I love my wife. I love my home. I love my car. I love to go fishing. I love horseback riding. I love to travel. I love to do a hobby. I love my extended family. I love my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. I love to work on the Internet. I love to watch the clouds in the sky. I love my job.
These are some samples of what people say using the word love. It may be true that there is a level of love for people and experiences. However, when most people use the word love, it is a distortion. The Greeks had multiple words for love to indicate the recipient of a love as a brother, as a friend, as a spouse. Unfortunately, in the English world there is only one word, and that word is largely exaggerated.
So far, when we have used the word love, we are talking about an emotional experience. If pressed, no one would say they love their dog in the same way they do their spouse. It is unlikely that any of us enjoy a love situation that is beyond emotion. Even when we speak of patriotic terms, love of country is still a level of emotion.
As Christians, we have the challenge to rise above the mundane discussion of love. The highest level of love in the Bible is called Agape. It is God’s love. The Bible also teaches us that the very nature of God is love. There is an important difference. God did not get emotional when it came to send his only begotten son to die for us so that we would have eternal life. God made a decision to love us in spite of ourselves. His love is logical. His love is far-reaching because it’s not hampered by emotion.
In our daily life it would be wise of us to follow God’s pattern. There may be people that are close to you but who are also obnoxious or offensive. If those people were not your family, in many cases you would probably walk away from them and not look back. Change your idea of what it is to love those that you find hard to tolerate. Don’t wait for the emotional upheaval in the positive sense so that suddenly you are warm and fuzzy about them. When the Bible talks about loving our enemies, it means that we should decide to love them regardless of their nature and character.
For whatever person that is in your life is problematic, make a decision to love them as God does. Look at them in a different light. See them as people who really need love regardless of their unpleasant air. Maybe this is a problem while we don’t love sinners and often lead them to Christ. When our attitude expresses a decision to love, it might be just what the other person needs. God drew us into his family because of his decision to love his rebellious creature. We must do the same thing to those in our world. Avoid being complicated by emotions. Love as God loves. You might find that secondary benefit that makes your life better for it.
Christian Writer 