What is Love?
Even as I type this, we are one day from Valentine’s Day. There are those reading this who are preoccupied with the Olympics, Mardi Gras parades (where I reside currently), and other world events. I wonder, how many times within this day the phrase, “I love you,” or “I love that…”, will be repeated? There was a time in ministry when I sat across the table from a young Polish man who had been in my English class that morning, and we were deep in discussion about the differences between our cultures. He was a bit argumentative, and I was trying, patiently and with the “love” of the Lord, to keep the conversation civil and kind. His final attempt to bring me to an eruption was to attack the fact that Americans really don’t know what the word “love” means. His examples came spewing forth. He was right about my culture. We use the word “love” almost flippantly at times. For him, the word “love” evoked deep emotions and was not to be used as it is in American culture.
Love is one of the most used words in our language—and one of the most misunderstood. Many of us use the word “love” casually. “I love my new shoes.” “I love yogart.” I love my favorite sports team.” “I love that dress.” ‘I love this or that.” You get the picture. The truth is that it’s easy to love those things, food and those teams, because rarely are we going to be sorely disappointed in the way we are spoken to or about or treated by any of those. The word “love” should not be used in a way that we ignore the greatest love of all.
At the time of this writing, our nation is under such a cloud of hate and division, and yet the greatest call of our lives, as Christians, for the church is to love each other and then to show love. The kind of love that is spelled out in the Scriptures.
Ministry Wives, one of our primary responsibilities is to LOVE well. LOVE our LORD, with all our hearts, souls, strength, and minds, then our husbands, our children, the people we are called to serve. I know it’s hard when it seems we can’t catch a break in ministry. This American church we serve is (sigh) so used to ease. Often, we serve in places that have lost sight of the reason we are placed in our communities. We have lost the fire to reach the lost with the gospel or heal the wounded and the brokenhearted. We get caught up in theological debates, organizational structures, rules, and allow our relationship, not our religion, but our relationship with our Savior to grow cold. We stay huddled in our circle of “the way we have always done it,” and perhaps we even control how we understand what Jesus really did for us. He didn’t love us and give Himself for us to huddle up and give religious lip service to the idea that we “love”. He saved us so we could go out and share the love He gave us! That is our Jesus, who loved us so much that he died for us and gave himself for us (all of us).
So what does real love look like:
Jesus defines love most clearly through His own life. In John 15:13, He says, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Love is demonstrated in action. It shows up. It sacrifices. It stays.
Love is:
- Choosing kindness when hurt would be easier
- Speaking truth with gentleness
- Forgiving when pride resists
- Serving when no one applauds
- Remaining faithful when feelings fluctuate
But love is not weakness. It does not ignore sin, enable harm, or abandon truth. Real love holds grace and truth together (John 1:14).
At its deepest level, love is rooted in God’s initiative toward us. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Our capacity to love flows from receiving His love. And there it is: The truth about our love as Ministry Wives, above all else, Christian women are to LOVE! – Like our SAVIOR!
So what is love?
Love is the character of God expressed through sacrificial action for the good of another.
It is covenantal, not conditional.
Happy LOVE Day, Ladies! I love you because HE loves me so!
Love, Diane
P.S. More to come on LOVE.
