Thinking about Love...

We live in a world awash in love stories. Most of them are lies. They are not love stories at all—they are lust stories, sex-fantasy stories, domination stories. From the cradle we fed lies about love. This would be bad enough if it only messed up human relationships—man and woman, parent and child, friend and friend—but it also messes up God-relationships. ... When our minds and imaginations are crippled with lies about love, we have a hard time understanding this fundamental ingredient of daily living, “love,” either as a noun or a verb. 

— Introduction to the Book of Hosea, from the Message Bible.

I think about love a lot. Maybe it's because I'm a girl. Maybe it's because it's what we all, as humans, what we all crave. Maybe it's because... of other things. But regardless of the reasons, I think about it a lot.

What it means. How it's shown. How it grows. How it is lost. What it is.

The Greeks had four different words for love—the one we mostly talk about as Christians is agape love (brotherly love). And then there is philio (friendship), storge (affection) and ... eros (passionate love)—the most misunderstood, yet the one everyone seems to wants.

When we think about eros—that love between man and woman, the romantic love—I think we leave out a huge component to it, which is why it turns out so disastrous for people. I mean think about it: Why should love ever be lost? Why should we fall “out of love” with a person? The love on which people get married from shouldn't be so easily forgotten ... it should be unconditional, just like agape.

When I think of love, I want to be loved like Rachel. Jacob barely knew the girl, all he did was see her, and he was willing to work seven years for her. No questions asked. And when he was gypped, he willing worked another seven years. Now that's some love. I want someone who will be willing to wait, regardless of the pain and crap they possibly have to go through first. If I'm worth it, it wouldn't be a problem, right? That’s love.

When I think of love, I think of Esther. Out of all the beautiful girls in the kingdom, King Xerses chose her. To him, all others paled in comparison to her beauty. While I'm sure he found the other girls tempting and their beauty alluring, Esther's had his sole attention. No other girl's beauty could every compare to hers. And I can imagine that many of the girls were less modest that her, more brazen. I imagine she stood there, hoping to blend into the background, not be noticed, not be loved. But she was. I'd want no one to be able to compare to me in my man's eyes. That's love.

When I think of love, I think of Bathsheba. David saw her and was instantly smitten. And although it was wrong and definitely not the right move, he was willing to kill for her. While I'm not looking for anyone to commit murder for me, I want a man who is like that—a man who is willing to go above and beyond, go to any lengths to be with me, lay it all down, do whatever it takes ... for me. That's love.

When I think of love, I think of Gomer. Hosea was willing to be ridiculed and embarrassed for her (granted, it was also God's command). He married a nobody and made her a somebody. He went after her at her worst, kept after her until he won her over (she ran away many times), and made a lover out of a woman who knew nothing of real love (she was a prostitute). When no mercy was shown to her, he showed her mercy. I'd want someone to take me at my worst, bear with me through my worst, and see me through to my best. Edify me. Make me their somebody out of the nobody I often feel I am. That's love.

Redeeming Love.

And all that is God's love. All that is agape love. But yet ... it's eros too, right?

What do you think?

-- Bunmi :)