“And I love you so. The people ask me why... I
tell them I don’t know.” A love song that tells how much the person singing
loves the other person to whom the song is intended. But is it really love?
What really is the definition of love? How will you know if it’s really love
you’re feeling? Is true love real? Where can we find it? Is true love meant to
be out of bounds? What problems do we encounter when it comes to love or
relationship with the people that surround us? What are the things that make
the definition of love ugly? What does the Bible say about this? And what makes
it unique? Is it really more than what we just feel?
Many people define love as mutual,
beneficial and a physical kind of feeling. Mutual because they want to receive
the same amount of love that they give. They don’t want to give it freely. It’s
like, ‘love me as I love you’ syndrome. Some people just wanted it to be mutual
and have it equally, like brothers sharing it like a piece of pie sliced in
half. Some people also describe it as a beneficial kind of feeling. They wanted
only to receive and receive but are afraid to give something away. They enjoyed
it as long as they get something in return. But disappears when you need
something. They are afraid of the consequences of giving. They focus only on
one thing, and that’s themselves. To benefit is their goal, nothing more. And
there are also people who define love as a physical kind of thing. They believe
in the thought of, ‘love at first sight’.
Seeing and loving the person the first time they met with their heart
beating strongly in their chest. Especially when that person had the looks of
Daniel Padilla and Richard Gutierrez or Julia Baretto and Marian Rivera.
But what does the Bible say about
this? 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (New International Version) says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not
envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love
does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres.” A complete definition
of what true love really means. True love is also known as Agape
love or abounding love. There are also two other kinds of love: Phileo and
Eros. Phileo is the kind of love that is brotherly and beneficial. It’s like, “Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.” Unlike it, Eros
refers to that part of love constituting a passionate,
intense desire for something; it is often referred to as a sexual desire. In
these three kinds of love, Agape love is considered supreme. According to
William Barclay:
Agape has to do with the mind: it is not
simply an emotion which rises unbidden in our hearts; it is a principle by
which we deliberately live.
The
statement describes how unique true love or Agape love is. How supreme and
unfathomable it is. That it is really more than a feeling.
Although,
the world was made out of God’s love and power. It does not mean that all
people knew about it. How this love changed our destiny and saved us from the
pits of hell.
But
there are some problems that arise even when you’re inside the dwelling of that
love. The last one that I’ve interviewed when I had my research has a problem
with her family. They sort of misunderstood her. They hinder
their daughter from going to other religious denomination's activities. They force her to be in the same religion, and as devoted in that religion like them. Their reason; I was born with this, I will die with it. People tend to force their own beliefs because they thought that it was the
best thing to do for their loved ones. Some people, mostly products of broken
families, tend to seek love from another person who is sometimes the wrong person.
While, some people because of their faulted understanding of love, drive away from everything and everyone that they love. They compromise purity with love. The main reason why there are so many unwanted offsprings, abortions, and street
children.
Love
really is a variety of things. You cannot love without understanding the
person. Also, you cannot love without forgiving. It is simply because love is a
sum of all the wonderful things taught by God. And love can be found not on the
person beside you or the girl in the corner but can only be found (look up!) on
the creator Himself. The one who made the heavens and set the earth’s
foundations, the Almighty One. Solutions on these problems of love can and will
always be found none other than Him. He gave Jesus, his only begotten son, the
complete definition of love to save us from our original destination which is
death and then, hell. Though parting with His son and seeing him humiliated in
front of many people was too much to be taken, still, he had let it happen.
Why? Because of love. The most powerful thing in heaven above and earth below.
Even if many people try to change its meaning just to fit it with the life
they’re living, the truth will remain just as it is. For the truth is not someone’s
opinion that it should change or something made up for someone’s entertainment
but rather, it is something that exists even before the dawn of time. An
unfathomable truth that fills, connects and completes our inmost being. A truth
that leads us into understanding and adapting to the changing world. And this
truth called love tells us that God gave his son Jesus Christ, who died and
gave his life as a ransom for us, so we can live and continue living even after
death, to save us from eternal torment and most of all to express how much he
loves us and have cared for us ever since the beginning of time. How wonderful
to hear that someone was looking after you even before you were born, and
watches you’re every coming and going, you’re standing up every start of the
day and you’re sitting down at its end! Would you care to accept this offering
of Agape love from the Father? He is waiting, you know. All you have to do is
call, he will surely answer it, and your life, take my word for it, will never
be the same again.
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