On Love

Valentines day is coming soon, and naturally we begin to think about love...

What is love? 

This question is not easily answered, because there are so many layers to love. Love is a noun. Love is a verb. Love is an adjective. Love can be a simple emotion. A complex feeling. But it is so much more...

The word "love" is used in the Bible hundreds of time. We as Christians know that Love is central to the very nature of God, and because we are created in His image, it is also very central to our own nature. 

But what does it mean, what does it look like in daily life?

Here are some of my thoughts and reflections on love:

Love is: 

commitment

faithfulness

a deep caring

affection

selflessness

tenderness

Love is characterized by: 

unconditional forgiveness

honoring one another above yourself

giving

serving

honoring

cherishing 

sacrificing

C.S. Lewis wrote an excellent book on the nature of love called The Four Loves.

It is one of my all-time favorites. I read it for the first time my freshman year in college, and since then have had a better understanding of the "types" of love from an intellectual standpoint. 

I think in order to truly understand what love is, we have to look at it from more than just an emotional angle. It requires the mind to understand--yet it will remain an wonderful mystery. It requires the heart to know--although the human heart will not ever fully grasp it. And most of all it requires a spiritual awareness, because apart from God there is no love, and without knowing God we cannot know what love truly is. 

One of the most exciting promises that God has for us is this, "If we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us" (1 John 4:12) I think it is simply amazing how these two loves, love for God and love for each other, are very distinct but yet so interconnected. Just think about that for a minute, 

isn't it wonderful?