Valentine’s Day is hijacked by Cupid shooting his
arrow into a lonely heart searching for the one true love. The true love that
is the love of lovers lamenting and finding themselves in distress with knights
in shining armor, walks through fields and forests, gathering flowers, dancing
in the moonlight, poetic yammer, and that first kiss so tender and sweet.
This is characteristic of Eros love, passionate and romantic love.
Eros is a Greek word meaning desire
and longing. This explains why it is normal to desire to be with someone. Eros love can be fickle, operating from
first sight, and should never stand-alone for reasons of vulnerability to act
on emotion and act outside of biblical boundaries, awakening something meant
for a covenantal agreement.
In the search for true love, one must
not stop at Eros, but press in to
find Agape love. Agape
love is considered the highest form of love with its source being God.
Passionate feelings of love are wonderful, but love submitted to God’s terms
secures true love.
Agape
love differs from Eros love in
that it is based on purity of motive rather than on impulsive feelings. The
motive becomes pure in doing what is best for the one I love, in creating a
secure atmosphere of openness and trust, and in allowing room for growth and
maturity.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 beautifully
describes the characteristics of Agape
love: patient, kind, does not envy or boast, is not proud, dishonoring,
self-seeking, or easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, hates evil,
rejoices in truth, never gives up, never loses faith, always hopes, perseveres
and endures through every circumstance, and never fails.
Whew!! Who can do all of that? Only God
can! He does this through us.
Forgiveness and grace are the keys to
true love. They will overcome any barrier. True love develops as we accept
God’s true love (forgiveness and grace) and become willing to extend it to
another. True love is not love at first
sight. True love is the decision to love always.
Beth Bailey
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