Really be Loved

While watching the movie ‘The Velveteen Rabbit” in preparation for Dance Camp I came across this great conversation between the rabbit and the rocking horse.

“What is real,” asked the rabbit.
“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.
“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.
“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”
“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”
“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.

Who knew that a kids movie could be full of such good truth!?

Whether people know it or not, most people will spend their lives trying to be real. That may mean something different for each person, but everyone wants to come alive in some way. They want to feel loved, to feel valuable, appreciated, respected, and like they are special.

However, many become disappointed with life when they realize that all of their efforts to feel these emotions and gain this kind of confidence aren’t attainable (at least not in their own strength). As the rocking horse reminds us- we are all capable of being real. But it doens’t just suddenly happen. Some days might be better/easier than others, but life is a journey usually made up of gradual steps, some stumbling blocks, and the strength one gains as they overcome the obstacles in their way.

In the ‘Velveteen Rabbit’ the horse tells the rabbit that becoming real is achieved by love, and love through a child. Many of us try to find love through different places in life, but unlike what the “Velveteen Rabbit” tells us, becoming real and to truly feeling loved and being able to love in return only can be accomplished through God. When you experience the love of God, you do become real. Does it hurt? Of course it hurts. Every kind of love that we experience somehow hurts us in one way in another, because it changes us- hopefully for the better. And as that horse says: “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.” Those who have experienced love know that although some things are painful or tough, the beauty far outweighs the hurt.

My favorite line: Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.

Ever had a stuffed animal that was the picture of love? It went everywhere with you. Once fluffy and soft, it now has holes where its fur/fuzz was worn off, an eye, nose or mouth may be disfugured, and the stuffed animal resembles something more like one who has been through a battle than through years of love. But I think that is the best way of looking at love. You don’t come out looking the same. Don’t be confused. You won’t look worn out or exhausted from a life of love with God. Quite the opposite. You will feel fully alive. But the person you will become will exemplify love. The experiences you had of deep love and intimacy with God will represent the times you were loved so much that your fur was rubbed off. But who doesn’t want to be loved so deeply that they look different in the end- that people look into ones face and say- They have truly experienced Love.

In our culture we place great emphasis on our appearance, and we get the impression that the older we get the less attractive we are as a person and life becomes generally less… less exciting. less adventuresome. less hopeful, etc. But what if our age and blemishes showed off the love we had for God? The lines around our mouth and eyes would show the joy and smiles God had given us, and our age spots would represent the many years we had walked by His side.

The only people who won’t notice the beauty in these things are the ones who don’t understand. They may not take a liking to the people who have been loved deeply and whose appearance has changed because of the effects of God’s love. But that doesn’t mean we should miss out on the greatest love of a lifetime. It just means we have more people to show what it truly means to Really be Loved.