What is Love?

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."

(1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

I love the movie The Princess Bride. It's just a silly, fairytale type movie that is hard to forget. There is one line in this movie that I love because of the way it is said (you have to watch the movie to know what I mean, it's just too funny to explain here). The minister is about to marry two of the characters and he asks "what is love?"

I think that's a valid question, especially for two people about to be married. We have all kinds of ideas of what we think love is but sometimes those ideas are pretty far off of what the Word of God says is love. In our world today we have somehow got the idea that love happens when we are completely happy and our beloved is bringing us chocolate and roses. And that is a nice thing. But it's easy to love when those kind of things are happening. When everything is going great, your beloved is acting like a knight in shining armor, it's easy to love. But when things aren't going good, do you still love?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 tells us what true love is: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not 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."

I have had people read this portion of Scripture and tell me it's too hard to live up to. I've been told that this is a description of Christ's love for us and that we can try to attain to it but won't ever be able to because we are mere humans and He is perfect. I personally think those are just excuses. You see 'love' and 'loving' is a hard thing. It's not easy to love when the person you are suppose to love is not pleasant. It's not easy to love when you are not loved back. Sometimes it's not easy when a prolonged sickness, with all of it's stressors, is involved. It's not easy to love when trust has been betrayed. But the Bible is very clear that if we don't have love then we are nothing and anything that we do for the Lord is nothing if we don't have love.

Love is patient. It waits. Sometimes it waits for things or situations to get better. Love is kind, thoughtful, considerate of the other and focuses on the other rather than on ourselves. Love is happy for the other person when they receive attention or achievement. Love is not envious but is genuinely happy for the one they love. Love is not rude. Love is not self seeking. Love is not easily angered, it doesn't fly off the handle and stomp around demanding it's own way. Love doesn't keep a record of wrongs. It gives people a second and third and fourth and so on chance to begin all over again. It doesn't remind people of their past faults and failures.

I love the last part of the Scripture the best because it sums up what love really does: it always protects, it always trusts, it always hopes, it always perseveres. Love never fails. Love never gives up hope. It never gives up on a person who has let them down, disappointed them or failed them in some way. Love always hopes. It always sticks with it. It takes it's committments seriously. In our world today leaving is the easy part. It's easy and even socially acceptable to leave a difficult relationship but it's the staying and persevering that shows love. It's hard. Love is a hard thing, but love never fails.

We live in a world that confuses lust with love, happy feelings with love, warm fuzzy feelings with love, romance with love, goosebumps with love,  to a point where sometimes we don't even know what love is. Love is dedication even when it is not returned. Love is kindness even when none is given. Love is steadfast and unmoving. Love is dependable and trustworthy. Love is work, hard work sometimes. The butterflies that are in your belly when you are 'in love' are wonderful but the true test of love is sticking with your committments even when the butterflies have flown away. That's love. Not something to be entered into carelessly but something to be seriously considered. It is a deep committment to the other person that you will always be there, will always care for them and yes, love them more than you love yourself. THAT is love.