Love

Love is a word we use to describe so many feelings and emotions. Joy, comfort, peace, happiness, security, belonging, trust, hope, completeness, loyalty, faithfulness, companionship, etc. are all things that we experience in love.

Love doesn’t make sense, it simply exists.

Nothing about our human existence can explain our need and ability to love; yet we all search for it. Some of us find love in the life of another human being. Others, find ways to produce various segments of love synthetically i.e. through man-made “stuff”. Both of these forms of love however, are imperfect and capable of causing hurt. At some point, this love will fail you. I’m certain of that. If you can walk and process thoughts on your own, you have been hurt or let down by something that you have loved or someone who has loved you.

I’m sitting in a coffee shop in downtown Canton watching people on their daily journey through life, searching for love, longing to belong. A table next to me has two girls boisterously chatting about a guy that they both like. I can hear the hope in their voices as they ponder if he likes either of them back. Another table has a couple sitting, sharing a drink and casting glances at one another. At the coffee bar, a man blatantly flirts with one of the baristas (tips very well) and heads out the door, grinning from ear to ear.

It is impossible to go through life as a human being without wanting to be loved and experiencing its peace and chaos. We seem designed to recklessly pursue love, though often times this leads to confusion, pain, and suffering. Still, we continue in our journey, seeking out love in hopes that the next time will be real.

Here is the thing guys, the love that comes from this world is not real. Every single person has his/her own agenda in our quest for love. Our love is conditional, because we are a conditional species. The love that we long for, the love that is true and real, comes from the one who created us; it comes from the one who created love.

God, the creator of the universe, the author of all life, the constructor of our souls, is love. God creates all things that are good and he is perfect. This means that God not only created love, but that his love is perfect. It is the only love that can never fail us. The Greek word for this kind of love described in the new testament is “Agape”(unconditional love). This kind of love cannot come from a people who are conditional at their core, which means that we must look somewhere other than this earth to find a perfect love. We were created to receive Agape love. That is what our souls long for. That is why we search and search for it. It is why we look for love in everything. And that is why letdown after letdown, we continue to seek it out.

Until we allow ourselves to receive the love that God created us to have and dish out, we will continue running in circles. I’m not saying that once you receive God’s love life will be perfect. As long as you still live on this earth, life will be painful. Life will get dirty. Things are going to hurt. But the beauty of God is that he takes you in and loves you the way you need it, and he does it wherever you are. Unconditional love. Let that term sink in for a minute. No matter where you run, what you do, who you are, God loves you. And He loves you in a perfect way that will never hurt you or let you down. So rejoice, you are loved. All you need to do is accept it. Then, if you really want to begin living a life full of joy, try loving others as unconditionally possible from your human heart. Your life will change forever and for the better.