This is a question that plagues a lot of people. And it’s a word that has been warped, bent, perverted, redefined, cheapened, and spat on so much lately. Love is being used to describe everything from your favorite pair of slippers to your spouse. Well what is love anyway? Here’s some common answers:
Love is when you are attracted to someone! No, that’s lust.
Love is marrying who you want! People get married without love all the time. People that love eachother don’t always get married.
Love is love!…..uh… and blue is blue?
The Bible has the absolute best answer for this:
God is love.
Love is later touched on by God in the flesh, Jesus.
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
~ John 15:30
A lot of critics will point to these two statements as a contradiction, but it’s anything but. Real, true love is Agape. Unconditional love. The willingness to die for someone. God himself came into the world as a mortal individual so he could understand us. He got blisters, he stubbed his toe, he got thirsty, hungry, lonely, betrayed, hurt, and learned just what it was to be human. And then he died for us. God -is- love.
The Bible goes on to say that when someone shows true agape, true love, then that is God moving through them. Real love isn’t something that’s exclusive to a couple. You can love someone more than you love your own siblings (Proverbs 18:24). The love of friends is one of the most powerful loves there is. You don’t share a bloodline and you don’t share a bedroom- you share a bond that’s much deeper than that. It’s sad to think that love is so misunderstood that people miss out.