Wuv, twue wuv!

No, your eyes do not deceive you. The title is a Monty Python quote. :)


I have decided to participate in National Novel Writing Month! I stumbled upon a list of different things to write about. A different prompt for each day. Perfect, right? Well, as I began, I realized I needed more than one day to write about some of the topics. 


Day five demanded I write about my personal definition of love. Wow. I knew from the start that the task would be difficult. I knew I had to narrow the focus, so I centralized on innocent, true love. Whether you believe in "true love" or not is up to you. I don't know about it yet. If it's out there, I haven't experienced it. (I'm fine with that; I've got lots of time!) But this is my list that I think everybody should consider.


Beginning with the Bible, God's ultimate, unwavering, unconditional love should be our guide as we love other people. Pulled from the "love chapter" itself, 1st Corinthians 13:4-8a says "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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." 



Then I got stuck, so I decided to look up the dictionary definition. Don't forget, love isn't just a noun, but a verb as well. I mostly just pulled the ones that added to my case, but here's what I found:

 Love (noun) a. strong affection for another rising out of kinship or personal ties. b. attraction based on desire. c. affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests.

            Assurance of affection

            Warm attachment, enthusiasm, devotion

            Beloved person

            Unselfish and benevolent concern for the good of another

            Person’s adoration of God

           

  Love (verb) a. to hold dear

            To feel a lover’s passion, devotion, or tenderness for

            Caress, embrace

            To like or desire actively; take pleasure in

            To thrive in

            To feel attraction or experience desire


Love is not just one definition from either list; it must be all of them. Truly loving another person is not a task to be taken lightly. Nobody (marrying for love) marries somebody they don't think is cute or good-looking. I would never want to marry a boring person that does nothing. Reading each definition, I was originally confused by the definition "to thrive in", but digging deeper, I began to grasp that through love, two people begin to become better. I'm not saying that love can change someone, but people you love should bring out the best in you.


Love knows no boundaries, no limits. Love is completely unselfish, forgiving, unconditional, without finding fault, always working for something greater and deeper. Even when a person runs from love, love searches and never gives up. Without love, words have no meaning. Love is friendship, and friends don’t just give up on one another. 


God does all this and more for us. I stand in awe of Him. He loves us with an everlasting love.


Go share your love!