Song of Songs 2 – Love Story

I remember the first time I knew I loved my wife Katie.

I was driving to college at UMD, having spent the wee hours of the morning churning out a research paper I barely understood.  The weather was cold and grim; my VW bug cut a trail through the white snow on each side.  A song came on the radio which I only half heard amid cluttered thoughts of school finals and “part time” ministry demands.  But soon all this melted away and I was fixed on the words of the song.  One line in particular so moved me I had to pull off the road.  Reaching for a pen, I hastily jotted the lyrics down on a scrap of paper.

                  

It’s hard to drive with no window wipers for your eyes.  I believe what makes us weep is a clue to who we really are.  In that moment alone on just another commute to school, I knew I was in love—that this loner would rather be lost but holding hands.

In this scripture, we see that love is passionate.  Love has an “Arise, come my darling” urgency, a “Lost but holding hands” emotion.  But to go the distance, love must also be protective—vigilantly guarding against the little foxes that threaten to break in and break down the intimacy and trust that keep love strong (vs. 15).

Today, may your love be strong—passionate and protective—like the love of our God who pursues and protects.

Reuben Smith