Jodi Picoult (b. 1966), an author observed, “You don’t love someone because they’re perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they’re not.”  Some people especially the young are rather confused about love.  They ask, “What does it mean? Am I in love?  How do I know it’s true?”  They claim to be in love, but their passion may be a mere attraction.  Others feel sure about love.  “Love,” they say, “hit them right between the eyes.”

Some confuse love with sex.  “If you love me, you’ll go to bed with me.”  Sometimes sex can be a healthy expression of love, but it isn’t always the case.  Love is subtle and has various meanings.  It’s deeper than you think.  For example, Jesus Christ died for us on the cross.  He gave his life so that we might have everlasting life.  This act was the epitome of love.  Its sacrificial love – Agape is the greatest love of all.

Forms of Love

There are however other forms of love.  Brotherly, sisterly and parental love is common.  Scripture tells us that we must love our neighbor like ourselves.  Whatever good things you wish for yourself, wish for your neighbor.  You must feel the same way about him or her.  There ought to be no difference between how you feel, and about what you think about your neighbors.

Walk in Humility

We have to live in humility.  Scripture tells us we must even go a step further and love our neighbors greater that ourselves.  What a duty that is!  Many are negligent in doing this.  Imagine what such an act will mean to mankind.  Obviously, if we loved in this way, we wouldn’t be so puffed up about ourselves.  We’ll regard one’s self as lesser than another.  That’s a good thing because our egos won’t be so inflated.

Often we hear people comparing themselves with others.  Some actually judge and boast about what they have accomplished.  They say how great they are and how their coworkers don’t have any experience compared with them.  This is a rather shameful display of pride.  God has given us all talents and gifts.  We ought to give thanks to him for those we have.  People’s talents and gifts are here today and gone tomorrow.  Nothing is promised to anyone.  There’s a season and time for everything under the sun.

Love in a Hospital

Imagine this love – when a spouse is in the hospital, and his wife is beside him.  He’s in pain.  His agony is great from the Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) that’s systemic – in his blood stream.  His wife is so concerned that she spends several nights at his bedside in his hospital room.  Throughout the day and night, nurses, doctors and care-givers come and go, but this patient is unable to sleep.  He’s on tranquilizers to calm his nerves, and watches anxiously the antibiotics of the saline drip.  Unable to move much in bed, monitors keeps him awake, and he’s agitated.  In the middle of the night as his wife sleeps on a nearby cot he calls to her for help.  She’s exhausted from the stress, and is trying to sleep as well, but he keeps waking her up.  He wishes a glass of water to comfort him.  Now, he desires a blanket to be placed over his feet because he’s cold.  Each time his wife hears his cries, she crawls out of bed, to comfort him.

Of such is the essence of love.  It’s helping a broken-heart when in distress.  His wife doesn’t have to be there.  She could be at home, but she cares deeply, and wants to comfort him.  She’ll do almost anything to help him.  She always does this, by being with him through good and bad times.  This is the sort of love Jesus Christ wants us to share with each other.