Sheri Yutzy - Speculative Fiction Author

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You are here: Home / All Posts / Is Love Supposed to Hurt This Much?

Is Love Supposed to Hurt This Much?

December 4, 2017 by Sheri

As Advent begins, I am pondering love. We all want it, and we all think we give it, to our friends and family, and sometimes even strangers. But what happens when those we love the most reject our love? They might not say, “I don’t love you,” but sometimes their actions and words convey that message.

How do we cope with the failures of those in position to encourage and lift us up? Fathers, mothers, siblings, pastors, best friends. It seems to hurt the most when special people let us down. A kind word, holding in criticism, an offer of help…they could do so much if they’d just do their job.

Mercifully, love is not transactional. If it were, we wouldn’t be receiving much at all. God, who is love, has shown us by the gift of Christ that love is to be lavished on the undeserving. Loving is not a job, it’s simply opening our hearts. Even when it hurts. Because next time it could be us failing to love our best friend the way we should. It could be us harshly criticizing a sister for something minor. It could be us manipulating our children to perform the way we want them to perform.

A segment of the Mixtec people in Mexico speak the Yoloxochitl dialect. They have no Bible in their language, but All Nations Bible Translation, supported by Christian Aid Ministries, is working to provide one. Missionaries studying the language have discovered beautiful simplicities in the Yoloxochitl dialect. Love is translated “hurting heart.” John 3:16 literally means, “God’s heart hurt, seeing the people of this world…”

We aren’t the first to hurt for those we love. God set the standard by His willingness to hurt for us so much, He sent His only Son to bring us life. And what did Jesus teach us by His life? Forgive those who hurt us. When someone strikes us, we don’t strike back. When someone is in need, we give.

Ann Voskamp writes in The Broken Way, “Love isn’t about feeling good about others; love is ultimately being willing to suffer for others…The only way to avoid brokenness is to avoid love.”

We love most when we forgive someone who has broken our heart. When we know we love them more than ourselves, and our hurt feelings.

Yes, love has to hurt this much. It’s the only way to let love in. Our broken hearts will break us free and open us to more of God’s love.

How do you cope with hurt from those you love?

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About Sheri

Here Goes Something New!

Hi, I'm Sheri Yutzy. I love forests under the night sky, trying new foods, and drinking Irish tea.
I'm married to a musician who looks good in black, mama to two toddlers who love to eat, and happy resident of a Cape Cod cottage in Ohio.
I write YA fantasy and am acquisitions editor at sparkflashfiction.com.
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It’s a quiet sort of day. The clouds were mistin It’s a quiet sort of day.
The clouds were misting this morning while the sun was shining. I love weather like that.♥️ I love weather in general.😊If I bring it up when I’m talking to you, I’m not really making small talk—I want to know how you feel about a dark bank of clouds, or wind in your hair, that lovely sunny heat when you step outside after being in the air conditioning for too long.
I also love weather in books, when it’s almost it’s own character. @isabelwriter09 does so well with making you feel the jungle in this duology.
What’s your favorite nuance of weather?

#yafantasy #woveninmoonlight #writteninstarlight #slowliving #booksandcandles #isabelibañez #yafantasyduology #yafantasyauthor
A night of supreme excitement.😅 thanks for lett A night of supreme excitement.😅 thanks for letting Jasper “find” all those balloons from your yard, @ro.robinson.writes! 
#hotairballoonfestival #ohiohotairballoonfestival
This is me after filming this reel five times whil This is me after filming this reel five times while trying to be normal. I finally decided to do whatever I wanted and this came out.😅

I do really love these books—they’re all culturally diverse fantasy, and they’re each lovely in their own way.

The Jade Bones - @laniforbes
☀️Sun gods, Aztec temples, the underworld☀️ 

Splinters of Scarlet - @emilybainmurphy 
❄️Danish pastries, ice skating, Hygge in a novel❄️

Woven in Moonlight - @isabelwriter09 
🌿Bolivian politics, magical weaving, gorgeous jungle🌿

Bone Crier’s Moon - @kathrynpurdie 
🍃French mythology, siren songs, dazzling romance🍃

And…not pictured is my own novel in progress:
The Secret Seller
🎭Medici legends, magical market, Italian festivals 🎭

Have you read any of these? Let me know what you think!

#amreading #yafantasy #thejadebones #laniforbes #splintersofscarlet #emilybainmurphy #writteninmoonlight #isabelibañez #bonecriersmoon #kathrynpurdie 
#thesecretseller #sheriyutzy
📚📚📚 The light through the clouds was mood 📚📚📚
The light through the clouds was moody yesterday, and I could hardly stop taking pictures. Photo shoots with poetry books are lovely because they leave me wanting to read more poetry.😏This volume of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnets from the Portuguese has been my companion since my husband bought it for me while we were dating. Back then I always bought a book or two when I went to my favorite used bookstores. Okay, I still do, I just don’t get to the bookstores as often so it feels like I don’t buy as many used books.😢 I’ve also gotten more strict with how many unread classics I can have at one time—still a lot, but I don’t have any under my bed anymore.😅
I’m delighted that my daughter asks me to read her poetry while we drink tea. It keeps me from forgetting about it in the busyness of summer.
Do you ever leave a bookstore empty handed? (If so, teach me your secret power😅)
📚📚📚

#poetry #elizabethbarrettbrowning #sonnetsfromtheportuguese #classicpoetry #moodyphotoshoot #slowliving #cottagecore #darkacademia
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