When I was small, love was small, too.
Not small as in limited,
but small as in contained, tidy, not far-flung.
I knew exactly whom I loved and who loved me,
and it felt a certain way without variation –
safe, warm, pleasant.
I could draw love –
crayon hearts around my family, my friends, my pets.
Very defined, very good, very straightforward.
That was love when I was small.
I am no longer small,
and neither is love.
Love bears but a vestige of what it once looked like to me.
Love is now wide-ranging,
all-encompassing,
challenging,
and occasionally downright uncomfortable.
The One for whom we wait this Advent season
began as a baby.
Responding to a baby is easy.
Adoration of an infant is understandable.
It happens all the time.
But this Savior, for whom we wait,
grew up,
and we must grow up with him,
and our love must be wide-ranging
all-encompassing,
must evolve from a feeling to an action,
in order for us to be the hands, feet and voice
of the Love that so relentlessly sought
the least, the last, and the lost.
As we prepare ourselves anew
for the fresh inbreaking of God incarnate,
let us not be dismayed by the stretching and discomfort
that come with love lived out loud.
It isn’t small, and it isn’t tidy,
and it isn’t always comfortable,
but love that goes beyond itself
to those on the margins
is what the baby in the manger grew to embody.
Go, tell it on the mountain!
Love is big,
and God has drawn a heart
around
everyone.
Lindy Thompson 
This is my favorite. Going on the fridge!
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Wow, Lindy. Thank you for this. Thank you.
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This is beautiful. Would it be possible to have permission to read this poem as part of an online concert sponsored by our church? I would love to incorporate this into the program.
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I would be honored! Would you share my blog address if that is appropriate? LindyThompson.com . Thank you and I hope your program goes well! 🙂
Lindy
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Thank you so much, Lindy! It worked brilliantly in our program, and I credited your blog site in the final credits. The concert premieres today (December 5) at 3:30 pm on YouTube as a love offering for Advent. Feel free to view it: https://youtu.be/iVFnvPJtAOc. It will be available through the month of December as well. Again, thanks so much for allowing us use of your beautiful words.
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OH MY GOODNESS, THAT WAS SO COOL!!!!!!! Seriously, I am blown away at what you did with my poem. BRILLIANT. And now I want to go back and watch the whole concert. I watched bits and pieces — you have a lot of talented people at your church!! Is there any way you can send me just the clip with the poem so I could put it on FB? I’ll email you. THANK YOU!!!
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This is lovely. May I also use this poem at church for our Advent candle reading this Sunday?
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I would be honored! If there is an appropriate way to do so, please share my poetry blog address: lindythompson.com . Thank you!
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Hello! I’m writing from Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, NJ. One of our pastors suggested this poem for use in our Advent devotional this year. May we have your permission to include the full poem in an emailed devotional (about 582 recipients) and in ~50 printed copies for homebound members? We will include full attribution. Thank you so much!
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I’d be honored! I’m emailing you.
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