The Greatest of these is Love
1 Corinthians 13:13
"But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love."
Ever since I was a little girl, this Bible verse has been ingrained into my memory. That God's love is unchanging and unconditional - it always has been and always will be.
You figure it has to be pretty right on if people have died for love; countless songs, films and television shows have been based upon the topic; many have done some insanely crazy things in the name of it.
The enigma that is love encompasses so many mysterious qualities. No one can fully understand it, but most of us long to be caught up in its passionate embrace. To love and be loved with all your heart and soul.
Real and genuine love is rare and something to be treasured.
It's depressing how many couples I encounter that obviously do not love each other. Or others who consist of one person who loves and another person who takes advantage of them - essentially robbing their heart.
I find that utterly disgusting how many people do not or cannot love. This epidemic is sweeping the earth and leaving a hideously large disastrous aftermath affecting generation after generation.
Giving is an act of love. If someone can freely give of themself (time, money, heart), they love.
You really can tell a lot about a person by their generosity.
I'm one of those people that still believe love is out there for me. That I will find a man who fully understands, accepts, and needs me.
And when I find him, I will love him forever, no matter what the circumstance.
We need to get crazy about love. Seriously.
I'm not saying that you should marry someone the day you meet them, or get a mail order bride.
What I am saying is that we need to make ourselves vulnerable and stop being afraid, and start taking chances.
The other night I was expressing these thoughts to a girlfriend. She reminded me of the famous line from "When Harry Met Sally."
"I came Here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." - Harry
I do not want to be with someone who is willing to wait to find love.
Lately, I've really been grappling with some internal questions. I keep asking myself different things, and changing my mind. I feel confused. I've figured out that the thing that drives me the most is the desire to bring love and joy to those in need. That includes many wonderful people in my life, and doesn't exclude myself.
I'm really seeking out your opinions on the questions I've written down below. If you could take a few moments and share your thoughts, I feel that I would gain a tremendous amount of insight. Please don't hesitate. Thanks for taking the time to read all of this...
How much should you risk for love? Is there a limit?
What do you think the biggest challenge is for single people to find love?
Why do you think you have not found love yet?
How would more love in the world solve societal problems? Would it make a difference?
How does someone find the love of their life?
What would help people fall in love?
"But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love."
Ever since I was a little girl, this Bible verse has been ingrained into my memory. That God's love is unchanging and unconditional - it always has been and always will be.
You figure it has to be pretty right on if people have died for love; countless songs, films and television shows have been based upon the topic; many have done some insanely crazy things in the name of it.
The enigma that is love encompasses so many mysterious qualities. No one can fully understand it, but most of us long to be caught up in its passionate embrace. To love and be loved with all your heart and soul.
Real and genuine love is rare and something to be treasured.
It's depressing how many couples I encounter that obviously do not love each other. Or others who consist of one person who loves and another person who takes advantage of them - essentially robbing their heart.
I find that utterly disgusting how many people do not or cannot love. This epidemic is sweeping the earth and leaving a hideously large disastrous aftermath affecting generation after generation.
Giving is an act of love. If someone can freely give of themself (time, money, heart), they love.
You really can tell a lot about a person by their generosity.
I'm one of those people that still believe love is out there for me. That I will find a man who fully understands, accepts, and needs me.
And when I find him, I will love him forever, no matter what the circumstance.
We need to get crazy about love. Seriously.
I'm not saying that you should marry someone the day you meet them, or get a mail order bride.
What I am saying is that we need to make ourselves vulnerable and stop being afraid, and start taking chances.
The other night I was expressing these thoughts to a girlfriend. She reminded me of the famous line from "When Harry Met Sally."
"I came Here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." - Harry
I do not want to be with someone who is willing to wait to find love.
Lately, I've really been grappling with some internal questions. I keep asking myself different things, and changing my mind. I feel confused. I've figured out that the thing that drives me the most is the desire to bring love and joy to those in need. That includes many wonderful people in my life, and doesn't exclude myself.
I'm really seeking out your opinions on the questions I've written down below. If you could take a few moments and share your thoughts, I feel that I would gain a tremendous amount of insight. Please don't hesitate. Thanks for taking the time to read all of this...
How much should you risk for love? Is there a limit?
What do you think the biggest challenge is for single people to find love?
Why do you think you have not found love yet?
How would more love in the world solve societal problems? Would it make a difference?
How does someone find the love of their life?
