I do understand now, in my older age, why St. Paul said that the greatest of these three (faith, hope, and love) is love. I remember sitting with my brother at Shakey's in Broken Arrow, and we were eating our frozen custard talking about love. I don't specifically remember if I was crying, or if I was just confused. Growing up, I never lacked to hear the words I love you from my family. We were always one to throw out an "I love you" and make sure that the others knew it.
But, as we sat there...I was confused until Andy explained that people love in different ways. I was first then introduced to the 5 love languages. Most all evangelical Christians from this part of the country will know immediately of what I speak. If you have never read the book...read it! It is worth the time. Basically, it explains that there are 5 ways that people show love and want love: gifts, quality time, acts of service, words of affirmation, and physical touch.
It was that night, I learned that people including my parents showed me love in different ways. I am now more aware of the ways in which I show love, but also the ways in which I desire to be shown love. I will never forget DC Talk's song Luv is a Verb. I grew up rapping along to lyrics like,
Hey, tell me, haven't ya heart? Luv is a serious word
Hey, I think it's time ya learned
I don't care what they say, I don't care what y heard
The word luv, luv is a verb
Now, when I read those lyrics, I giggle, but I do believe the basic message is still there. Love is not a feeling, love is an action. I remember a quote I heard long time back, "Happily Ever After is waking up everyday and deciding to fall in love over and over again with the same person." I know that may seem a little out of place for this post, but it really isn't. I think too often we see happily ever after as something that is between a couple only, but what about the hundreds of other relationships that we are involved in on a daily basis? How about all the other people in our lives that we love? Do not those relationships deserve a happily ever after?
This past week, we talked about the four types of love. Philia, storge, eros, and agape. It is a natural fluid motion of emotions to which we put into these types of love. First there is philia: meaning brotherly or family love. It is the love that we share for those we are in a friendship connection. Second, is storge. Storge is the type of love that requires an action. If we love our brother how do we show it? This type is pure action...nothing else. Third, is eros, the most easily recognized. This love is passion and emotion and goodness and heartache and all the other things that we experience with our lovers. The fourth...is the most pure. Agape.
Agape...a love that although we might as humans strive for, will never reach. This is the type of love that creates a world for humans even though it isn't necessary. This is the type of love that parted the Red Sea so that salvation could come to His children. This is the type of love that saw sin and came down, abandoning the heavens, to come in the form of a man. This is the type of love that performed miracles just to draw closer to His children. This is the type of love that endured the spit and ridicule and lashings and crown of thorns and the cross just so we could be saved from it all. This is the type of love that we will never truly grasp, but we have it in our reach anyway...This is God's perfect love.
Love is the greatest of these three because it is the only one we will need when we are rescued from this place. We have faith in God and hope in our salvation. The moment we enter into the kingdom of heaven those will cease to exist. They will no longer be necessary for humanity...but love. Love is God, and we will never cease to be far from the presence of the Almighty; therefore, love will always be present. Love is the greatest of these.
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