The phrase "Falling in love" has been used, and in many cases, over used so many times that it has become commonplace in our society. People will ask each other "Why did you get married"
"Oh, I fell in love with him" some will reply, or "We just clicked, I could feel the chemistry right away". I want to make a point that I hope people will understand: What our society recognizes as "love" isn't love at all, it is merely infatuation.
This is a bold statement, to be sure, and one that needs to be meditated upon. For a long time I have been searching for answers: What is love? And how can we recognize it? Here I have put together a small array of opinions and scripture references to help organize my thoughts. Keep in mind I am not discounting previous alliances or current situations, but it is my hope that I can get an idea of what love is, and why it isn't what we think it is. {Okay, way to confuzzle people ^^;}
One of the first real examples of love that people are exposed to in the Bible comes to us from John 3:16 which I’m sure all of you have heard at one time or another: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. I have been told that love is a sacrifice, and an unending, unconditional commitment. We hear again from John an example: “Greater love hath no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”. Growing up, I have heard people say that there are different kinds of love, but it is hard to understand that in the English language. In other languages, there are many different words for the “many” different kinds of love. I think that there is only one kind of love, but it induces different things based upon whom you are talking about. Of course, Jesus calls us to love everyone, but we don’t always do that, now do we? For instance, you love your friends, but it is definitely not like how you would love your husband or wife.
It seems to me that, based upon what I have heard from teachers, mentors, and my findings that love is more like…a process. One decides to love another (we are talking about a spouse here), commits to them, and in some cases sacrifices some things for them, and then the frothy, happy, emotions come. My youth pastor said something very interesting a while ago. He said that God doesn’t want us to be all frothed up with emotion for Him…yet. He wants us to love him by obeying him and worshipping him, and then the emotions come. That makes a lot of sense to me, seeing as how relationships that are just based on emotions fall apart very quickly. Think about it: an emotion is a chemical response in your brain, but real love lasts an eternity. Well, God’s love anyway. A human relationship cannot last if God does not back it. This is a lesson that I hope to carry with me all the way through my life.
Let me finish by showing perhaps the most obvious, and concise picture of love; which stands above any and all statements I can blab: “Love is 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, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1Corinthians 13:4-7)
Please feel free to respond with your opinion and/or beliefs on the subject, I'd like to get some discussion going. But as always, please keep...nice ^^
{By the way, while I was strolling around the Internet, I found a site that may give you some answers to these and other questions: www.gotquestions.org}
"Oh, I fell in love with him" some will reply, or "We just clicked, I could feel the chemistry right away". I want to make a point that I hope people will understand: What our society recognizes as "love" isn't love at all, it is merely infatuation.
This is a bold statement, to be sure, and one that needs to be meditated upon. For a long time I have been searching for answers: What is love? And how can we recognize it? Here I have put together a small array of opinions and scripture references to help organize my thoughts. Keep in mind I am not discounting previous alliances or current situations, but it is my hope that I can get an idea of what love is, and why it isn't what we think it is. {Okay, way to confuzzle people ^^;}
One of the first real examples of love that people are exposed to in the Bible comes to us from John 3:16 which I’m sure all of you have heard at one time or another: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. I have been told that love is a sacrifice, and an unending, unconditional commitment. We hear again from John an example: “Greater love hath no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”. Growing up, I have heard people say that there are different kinds of love, but it is hard to understand that in the English language. In other languages, there are many different words for the “many” different kinds of love. I think that there is only one kind of love, but it induces different things based upon whom you are talking about. Of course, Jesus calls us to love everyone, but we don’t always do that, now do we? For instance, you love your friends, but it is definitely not like how you would love your husband or wife.
It seems to me that, based upon what I have heard from teachers, mentors, and my findings that love is more like…a process. One decides to love another (we are talking about a spouse here), commits to them, and in some cases sacrifices some things for them, and then the frothy, happy, emotions come. My youth pastor said something very interesting a while ago. He said that God doesn’t want us to be all frothed up with emotion for Him…yet. He wants us to love him by obeying him and worshipping him, and then the emotions come. That makes a lot of sense to me, seeing as how relationships that are just based on emotions fall apart very quickly. Think about it: an emotion is a chemical response in your brain, but real love lasts an eternity. Well, God’s love anyway. A human relationship cannot last if God does not back it. This is a lesson that I hope to carry with me all the way through my life.
Let me finish by showing perhaps the most obvious, and concise picture of love; which stands above any and all statements I can blab: “Love is 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, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1Corinthians 13:4-7)
Please feel free to respond with your opinion and/or beliefs on the subject, I'd like to get some discussion going. But as always, please keep...nice ^^
{By the way, while I was strolling around the Internet, I found a site that may give you some answers to these and other questions: www.gotquestions.org}
