What is Love?

Think about the gifts received just a few days ago, odds are most of your family’s gifts are forgotten or lost under remnants of boxes and shredded bags and wrapping paper. Just to releasing the kids at the gifts it really is pretty; all those nicely wrapped gifts stacked neatly under the tree and in only a few minutes later the family room looks like FEMA should be responding, and then only after a few days later only a few things are still giving the same joy, they quickly get broken, lost, or boring. But let’s pause for a moment, what do you cherish most? Odds are it doesn’t come from a store its friends, family, our church, our pets, and most importantly it’s the relationship that we enjoy with the Lord.

But how to tie all these treasures into one word? Most of you can guess at it. Its love. Love, now that’s an interesting word it can mean so many things. I can say “I love you” to any one of you and mean it cause I do but then say “I love you” to my immediate family and mean something else, and when I say “God loves you, loves me, loves my family,” that’s a different meaning to. Love is so diverse that many languages have multiple words for love, but ultimately I think that trying to categorize doesn’t define it.

So then what is Love? I immediately must admit that it’s difficult to define. To define love almost seems like trying to describe the color of the ocean to a man whose blind from birth. To a heart or hurting heart love is a difficult thing to comprehend. Dictionary.com gives over 20 definitions and they seem somehow lacking. I posed the question to my family and friends on FB and I got that love is unconditional and something that we really cannot fully comprehend as humans. Interesting enough, and valid in many, many aspects but I think Paul does it well when it defines love in 1 Corinthians. He says it is patient, it is kind, it never fails. He also defines what love is not; it is not rude, boastful, proud, it doesn’t record wrong doings, doesn’t enjoy acting upon sin.

But you have to wonder; where to experience such a love in a world such as the one that we live in? Simply by turning on the television, read the paper, or simply walk down the street; the news throws the evil of the world in our face in glaring print, murder, theft, abuse, and how the people placed to protect us either fail to do so, or worse, are guilty of partaking in the very actions that they swore to protect against. Not even the church is above this torrent, men of the cloth stealing from the church or living in sin and getting caught. While the news is continuously reminded us of the evil in the world the advertising companies are always ready to tempt us to trade genuine love for the quick fix counterpart found, lust. The world promises us love and gives us disappointment in its place.

Where then is this love? Right here, right now. There are two forms of this awesome sort of love. The first is also the most excellent example of love. It is found in our heavenly father and in the sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ. Most know John 3:16 by heart, that “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life” in this verse the greatest love ever is spelled out in a simple solitary sentence, but there is a second sort of love that is often neglected. Growing up here I learned this second sort of love, the very sort of love that 1 Corinthians is talking about. I know that many of us know 1 Corinthians 13 as the love chapter and as used to hearing it in wedding ceremonies and I’ve talked to people who’ve mistakenly assumed this is talking about a married couple. We hear it at the wedding, the happy couple nod contently as its read and they promise each other forever and for whatever reason forever ends abruptly.

While love is only seconded in importance by the Lord’s will and blessing when it comes to a healthy and successful marriage but Paul’s not thinking about a nice blurb to be read in a ceremony. He is writing to a body of Christians and is talking about the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to the church. He had listed a range of them in the previous chapter and is concluded that not only is love the most valuable but the only gift that can be experienced, used and shared by everyone. We as Christians are called to share this love much like a spark in the dark its purpose is to be seen, enjoyed and spread into a roaring fire that illuminates even the darkest corners.