Love is More

I didn't fall off the earth! It's been almost two weeks since I've blogged. I'm pretty sure that is a record. But today is a special day, Valentine's Day and I must blog about it! Today is the "day" of love. For me, Valentine's Day has never meant that much, but this year I see especially that love is something that is unconfined to a single day in February. It is also something that doesn't have to be just romantic. In English we have one word for love... love. You can "love" pizza like you can "love" your wife. You can "love" your brother and "love" your neighbor. We "love" that movie and "love" God. What is love? Dictionary.com came up with these three as the top definitions for the noun and verb "love":

1.

a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.

2.

a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.

3.

sexual passion or desire. 

I believe that love in our culture has been put down, trampled upon and overused. We love everything regardless of whether we should. It amazes me how young couples will tell each other they love each other but they don't even know if they really do. They've dated for a week. They are attracted to each other and may like each other, but isn't there a time and a place for love? Love is so much bigger than what we've made it. True love was shown upon a filthy cross over 2,000 years ago when God's Son died for our sins. That is love. Love is a man willing to lay down his life for his wife. Love is a Christian telling her persecutor that she forgives him. Love is huge. True love is unconditional. There is a time and place for the that word. And it doesn't belong where we often place it.

Jesus tells us to love. Often when He talks about love, He isn't telling us just to "say" it, but to show it. Maybe we could stop saying that we love things so much and live it. If you love someone, show them. If you love the lost, find them and tell them of the greatest Lover of all time. If you love something it will be bigger and greater than "like." You will do anything for that person or that thing.

This Valentine's Day, remember true love, not the muddied version of the world. Show your love all the time and remember the greatest example of love. God sent His Son to the world. Why? Because He loves us. Did He have to? No. He meant His love and He showed us. If you mean you love someone or something. Show it. Show it always, when it's hard, when it's easy, when you feel like it, when you don't feel like it. Show it and they'll know.

Happy Valentine's Day!