What would help people fall in love?
posted by Jennifer @ 8:47 PM
5 Comments:
At 9:26 AM, July 13, 2008,
David said…
"You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running across fields into your lover's arms can only come later when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip." - Jonathon Carroll
I'm all for getting crazy about love. I remember I used to (and still sometimes do) close my emails with the sign off "one love," and it often brought up some interesting conversations with some likely, and less likely individuals.
What I don't think is that we need to get too crazy about *romantic* love. The Bible actually doesn't speak much to that concept, so much as it speaks a great deal to the more general concept of love (for everyone, your wife, your neighbor, the prostitutes and tax collectors, etc. - exhibiting that Christ-like love). You run off all half-cocked and love drunk with someone who "completes you" and you might be a little more at risk to make love an idol, wrather than a tool.
How much should you risk for love? A lot. But yeah, there is a limit. Love always trusts, but that needs to be tempered with the fact that he who places his trust in man is foolish.
What do you think the biggest challenge is for single people to find love? The church and its incredibly obtuse and convoluted teachings on the subject (at least for Christians, for the greater population at large, I'd lean towards "that's just part of living with high standards.").
Why do you think you have not found love yet? Dunno. I've been looking and available. Maybe love hasn't found me.
How would more love in the world solve societal problems? Would it make a difference? The prostitute wasn't stoned, was she? I'll say yes, it would make a difference.
How does someone find the love o their life? Come now... that's a rather black hole questions for a blog of this nature. We answer that and what are we all going to type about anymore?
What would help people fall in love? I'm not sure "more love" or being more "crazy in love" (as my sister Beyonce likes to sing about) is the answer here. I think its more an issue of people having a clear idea of what they are looking for in a person, and then actively going out and seeking / dating such individuals. But that's just one thought, I'm sure there's plenty of other good ideas.
At 6:46 PM, July 13, 2008,
none said…
I've been thinking about how to answer these questions Jenn, but I don't feel I have many good answers. Right now, any ideas I have have not been put into practice, so I'm loathe to spout them off as though I know of what I speak. :) I do believe that love is worth seeking and worth risking for, but that real love would never require you to compromise your principles or integrity.
Nice to see your input on the blog again David.
At 7:20 PM, July 13, 2008,
Jennifer said…
Jess, I agree with that!
Love should not tear you down or make you trade in your principles or integrity. Love is giving and not taking.
I've been thinking about these questions a lot. And obviously, I don't have the answers either... If somebody did, we wouldn't be where we are now...
At 7:46 PM, July 15, 2008,
Christine said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
At 7:00 AM, July 16, 2008,
The Prufroquette said…
There is always risk, and always loss, with love. Even when the love is good, that "forever" kind of "romantic" love, there is a loss of self that must naturally occur.
Of course, I've only experienced this vicariously, through observing the relationship of my parents, their friends, and some of my own married friends. But from my own brushes with preliminary romantic love, I have noticed that you always risk the usual things: rejection, misunderstanding, autonomy; also pride, dignity, reputation and self-image.
Sometimes it's bad, and sometimes it's good. But how could there not be risk? If there weren't any, we wouldn't be commanded, in all ways of love, to die to, or deny, ourselves in the pursuit of Christ.
I don't think I've found love yet because I'm still learning how to love rightly. All my attempts and failures over the past six years have been lessons in the balance of give and take (I'm usually a giver, which leads to caretaking, which does not lead to mutual respect and interdependence; it leads, instead, to exhaustion, scorn and resentment at the over-dependence of the taker on the giver).
I'm getting much closer, though. And I'm grateful for the lessons.
As for how the world might be a better place if more love abounded in it, that question puts me in mind of a time, eating dinner with the homeless at the shelter where I worked at the time, when the fire alarm rang in the dead of winter and all of us shuffled out, most of us, especially women and children, without coats.
I was holding a sick toddler, who shivered and burrowed as far into my torso as she could, weeping, "I'm cold." As I backed up against a wall out of the wind and wrapped my arms more tightly around her, I heard similar wails from the other mothers and children.
And then all the men, the derelict, the downtrodden, the hard-bitten, almost as one person began taking off their coats and bundling up the moms and kids. Some had had the forethought to bring blankets outside. Before the end of our fifteen-minute wait to return to the shelter, not one homeless man was wearing a coat of any kind. And I don't remember ever feeling warmer than I did when that huge, motheaten overcoat settled around my shoulders.
If people could love like that, on a more daily and regular basis, then yes, I think the world would be an infinitely better place.
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