love's teaching

There’s a great line in U2's song, Vertigo. It goes like this: “Your love is teaching me how to kneel.”

While I am uncertain what U2 intended by these words, one possible interpretation is that God’s love produces an attitude of dependence and trust in him. This love, then, would, shall we say, originate from “above,” while the kneeling would pertain to things like prayer.

Love is a common topic, and it has often been addressed by believers. The ultimate demonstration of love is what God did to reconcile humanity to himself. This is our chief motivation and the paradigm for what we are to be and do. We are to love, in other words, because he first loved. Thus, God expresses his love in countless other ways, and all of these, one might argue, can be traced back to the ultimate love expression (i.e., incarnation and cross), being current examples of his ongoing concern for us.

Everyday God showers us with love through various avenues. Often, these are attached to the relationships and opportunities we are given. As Jesus himself said, we are to love God and one another. In some strange yet magnificent way, divine-human love and human-human love are related. The point here is that God shows himself to us in the nitty gritty of life. This, I think, is the love that is “teaching” us.

Of course love often involves emotion, but it also extends beyond mere feelings. Love is also an act, a determination, a commitment, an unconditional resolve to meet the needs of another. Jesus did this to perfection, of course, and we try (however inconsistently) to emulate. Love, therefore, is an activity that may or may not involve emotion. In either case, the divine example should occupy a central place in our thoughts. God loves.

But what does God’s love (past, present, and future–what he did, does, and promises to do) produce? Bono says it causes him to “kneel.” This, I think, is an expression of profound awe, an appreciation for the love that has flowed into his life. When we recognize this love in its many forms, we are more prone to “kneel,” that is, to realize who it is that provides us with love in its many manifestations.

Whatever the actual meaning of these U2 lyrics, it is true that love has a profound impact on us and, when properly understood, fills us with wonder. Your love is teaching me–despite my thick head and foolish heart–it’s teaching me how to kneel.