Love is the one emotion that wreaks havoc in our lives,
unbidden, and unhindered, it acts on its own accord, seemly at will. There are
other emotions that have their way with us, as frail humans, like Anger, Hate,
Joy, and fear, but all these and the many others are mostly single faceted, and
for the most part, can be tamped down into submission, but not Love, it takes
and is in full control.
Love is the one emotion that rises within us of its own
accord, it is multi-faceted, moving us into its own path and actions of its
choosing, and commanding at will most if not all the other emotions sealed
within our soul. We can choose who we have relationships with, outside our
families of course, and we can choose to end those relationships as well. But the
powerful truth of Love is, we cannot choose who we Love!
There may be those that choose a person based on any number
of things, like physical appearance, demeanor, wealth, or fame. They can even
pursue a relationship in any number of ways, making their romantic desire
known. They may even make headway in forging a union. And all in all, still not
be “In Love” with that person. There is a difference. Now Love comes to bear of
its own accord, there may be all the other things mentioned above that catches
the eye, but the mystery of Love is such, that within a moment, a split second,
a person is “In Love”. What drive this one emotion has, it is such a force
within the human soul that it begins to cipher energy from every aspect of our
being as it pursues its interests. Love begins calling all of the other
emotions into focus, Joy and fear, happiness and heartbreak, Anger and
Friendship. It is no wonder we get that butterfly feeling in our gut, all
twisted and churning. We become so fearful that the feeling might not be
mutual. We become angry with friends that interrupt our pursuit. Sound
familiar? There is no controlling this emotion, it is on its own, with no
thought of the body that houses it, or anything within a hundred-mile radius
either organic or synthetic.
Looking back at the list of emotions, I can still my anger
with slow breathing coupled with a forgiving spirit. I can turn my hate into
friendship, by simply listening and understanding the other side. I can dispel
joy by yielding to a pessimistic view. I can calm my fears by knowledge and
understanding. But Love is a renegade, it answers to nobody, it cannot be
reined in, it cannot be tamed.
So the question is, how do we know if what I am feeling is
infatuation or Love? There are two rules that identify the two when it comes to
a romantic relationship:
1) Love only wants what is best for the one that is
loved.
2) Every other relationship only wants what is best
for themselves.
Have you ever heard this phrase; “If you really loved me…”
(Add whatever to the three dots)? That phrase only screams one thing – This is
what is best for ME! There are so many red flags with this statement, one of
which is insinuating that the one asked could act against true love. If a
person loves another, the very nature of Love would never ask for proof, but
would always be providing their own proof of their undying love.
Looking at relationships that break up, for many reasons
such as sinful living, incompatibility, and yes, one of the couple was never in
love. Have you ever experienced a breakup? Someone you were truly in love with,
and then one day they announce that it is over, and leave. Do you remember that
feeling? Like someone just ripped your gut open with a serrated blade, and forcibly
yanked your stomach and heart out of your body. That hurt quite literally is
that of the one all-powerful emotions being ripped out of your soul. Love had
committed your entire being to the object of your love, and now it is gone. Human
relationships fail because we are imperfect, and we are imperfect because we
have ignored the perfect love of God in our lives.
Look at the Bible for a moment on what is says about Love: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag,
and it is not proud. (5) Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and
it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it.
(6) Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always
happy with the truth. (7) Love never gives up on people. It never
stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. (8) Love will
never end…
Something I came to know not too long ago is that I never
chose to Love the Lord Jesus Christ. I asked God to save me when I came to
understand that Sin had condemned me to eternal judgment, to spend eternity in
Hell. Then once I had that knowledge in my head, causing all kinds of anxiety
and fear, I was also presented with the truth that God Loved Me! Not much in
the words alone, but God never asked me to do anything for him, instead, moved
by his love for me, allowed his Son, Jesus Christ, to die a terrible death on a
Roman cross. I didn’t understand all the facts of this truth at the time, but I
was told that all my sin he took on him, like it was a tangible thing, trapped
in my soul, he removed it all, and bore them all in himself as his own, for me,
he suffered that awful punishment that I deserved, because he loved me. When I
knew all I needed to do was believe God that I would be granted forgiveness of
sins, and I would spend eternity in heaven.
Even then, I didn’t
choose to love God or his Son, I merely accepted with gratefulness the gift of
life. But God’s love is like the description in this bible passage, it never
quits, never gives up. You may ask: “When did God start loving me?” after many
years of study and walking with the Lord, I have come to understand something,
God fell “In Love” with man when he made us. With man’s history, religiously
speaking, turning from our maker, living in sin and rebellion, it is a
testament to the description of Love, how very patient and kind, not
remembering wrongs done against it, never giving up on the one it loves, and
never quits.
Even after learning all these things, I still did not choose
to Love God, but rather as I came to know him, to see his love in action, to be
the center of his focus, I fell “In Love” with him. I don’t control this
emotion, but it fills my heart, it moves my feet, it places the words in my
mouth, it adores him.
My love for my wife, my family, and my church family is real
and true, and reliable now because it is modeled after the love that God has
displayed to all mankind, the love that sought me my entire life, never holding
my offences against me, but always seeking the best for my life. The one that demonstrated
his love when he died at Calvary.
Love.
Mikeee ~ August 2018
