We should be very thankful that love is not a person, because it would be beat up, dragged threw the mud and probably thrown in a casket for burial. Love has been abused and taken for granted so much so that many people are questioning its existence. We need to first know the creator of love to get a better understanding of how to operate in love.
God is the mastermind behind love. As a matter of fact, He is love. God first loved us and He demonstrated that by sending his only son to die on the cross for our sins. (according to 1 John 4:9). Death is a very important factor in understanding love. We must die to our fleshly desire and rid ourselves of selfishness. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthian 13:4-5 that: Love is a patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it does not keep records of wrongs. By this definition of love we see that love is much more than a secondary emotion, it is an action. We show love not by what we say but merely by what we do.
It is funny how many of us hoard any and everything that someone does to us in our hearts. We have a mental tally sheet, three strikes policy or even build a defense mechanism around ourselves. God does not run his kingdom that way. He is not tallying up all our wrongs to throw it in our faces later, nor does He put conditions on His love for us. His love endures forever!
There are so many intricate parts of love that the Greeks have three different definitions. Eros is a passionate love, Philia is a friendship/family love and Agape is the type of love that is an unconditional and self-sacrificial. 1 Peter 1:22 says that once we purify ourselves we are called to love each other deeply from the heart.
This is only attainable if and only if we stay connected to our Lord. Jesus says apart from me you can do nothing. Just remember that this is not something that will occur immediately. Our daily connection with God determines our elevation in our love walk. The way we treat people, how we feel about ourselves and how we behave all goes back to our connection with God.
Life experiences may it be positive or a negative can either piece our hearts together into a figure which is whole or corrode it with anger and bitterness. There are instances where past hurt can hinder us from being vulnerable, just remember love can not blossom out of fear. The choice is yours! Free will is a blessing; we have the ability to choose our state of mind and how we feel. The relationships that we are in are not supposed to hinder our growth. They are supposed to teach us something, elevate us to the next level and fill our hearts with love and compassion.
Love, who needs it? Well studies have shown that babies who were not held or given any type of affection died. Though they were being feed nutrients for their physical bodies, that was not adequate for their over all development. We can presume that love is a not only a necessity but it has everything to do with our overall spiritual, physical and emotional advancement. If we let God’s love shine through the crevasses of our hearts what’s the worst that could happen?
Vicky S. Joseph
