Neil Young said it well:

“But only love can break your heart;
Try to be sure right from the start.
Yes, only love can break your heart,
But if your world should fall apart…”

In your vocation—if you do it and live it right—your heart will be broken, sometimes over and over again.

Even though it’s not physical, as it was with Paul when Jesus told him in the Book of Acts, “I’ll show you how much you must suffer for my name,” it is painful nonetheless.

When you live life with an open heart, when you do your work open-handed and innocent, you will experience pain.

The cuts will come. Betrayals, sometime innocuous and sometimes devastating, are a simple part of living with other humans.

So be prepared to weep and moan.

But remember: “if your world should fall apart” (and it will), there is a deeper love that exists.

That of a Father who’s embrace never hesitates.

That of a faithful Brother who gave up everything for love, for you.

That of a Sister and Spirit, who is with you always as guide, comforter, counselor.

So love on, brother. Do your best. To be broken—to mourn and grieve—is to be human, but you can always drink from the deeper waters of eternity, and dwell INSIDE the protective, WOMB-LIKE love of the Great Mystery, the “Father-in-the-Heavens” whose love is DECIDEDLY and REFRESHINGLY UNLIKE human love.

(And a lot, lot better.)