Love Lifted Me - Teresa Of Avila

1516–82

“May God protect me from gloomy saints,” said Teresa of Avila late in her life. It’s ironic because early in her life she was one. A strict upbringing, life in a convent, and a deep sense of her own inadequacy contributed to her gloom. The only way to please Jesus, she figured, was to suffer as he did.

But then something changed. It’s hard to know what caused the change, but it’s clear she had a different attitude in her later years. It was pointless, she realized, to punish yourself for not being good enough. If you need to grow, grow! Get better. If you’re down on yourself, don’t stew in it; take a walk and admire the sky. Sure, there’s a time for fasting and penitence, but sometimes you just need a good meal.

What characterized the later Teresa is love—a deeply devoted love for God that spilled over into love for others and a general joy of life. For years she had struggled to think the proper theological thoughts while praying, but then she realized, “The important thing is not to think much but to love much and so do that which best stirs you to love. Love is not great delight but desire to please God in everything.”

It was love that powered Teresa’s amazing prayer life. As a nun, she had chosen Jesus instead of a husband—so why shouldn’t she give Jesus the attention that other women gave their husbands? In modern terms, prayers could be like dates—when two people in love share their thoughts and feelings.

“It is love alone that gives worth to all things,” wrote Teresa, and this truth echoes what we find in Scripture. If you’re a “gloomy saint,” listen up. The way of Christ is not about rules and regulations. It’s about love. Whatever fears you gathered from your upbringing, your early experiences, or your personal insecurity, let them be washed away in the river of God’s love. He loves us passionately, and he longs for us to love him back. What’s more, he plants a love inside of us that shines forth in the way we live each day. Just ask Teresa.

Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.

Romans 13:10