What is Love?

What is Love? 

Is it a feeling? An emotion?  An inclination?  A decision?  An action?  A response?

Or is it something more concrete, like a warm embrace?  A chocolate cake?  A harmonious song?  An artistic masterpiece?  A butterfly kiss?

Does it come and go?  Or does it never leave?  Does it sometimes slumber deep in our hearts only to be awoken suddenly with ferocity and vivacity? 

Can it be given?  Taken?  Stolen?  Broken? 

Is it all of these?  Or none?  Or only some?

As you can see, I don’t really know how to describe it either (and I apologize for the intoxicating amount of pestering questions, but now you have but a glimpse of what a mess of uncertainty my mind is swimming in).  This month, Casa Adobe has decided to dive deep into the murky waters of the topic of love, a task that will no doubt never end nor is there really a clear beginning.  To start the general discussion, we began with a few “simple” questions: what does love mean to us personally, to our friends, to our community, to our culture, to our world, to our faith?  After much discussion, listening, and debating we have not settled on an answer but rather on a central question upon which to focus:  can you truly love without feeling love?  Meaning, can you do something out of love without ever having that butterflies in your stomach or fire in your veins feeling?  For example: if I know I love my sister, but in the moment I really don’t feel it (I may even feel the opposite), but I still decide to help her study for an exam, is that considered an act of love?  To be honest, I don’t know…

What I do know is that Love is EXTREMELY important to Christianity, a cornerstone upon which we build our faith.  I know, an epic epiphany for humankind…  Nonetheless, the ever popular verse rings in my head: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13: 13).  So, now that we’ve established that love is incredibly important, it begs the question as to why is it so important?  As John puts it, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is Love” (1 John 4:8).  So if our Lord, our Creator, our Master, our Father is by very definition Love, what does that mean for us as his children?  As Christians, we are commanded to “follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph. 5: 1-2).  What does it mean to walk in the way of love?  How can I, as a young and fallible imitator of Christ, do that?  Especially when I’m so confused on what Love specifically means… 

During these next few bible studies, my deepest hope is that I gain more insight, more clarification, or at the very least a general sense of direction on this incredibly profound topic.  Pray that I, and all of those who are participating, will not only be blessed by the discussions we will have but that we as a community may emerge with a greater and deeper understanding of what it means to be the dearly loved children of Love himself and how we should therefore walk in the way of love.

Thanks for all your support and encouragement.  Stay tuned!