Unequal Love

In human relationships,
How tragic is unequal love;
The hurt when devotion is lavished
On a cold, unresponsive heart,
Or love that was once aflame
Has now died down to quiet ashes!

The bitter knowledge or fear
That the sincere love
Experienced by one person
Is not matched by the other.
The aching longing, of one heart
Seems not to be reciprocated
And any expression of emotion
Meets a closed door.
Respect and affection may exist
But deepest needs are unfulfilled,
Leaving painful emptiness.

How sad but true
That this can be a spiritual experience!
How poor and feeble is our love for Christ
Whose sacrificial love
Has been slathered all over us,
Dripping and running down
In scarlet rivers!

Lord, penetrate hardened, cold hearts
With the fire of Your Passion;
Melt us as we contemplate once again
The depth and scope of Calvary.
Restore and renew the love we once knew;
Grant us a vision of Your wounded heart,
Aching for a response from Your Beloved
And welcome us as we run back
Into Your loving arms!

Honoria A. Groves

March 14, 2002