love is not a Fight.

It may have its super cheesy and even wildly predictable moments, but I highly recommend you watch the movie "Fireproof".  After watching that movie this weekend I've been playing the following song on repeat for days, so its no real surprise that it is this week's song of the week!

Song: Love Is Not A Fight
Artist: Warren Barfield
Lyrics:

Love is not a place
To come and go as we please
It's a house we enter in
Then commit to never leave

So lock the door behind you
Throw away the key
We'll work it out together
Let it bring us to our knees

Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

To some, love is a word
That they can fall into
But when they're falling out
Keeping that word is hard to do

Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

Love will come to save us
If we'll only call
He will ask nothing from us
But demand we give our all

Love is a shelter in a raging storm
Love is peace in the middle of a war
And if we try to leave, may God send angels to guard the door
No, love is not a fight but it's something worth fighting for

I will fight for you
Would you fight for me?
It's worth fighting for

Sometimes I feel like a song is just so awesome that all you have to do is read the lyrics and you are hooked, no explanation needed.  This song is one of those songs...but I'll explain its awesomeness anyway!

"Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love." - 1 John 4:8
This song rocks on its own merits, but listen to it and substitute "God" in everytime Warren sings "love".  God is shelter in a raging storm, God is peace in the middle of a war...God is not a fight, but He's something worth fighting for.  Brilliant.

The first verse...God is not a place to come and go as we please, He's a house we enter in and then commit to never leave.  God has done the same for us, He comes into our hearts and He doesn't come and go as He pleases, He enters in and never leaves, and He lovingly asks the same of us.  Lock the door behind you, don't give yourself an exit from the loving arms of God.  We (you and God) will work it out together...let His love bring you to your knees in prayer.  I also love this image for couples...the idea of being locked in a room together where they won't allow themselves to leave until the problems at hand are solved is awesome.  They commit to spend as much time as needed to get their relationship back on track and back in the house of love and the best way to do that is through prayer, through time spent on their knees asking God to show them where to go from here.

Verse two: brilliant, part two.  To some, love is a word they can simply fall into.  How true this is for so many relationships...and how easy it has become today for people to simply "fall out of love" and end a relationship, a marriage, a covenant.  Love is so much more than a word we simply fall into, its a choice we choose to make, day in and day out, moment to moment.  So keep that word, keep that choice, keep the relationship, the marriage, the covenant...fall into love, then lock the door and choose to keep falling in love every single day.

"Love will come to save us..."...or..."God will come to save us..." and He will, and He does in the person of Jesus.  He comes to save us through Mary, through Scripture, through the Sacraments, through prayer.  He will come to save us if only we'll call on Him, if only we seek Him with our whole hearts.  The next line I understand but I don't totally agree with...God doesn't demand.  He gives us free will.  Rather than demanding, He lovingly and patiently invites us to give our all.

And in the end our Heavenly Father and Jesus and perhaps one day our (future) spouse will say..."I will fight for you.  Would you fight for me?  Its worth fighting for."

Jesus, You are worth fighting for.  Help me come into the house of Your Love and commit to never leave.  Help me to love like You in all that I do, AMEN.