This summer, I was told to write a paper with a footnote after every sentence, in which I attempted to define a musical phrase. I haven’t even started it because I know that it’s going to take time and it’s going to be complicated. So instead of trying to write that paper, I sat down hoping to write a creative writing piece about love. Now, I’m regretting all of my life’s decisions because love is much more difficult to define than a musical phrase.
It’s 5 AM of course, and I woke up yesterday at 12:30 in the afternoon, so we all know that today’s going to be something special. But as of right now, my brain is spinning. Here’s what I’m thinking;
Love, as defined by Google, as a noun, is “an intense feeling of deep affection.” As a verb, Google defines it as “[feeling] a deep romantic or sexual attraction to (someone).”
I disagree.
Yup, I disagree with Google. I believe that those are worldly attempts at the definition of love, but I think that the word love is better associated with the term agape. Agape is talked about in the Bible a lot, but I think that it can be applied to today as well. Agape is selfless love. Agape is also considered the highest form of love. That’s insane, I know, because more often than not you hear people say, “Oh my gosh I just love my birkenstocks,” but you don’t see those people putting their birks before themselves. Another example could even be boyfriend/girlfriend relationships. I hear a lot of couples say “I love you,” but do they really care about the other person more than they care about themselves? I don’t know! It’s just such a crazy concept for my brain to even understand.
I’ve stated in a previous post that I believe in true love and I think that it’s out there for everyone, depending on how they find it and what they find that in, be it a spouse or a significant other or a pet or an occupation or whatever. My point is that I believe in true love. But what’s even cooler than true love is the love that the Lord has for his people.
True love (when speaking about people) can be defined as “a strong and long lasting and affection” that includes being able to love them so much that you see things from their perspectives. Christ has the capacity though, to see things faaaaaar beyond other people’s perspectives. As our creator and maker who lives in Heaven, He knows everything we’ve done and will do. He counts all of our tears and keeps track of them all, He cares for us enough to place people in our lives to help us find our purpose, He watches over us and like it says in “Reckless Love” by Cory Asbury, He will “leave the ninety-nine” sheep to go and tend and look after us. To have a Heavenly Father who is so dedicated to loving us selflessly is unfathomable. I know that I won’t be able to ever fully comprehend it, but just imagining it is amazing.
There is a Bible verse that is said quite frequently in the Christian community and that’s 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. It says, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.”
To put it a bit more simply though, it also says in the Bible that “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
It’s insane.
So right about now, it’s five thirty, nearing the sunrise in my little suburban city. Today the high is 110 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m planning on staying inside all day, but I’m going to walk outside and watch the sun rise because as wonderful as this blog is, the sunrise is amazing and I’m never awake this early to enjoy that.
So just think about love this morning and throughout your day and if you’re feeling called, shoot me an email because I’d love to hear what you’re thinking too.
Much Love,
Delaney Miller