What is Love?
When I think of “Love”, the first thing that comes to my head is Christ. And although this is true, it’s incredibly corny. The Bible tells us countless times about how Christ is the perfect exmaple of love, that we should love others the way that Christ loved us, that love is serving others, putting others before ourself.
Okay, I get that. Duhhhh.
But what does it mean to be IN love? Personally, I have never been in love. I don’t think. I mean I have had crushes. I have been infatuated. I’ve been sprung. And, of course, I have been in lust.
Here’s a cool excerpt from a blog on the difference between love and lust:
I found that Love is patient, but lust wants what it wants immediately. Love is kind, but lust is a mean and demanding slave-driver sort of fellow. Love does not envy, but the thirst and hunger of lust know no limitation of desire. Love does not boast, but lust is proud of its accomplishments and conquests. Love is not proud, but lust is aggressively self-exalting. Love is not rude, but lust pushes through appropriate social, interpersonal and personal boundaries to have its needs met. Love is not self-seeking, but lust is only self-seeking. Love is not easily angered, but lust and anger work together often as partners to try and tighten the chains of destruction. Love keeps no record of wrongs, but lust is naturally petty in its insane state of self-consciousness. Love does not delight in evil, but lust is evil. Love rejoices with the truth, but lust hides in the shadows and will do anything not to be caught. Love always protects, but lust as the embodiment of impotence, always surrenders. Love always trusts, as lust always creates distrust. Love always hopes, as lust always blocks the possibility of hope. Love always perseveres, as lust always saps the strength of perseverance. Love never fails, but lust never fails to disappoint.
Hmmm, interesante. I know plenty well what it means to fall in lust, I’ve only done it like a bazillion times. A lot of people think that they are in love when they are truely in lust. The idea of “romantic love” permeates everything we say and do–this idea that a prince will come and sweep us off our feet, and as long as we love each other we will beat the odds and live happily ever after. Someone who believes this is on CRACK. But for some reason we, especially girls, believe this. God never said that ANYTHING was going to be easy, and that especially includes our relationships with others.
I know that God has created a special place in my heart to be filled by a husband. And I know that love is extremely important, but it’s the type of love we have for each other. According to Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Love (http://www.intrapsychictaxonomy.org/sternberg.htm), there are three parts of love–Spirit (Committment), Mind(Intimacy), and Body (Passion). What we need to strive for is the mux between the three–a pure, balanced view of love. I know that it takes the “romantic” out of everything… but if we can just “fall” in love, what’s going to stop us from falling out?
♥Heather
Heather Lea Kenison 