So What's This Thing Called Love?

Most people think of February with regard to Valentine’s Day, love, romantic movies and chocolate and little cherubs directing love arrows.  Soon after the 14th we go back to our daily activities and forget about the romance while we do laundry, truck the kids to hockey practices and try to make it through our work week.

Why is this focus on love so fleeting?  Is it really because our definition of love is skewed and temporary?  What is true love anyway?

Perhaps it is because we view love as a feeling which is subject to change with the day or month.  Did you know that Love is a Person, not an emotion?  God IS Love.  God does not change or falter depending on the season or condition of the stock market or world affairs.  Let me say that again, God IS Love.  It is Who He IS, not what He does.  It is His very Essence.  It is His Character and Nature.  He cannot cease to Love.  He is True Love, the measuring stick of Love in our lives.  Anything less than Him is not Love, but our attempt to imitate Him.

Contemplate that for a moment.  All our love songs are about emotional responses to circumstances.  Situations change.  People ‘fall out of love’ over misunderstandings and failings.  People are not Perfect.  They do fall down.    Lives are split and shattered.  There have been countless songs written about just that woe.

So, God entered our fragile world to bring a Solution to this dilemma.  He knew we would fail and falter continuously, like a repeat button on a recording.  We could never love others or Love God adequately in and of ourselves.  We needed His Help, another Solution.  We cannot Love Him with our version of Love.  He had to enter our world, become like us and pay the price for our failings.  In so doing, He made a way for us to come to Him and Receive His Perfect Love so we can share that Love with others.  If there ever was a moment to shout and applaud, that is it!  Wow, He Loved us enough to come near us and make a Way for us to Come to Him every day and Receive His Love so we can Love others like He Loves us.

Pause and think on that explosive notion.

He Loves me.  He Loves you.  He Loves your neighbour.  He Loves everyone.  Full stop.  Everyone.  No exceptions, no matter what you have done. 

If there is something to celebrate on Valentine’s Day, it is the fact that God so Loves you, He wants you to be able to Live Eternally with Him.  Accept what He did for you and accept His Love and His Love will fill you up, into every crevice of your heart.   With that Love inside you, you can Love others in a Different Way and Change the lives of others, one person at a time, and change the world.
Think on this when you celebrate your loved ones on Valentine’s Day this year and every year going forward.   You are profoundly Eternally Loved and you can share that Love with everyone you meet.

 Now that is True Love.