Love Is In The Air...

Valentine’s Day…I seriously wonder how many people truly enjoy Valentine’s Day.  It seems to me that people either love it, or hate it.  It’s never been a particularly big deal to me.  In general, I think most people are already confused about what love is to begin with.  We too often buy into Hollywood’s version of what love is…how someone makes us feel, or what they can do for us, instead of truly understanding what it means to love another.

The dictionary defines love as a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.  This singular meaning for the word love leaves a lot out in my opinion.  I personally appreciate that the Greek language has four different words for love, depending on the type of love being described. 

Eros love (America’s most glamorized form of love) is a passionate and intense love that arouses romantic feelings.  It often triggers “high” feelings in a new relationship, often making you feel “in love.”  It is a highly emotional and sexual love that will not last unless it can move up the “love scale,” because it focuses on self and how the person makes you feel instead of the other person.

Storge love means “affection” in Greek.  It is a natural affection that parents feel for their children.  It typically describes the love felt within families.  It is an unconditional love that accepts flaws and faults in other people, and ultimately drives you to forgive each other.  It is a commited love that makes you feel secure, comfortable, and safe.

Phileo love is a mental love in which affection and tender feelings for others are felt in a platonic manner.  It makes you desire a friendship with someone, and is the kind of love that livens up Agape love.  While you can have Agape love for your enemies, you probably will not feel phileo love for these people.  Phileo love is how you feel for someone, and is also a committed and chosen love.

Agape love is an unconditional love that sees beyond the outer surface of a person, and accepts the recipient for whom he/she is, regardless of their flaws, shortcomings and/or faults.  Agape love is all about sacrifice as well as giving and expecting nothing in return.  It is a committed and chosen love, a love that we demonstrate to others.

And of course, we cannot discuss love without turning to God.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 16:14

Do everything in love.

John 15:12

My command is this:  Love each other as I have loved you.

1 John 4:19

We love because He first loved us.

One of the goals I set for my little family for 2014 is to choose a topic or “monthly theme” to discuss and study each month.  This month, not surprisingly, we are exploring the topic of love.   What is love?  What does it mean to love the people in our lives?  How do you display and or show others your love for them?  And most importantly, what does God teach us about love?  We will also be memorizing a different scripture each week in February with this theme, and will have a weekly challenge in order to practice what we are learning.

I would appreciate your suggestions and ideas on the theme of love as well.  Message me ways in which your family shows love to each other and those you come into contact with.

AND, I need more topics for future months…I know we will be exploring honesty/trust, courage, commitment, and hope.  Have any other ideas for us???