What is Love?

I’ve decided to explore the meaning of love and what it means to be a Christian in love. I’ve had my fair share of dead-end relationships, but that doesn’t mean I’ve given up on finding love. The bible has helped me clarify what love really means.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “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.”

If it wasn’t for the Holy Bible, I would still be searching for the meaning of love. Aimlessly wandering around, wondering what it means to be in love. Now I have the truth, I don’t have to drift anymore.

Love is what everyone wants. We all want to be loved and have someone by our side that will love us for the rest of our lives till we are old and grey. But sometimes love eludes us, like it has done me.

I’ve been in love, a handful of times. But it was love lost. It didn’t work out for me because it wasn’t ordained by God to begin with. God must ordain a relationship for it to last forever. Gen. 2:18 says “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

As a Christian woman, how should we approach love. Well, the bible gives us guidance. Eph. 4:2-3 gives us an example of our role in marriage. “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Love isn’t meant to be complicated; it was created by God to give us fulfillment and joy. It was designed to be simple. Love is a two-way street. It’s mutual submission for each person involved in the relationship. Eph. 5:33 says “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”

When I look at Christian marriages, I think to myself, how do they do it? How do they make their love last and continue to endure when everything is coming against them? Especially during these uncertain times, we live in. I hold a deep respect for people who maintain their marriages. They can continue to love their partner irrespective of what is going on around them. To me, that indicates a love worth fighting for.

My marriage broke down several years ago. I can’t say it was all my fault and it certainly wasn’t all my ex-husbands’ fault either. But somewhere along the way, love stopped growing. It ceased to exist. Then the pain and heartache replaced the love that I once was familiar with. We ended up going our separate ways. It was probably one of the most difficult things I have ever been through.

Why does love die? I guess nobody knows the answer to that. But I do know, there is opportunity to find love again in all it’s beauty. Love is the masterpiece creation that God invented just for us. So, we could feel whole and at peace with who we are as individuals. You can’t beat that!

The Bible speaks of a sincere love. Rom. 12:9 “Love must be sincere.” Scripture is pointing out that love MUST be sincere. If it isn’t sincere, then it isn’t love right? What does sincere mean… According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary it means ‘marked by genuineness.’ So sincere love is a love that is genuine.

I’ll be honest, I’m looking for love. A love that will outlast all things no matter what is thrown at us. That’s the love that I want. An enduring love. A love that is tested and purified. Rev.3:18 states “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich”

I want the kind of love that is purified by the fire like scripture says. A love that will surpass all understanding. Love that will stand the test of time. One might ask, where do I find such a love?

Well, I haven’t given up hope. I trust my Father in heaven that He has the right man for me. My search for What is Love is not found in a book or in a building. It is found in Christ Jesus. The maker of them all. 1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.”

I’ve battled in my life. I’ve gone through things like many others. But I haven’t given up on Jesus. Why? Because He will never give up on me. Josh. 1:5 “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.”

Love is elusive at times. I often wonder if God has forgotten about me. I know he hasn’t, but I can’t help but wonder. Love is exciting. It’s all the things that I want in life. Love is the shield that carries us over the finish line. It protects and serves and keep us safe when we would otherwise be exposed to the darkness.

What is love to me? Love to me is a love that accepts me for who I am and doesn’t try to change me into something I’m not. Love is meeting your partner halfway and accepting them where they are at. This is true love. A love that will stand the test of time.

True love that lasts is just the beginning. Love is stretched when we don’t allow our partner to grow apart from us. When we hold on too tight and don’t allow them to breathe.

How do we take care of love, so it takes care of us? How do we nurture love, so it goes the extra mile? The Bible says this in John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

The Bible is clear when it comes to love. We must love each other if we are going to lead a fruitful life. I Peter 4:8 explains “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

Love knows no boundaries; it exceeds all understanding. Nobody can really define what love is. People have tried but failed. Love surpasses all human understanding. It is the greatest gift of God to His children. Love was created by our heavenly Father to bless us immeasurably.

When I look around at the people passing me by, I see people rushing to get on with their business. It wasn’t meant to be this way. We are living in a fast-paced world, where there seems to be no time to slow down and smell the roses so to speak.

Love takes time to grow and emerge. It’s not meant to be rushed. We need to slow down if we are going to allow love to find us. And maybe, just maybe, love might find me!

Isa. 54:5 “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.”