What Is Love?

Love is a lot of things in my opinion. Love isn’t just feelings, for feelings are fickle and fleeting. Love isn’t sex. While sex is an expression of love, sex isn’t love. Love isn’t jealous, prideful, demanding, or rude (1 Corthians 13:4-8). Love isn’t the tingles. So what is love?
Love is a choice. It means loving the person who has wronged you, hurt you, or rejected you. It means hanging in there and fighting till it is worked out. Love is choosing to love someone when they act unlovable toward you.
Love is forgiveness. It means forgiving the unforgivable. It means forgiving and turning the other cheek when you want to retaliate. It means forgiving even when you think you can’t forgive anymore.
Love is unselfish. Love means putting someone else’s needs and wants before your own.
Love is grace. Love means accepting someone for who they are, where they are on their journey, and for what they can give you. It means not expecting more from them than what they can give.
Love is a risk. There is huge risk involved in opening up your heart and letting someone you love see the real you, wounds, warts, and all. Loving someone does not guarantee they will love you back. To love means to risk being hurt.
Love means loving yourself. You can’t love others well if you don’t love yourself. It is impossible. You can’t give nor receive love when you don’t have love for yourself. Love yourself.
Love is a gift. To love and to be loved is precious. It is the gift that keeps on giving.
Finally, at its best love is unconditional and sacrificial. Jesus taught us that. Love means sacrificing and giving your all, even your life if necessary.
This is what I know love to be.

February 14, 2013. faith, life, love, spirituality, Uncategorized, Valentine's Day. Leave a comment.