The Greatest of These Is Love

So I got to thinking the other day about love. What exactly is love? And what does it mean? It's a widely used term, but I think when it comes down to it, no one really uses it in the correct context anymore. It's used casually, like an offhand comment. It's sad in a way to think that such a strong and powerful word holds nearly no meaning anymore.

Let's look at the dictionary definition of love. (Thanks to www.dictionary.com for any of my dictionary needs.) I'm going to only use the first 5 because otherwise I'll be typing all day.

love:

1.	a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.

2.	a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.

3.	sexual passion or desire.

4.	a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.

5.	(used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, or the like): Would you like to see a movie, love?

Seems fairly straightforward, but there are so many underlying things that are often overlooked when talking about love. Like forgiveness. Can you truly love someone if you hold animosity toward them in your heart? If you aren't able to truly forgive them for wronging you, is the love you have true? Because it certainly isn't pure. Which brings about another interesting point. Pure love. Does it exist? Other than in a theological way, I'm not sure. If you're a religious person, mainly a Christian, you are taught about an agape kind of love. Another definition for you...

agape:

1.	the love of God or Christ for humankind.

2.	the love of Christians for other persons, corresponding to the love of God for humankind.

3.	unselfish love of one person for another without sexual implications; brotherly love.

The first one I can see existing. The others, not so much. Is there anyone in today's society that is truly unselfish? It goes back to the whole forgiveness aspect of love. Unselfish people have no problem with forgiveness. Or I should say, they have no problem with the second and most important part of forgiveness, which is letting go. Most people will tell you they forgive you, but there is always a small seed of doubt in the far recesses of their mind that will linger, sometimes forever.

Is it really possible for people in a society like today's to have an all-encompassing, never waning, fully forgiving kind of love? I'd like to think yes. Or at least I'd like to think that some people are given the opportunity to start with a clean slate. To start over from where a relationship went sour. Wouldn't that be great?

In the bible it teaches of love, or what love should be. Here is the passage:

1 Corinthians 13

The Way of Love

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.


That is the love I wish everyone had. The kind of love that forgives all, knows all, sees all yet loves anyway. The kind that will pick you up when you fall. Will help you when you need it most. Will look past your errors, see the true you that lies beneath, and will love you despite it. Because none of us are perfect. None of us are sin free. None of us hold the answers to the universe. But maybe, just maybe we can find that one person that makes us a better person.