To Love At All

A man I love had this quote on his facebook wall a couple weeks ago and I've been thinking over it ever since:

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it in tact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe and dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable."
                                                                                     - C.S. Lewis
 

Beautiful and true. Especially for me as we are in the trenches of a challenging foster care placement. I needed the reminder. I don't want the hobbies and selfishness I can so easily slip into to harden my heart to more. I don't want to be so afraid of the hurt that I don't embrace the one's God has placed in our life right now. For me, lately, choosing to be vulnerable is a daily choice.