We were made to love as the stars were made to shine.

For one of my classes, we are reading portions of a book entitled Mission Legacies, which recounts the lives of many modern missionaries. Florence Allshorn was a missionary to Uganda and had a wonderful way with words. Here are a few quotes from her:

"I'm so troubled about not loving enough. I feel as if I'm not awake yet...I used to think that being nice to people and feeling nice was loving people. But it isn't, it isn't. Love is the most immense unselfishness and it's so big I've never touched it. I hope I shall have enough courage to want it even."

"To love a human being means to accept him, to love him as he is. If you wait to love him till he has got rid of all his faults, till he is different, you are only loving an idea. He is as he is now; I can only love a person by allowing myself to be disturbed by him as he is. I must accept the pain of seeing him with hopefulness and expectancy."

"...we were made to love as the stars were made to shine..."