True Love

With a couple of siblings getting married soon, the topic of 'love' has been on my mind. What exactly is love? It seems so intangible at times...something that I may not be able to recognize. Movie writers in Hollywood would like us to believe that love is a feeling, is an attraction, an "oh he's cute", or "she's fun". They would like to believe that love is soft fuzzy feeling, or a passionate emotion. But the folly in that belief lies in the fact that love is not singularly a feeling. As one Bible teacher put it - love is a verb. True love is an ardent desire to do; to please, and serve another person. It is not - as it is commonly portrayed - an ardent desire to get, or be satisfied by another. Is this not God's love for us? What can we possibly offer God that He should love us? What could He possibly gain? No, His love for us was in no way for His gain, save for His glory. Our love for each other - whether it be a spouse, sibling, parent, or friend - should be saturated with a desire to serve, not be served. A desire to show kindness, a passion to make another happy.

I must clarify, that love involves a feeling too. The feelings that come with love are a gifts from God and should in no way be discredited. But the trouble comes when all someone bases 'love' on are those feelings in themselves, because when a marriage or a friendship hits a tuff spot, feelings won't last all that long. However, love that is based on what you can give, not on what you can get will last until there is no one to give to because your not in it for anything else. I know that may sound a little bit like 'fuzzy land' and I know that I am so far removed from being able to love to that extent in my own sinfulness, but I think that is what love really is. And I hope someday with God's enabling grace, to love to this extent in all my relationships with others.