “They are meant to be free in nature with the wind in their wings. They’re not meant to live their lives locked in a cage. Have you ever heard how depressed they sound when they sing?”
As I heal and think back to my recent ex-fiance. I think of all the “lovers” I had after him. I never gave them more than enough of my heart to nibble on so that I could have the comfort of loving again but I didn’t let them know that as I would judge from the sidelines of my heart if they were worthy of a full nugget of my heart. I let them have a little bit of love until I realized I wasn’t ready to really let them have a whole piece of my heart that would allow me to commit to them fully. And that’s okay.
I’ve realized that love is not for me. It is better to love than to lose because you can lose, let go, and love again.
A couple is not meant to be kept for oneself. You can only welcome them into a room in your heart and leave the caged door open giving them the option to stay if they so choose.
Jesus said, “If you, even so, look at a woman to lust after her you have already committed adultery with her in your heart (Matthew 5:28).”
But I say, Jesus, “What if he really wants to go and be with her?”
Then who am I then to object and make him stay? I can’t do anything but leave the caged door open and let the bird fly. But when he leaves I have to close the door of that room in my heart.
I know God has a will in my life. Even if I mean to close the door after the bird leaves, if that bird is meant to come back and stay, God will nudge me to open the door again. So, I’ll have to listen, eventually.
However, if it is meant up to me and the bird flies they can go. Don’t come back. You had free housing in my heart for a while and I loved you freely. Once you leave it’s over and I have closure to accept that and move on.
Jesus commands us to keep His greatest commandments. To love God with all of us and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Do these and you shall live (Luke 10:27; 1 John 3:23).
So, I’ll still love you from far away. But differently now. I will heal and love again.
When I’m ready.
