What comes to mind when you think about the term love?
If you're like me, you'll get caught up in the romanticization of love. Mention love and a million images come to mind. Hugs, kisses, romantic sayings, gestures, and especially the heart-melting words, "I love you." I've always been fascinated by the aspect of love as we know it, in the abstract, or the unseen "feeling." But throughout the past couple of months, my awareness has grown and I'm learning new perspectives and branching out when it comes to our consideration of love. Love as a feeling (or an emotion) will most always be a temporary, fleeting thing that fades after a while. New feelings and emotions will douse the flame as quickly as it erupted. We can't trust our feelings--they're constantly changing. But here is something I learned about love the more I've been pondering the subject. Love is also concrete. Love can be more visible and reliable than mere words and "feelings." In fact, this side of love goes deeper. Love is an action. Now, I know I've mentioned this before in earlier blog posts but I believe it bears repeating. It's easy to say the words, to say that we love someone, or that we love something. But what do our actions portray? Are we living up to our words? What does love in action look like? It's so much more than giving up your seat in the bus, surprising your spouse with flowers, or showing up for your children's various recitals, games, and programs. Love, in the Bible, is translated as "charity." Charity can be defined as "unselfish, self-sacrificing concern." Love is selflessness. A giving up of your own desires, your own pleasures, and sacrificing that for the sake of others. This aspect of love made me stop and think more deeply about it. There was always the niggling question in my heart about love and romance. What is it about these things, about love, that draws us in, that makes our heart stir with excitement, anticipation, and joy? Love is displayed best in our Lord Jesus Christ. He showed the ultimate example of love in action by giving up His splendor, His glorious state, and His throne in heaven, all to come down to earth in human form. He showed it best when He gave His life on the Cross to save people--people who were His enemies and hated Him at the time. He showed it best when He brought the world and all of creation into being. He showed it best when He conceived the plan of salvation that would result in a people He could call and claim as His own. He showed it best when He breathed His breath of life into our lungs and created us for His eternal glory. No wonder we are in love with, well, LOVE. Because God is LOVE (1 John 4:16) The selflessness of love and the selflessness of our Savior's love is what draws us in. It points us to Him, the great Lover of our souls. May He be our hearts' first love, and our one true Love. :) "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." 1 John 3:18
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorHi! I'm Carolyn, a writer seeking to glorify God with my words. Archives
February 2024
Categories |