Love that won't let go . . .

I am writing these words a day after Valentine's Day, and one particular teen soap opera here in Oz has a Valentine's Day theme happening for the week, with the advertisements for the program featuring men and women at various stages of dress (and undress) apparently "in love" with each other. It makes me angry that this is served up to us as "love"! We spend our years growing up seeing and hearing from society, and Hollywood that 'love' must end up in the bedroom.
I'd like to remind us of a whole new concept of love; one that is not new, but foreign to many of us because we have had the truth kept from us by the loud voices of our culture. The voices that say, "If you really love me you'll sleep with me". Or how about, "Look at everything I've done for you! You owe me"! There is a weariness that comes from this mentality and lifestyle that forces us to settle for second best. I believe there is a love that trancends anything on earth, and it's available to us all. To get it though will cost you. It will cost you a child-like faith, and being prepared to throw out everything you thought you knew about God and love.
Most of us have seen that human love does fail. It does give up, gets divorced, gets angry, keeps records of wrong against it, etc. But let me show you another description.
Two things: 1. The Bible says God IS love. 2. The Bible gives us a very clear description of what love looks like in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
- Love is patient - Love is kind. - It doesn't envy - It doesn't boast - It isn't proud - It isn't rude - 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.
If you get the opportunity to meet an older couple who've been married for many years and still enjoy each other's company, ask them if it's the sex that has kept them together? Probably not. They will have found that real love looks for the other's interest above their own. And if this works both ways you have the basis for a very strong friendship.
How about this for a definition of what love is: "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us . . . ". This comes from the Bible also (1 John 4:10), and it's like God is not interested in any other definition of what love is. He's saying that real love has nothing to do with human descriptions, but rather starts and ends with him. God's love "gave Jesus as a sacrifice for us". Right here is a clue - love gives and doesn't take. Love will prefer the other person's needs above it's own needs. Could you possibly believe that God doesn't want to take anything from you? This is a common misconception about God, that He wants you to do stuff you don't want to do; to give this up, to stop doing that, to not drink not smoke not swear, etc. This is so unfair, and is a human description of God that is incorrect, I believe.
If Love is patient, then God is patient with me.
If love isn't rude or boastful, then God isn't either.
If love doesn't keep a record of wrongs, then neither does God.
If love perseveres then God will persevere with me because he loves me.
If love never fails then His love for me will never fail.
Here's the trick: Because we are so used to seeing love fail; because we've seen love act rudely; because we have seen it act proudly, and keep a record of wrongs, we find it hard to imagine otherwise. This is where you won't get it without starting from scratch. Starting with a child's faith and acceptance. We need to be prepared to put our preconceived ideas about God and Jesus away. I'm not pretending this is easy, but I believe that it is possible. And if you feel a call within you that this is what you need to do, DO IT! Talk to God, and ask Jesus to show you the way. And then begin to take some steps toward trusting God. I can't tell you what this will involve for you, but I believe that God is closer than you think and that he is dying to meet you.
Talk soon . . .