Isn’t it amazing these days that most songs border around the topic of love? It seems like everyone is involved in an endless race to find love. Little wonder many people fall in and out of love time and again. This rat race doesn’t elude anyone; it transcends barriers of class, race, gender, position, educational background and exposure. It is the theme of many TV drama series, movies and soap operas while many others harp on this theme in some way.
What is this thing about love? What makes it tick? Why is it so important? Who thought up this ‘love idea’ anyway? And why?
I believe every human at birth is naturally wired with a need to be loved and cared for. The Almighty has created in everyone an innate desire, a craving to be loved and shown attention. There are no exemptions. It doesn’t matter how macho a man could appear to be or how independent a lady could be, the need to be loved is evident. This need to be loved drives people to extremes. This inordinate drive causes people to have wrong ideas and views about the subject of love. It pushes them to turn to wrong sources in their quest. It makes them use the wrong ‘methods’ in getting love. This frantic search leads them to the media, romantic books, their peers etc. These only compound the problem by giving solutions that are grossly inadequate. More often than not, these sources operate by trial-and-error because they simply lack the solutions. It can be simply described as “blind leading blind” situation as you simply can’t give what you don’t have. This makes those sourcing for ‘information’ try out dangerous experiments with their lives – experiments which many times have fatal consequences.
What then is love? A popular author once wrote “when purpose is not understood, abuse is inevitable”. I believe the purpose of love was to make human associations more meaningful. Everyone loves and longs to be loved. Even God created us to love Him and love others and as well be loved by Him as well as others. A perfect model of what love is given by God: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”(John 3:16). God Himself is love.
Many have misinterpreted love to just mean a mere emotion – which can be fickle. Love is more than a mere emotion; it is a way of life:
“Love is very patient and kind,
never jealous and envious,
never boastful or proud
never haughty or selfish or proud
Love does not demand its own way
It is not irritable or touchy.
It does not hold grudges
and it will hardly even notice
when others do it wrong.
It is never glad about injustice,
but rejoices whenever truth wins out
If you love someone
you will be loyal to him what the cost.
You will always believe in him,
always expect the best of him,
and always stand your ground
in defending him.
-I Corinthians 13:4-7, The Living Bible
If love does not consist of these characteristics, then it’s not really love. The first thing to learn about love is that true love originates from God, therefore in order to love as we ought to we need to know God. Any other way apart from this is not an option.
