So, my mind is really weird. It seems to move faster than I would like but it doesn't make much sense. This topic came to me as I was writing my exit essay for my Philosophy of Religion final.
"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God IS love" 1 John 4:8
Do you get that? God is the very essence of love. He is the very definition of love.
What is God? Love. And what is love? God.
See, human logic does not get this. To us, love is a mere feeling. To us, love is like anger or sadness or rage. To psychology, love is just a collision of chemicals in the brain. In human terms, love comes and goes. It's the butterflies in the stomach, it's a mother's cry for her child, a father's 12 hour shift at work for his children. To us, that is love.
Sorry to disappoint, but that is not love.
Those are wonderful manifestations of love, a reaction of love. Because it is true, love is what you do, but better yet...
Love is God. Love is holy, love is light, love is a consuming fire. These are all things that God is.
I think this concept is about to change my life. See, I'm a hopeless romantic, so I buy into the "I will never leave you Jack" kind of love that Hollywood shows us (No, The Notebook and The Titanic are NOT my favorite chick flicks, I'm a little more original than that). And even though it is absolutely delightful to see Richard Gere climb up the stairs for Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, love is much more sacrificial than that.
Love is deeper. It is the very essence of everything that makes this world go around. It is a concept so outside of this world that only God can comprehend it, because only God is the true essence of love. And He, in all His grace, allows us to have a reaction to His love, by allowing us to "feel" love.
Love cannot be felt, because it is more than a feeling. It can only be experienced. But here's the trick, God can be both felt AND experienced. Once you have God, you have love.
You know that phrase "love is all you need"?? I get it now. Because God is all I need. He is the very essence of my deepest desire, to love and to be loved. He is the butterflies in my stomach when I look into the eyes of a certain boy. He is the bus ride I take to see my best friend every time she says she's feeling down. He is the dishes I wash because mom is too tired to wash them. He is the courage I need when I want to tell someone about Christ. He is love. Not a feeling. A constant. An essence. A substance. A tangible impossibility that can only be possible if you understand that a perfect creator must be out there somewhere.
I love people in my life, but the only reason why I love them is because God loved me, because by showing me what love is He showed me who He is. Do you ever do that? Do you ever tell a friend about a movie you really like? Or a book? Or do you ever send them lyrics to a song that utterly describes you? You're giving them a little insight of who you are, a little glimpse of what you truly are like. Well, that's how God works. He reveals himself in the little everyday things. But we would rather deny existence of "love" because we've experienced heartbreak several times in our lives than admit that it is out there somewhere and we are capable of obtaining it if we just let go of the fears and break down our walls.
Love is the very definition of God, it is the fingerprint of our Creator. God is a man tortured and hanging on a cross because He can not bear the thought of seeing His creation doomed. God is love, the timeless definition for the craving of every one of us that was made in the image of God. And He loves us, His love is better than anything. And I finally understand why.
Because it is not a reaction, it is the action. His love is holy, pure, His love will never hurt me, will never damage me, will never contaminate me, will never leave me. His love is light, His love guides me, it shines on me, it is with me everywhere I go, His love can not be overcome by the darkness. His love is a consuming fire. A constant, consuming fire that burns fiercely and quickly. It should devour every part of me and consume every sin within me. That is love. Wow!!
The natural reaction of love is human, fleeting and flawed. Love in itself....well, that's God.
