Anyhow

"If" love is conditional. It says, I love you, Lord...

    if you get my parents off my back;

    if you give me the inside track with the babe of my dreams; 

    if you do something about my boss; 

    if you cue my acne;

    if you get me accepted to the college of my choice; 

    if you arrange my life like I feel it ought to be arranged.

"Because" love is easy love. It says, I love you, Lord...

    because I just got a pay raise and can finally start living;

    because i aced an exam I didn't even study for; 

    because my car repair bill was only $97.60;

    because things are looking good with Hazel Eyes;

    because my creep brother actually got saved;

    because things are basically going well for me right now.

"Anyhow" love is hard, unconditional love. It says, I love you, Lord...

    anyhow, even if the lab tests are positive;

    anyhow, even when the only person I can talk to moves away;

    anyhow, even though people die because of hunger and war;

    anyhow, even if Dad doesn't make it through the night; 

    anyhow, even when you don't answer my prayers like I want;

    anyhow, even when my life is crumbling and you feel distant.

Lord, I desperately want to love you anyhow, with no strings attached... because that's how you love me. I am trying, honestly trying, to learn to love and worship you the same way.

-13 December, Alive Devotions for students, Rick Christian.