What Is Love?

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8

Today we celebrate a holiday set aside to emphasize the spirit and meaning of love. There are different kinds of love – everything from romantic love to love of family, friends, pets, country, alma mater, church, and multiple others. Love in any kind of relationship isn’t always easy, but rather it requires unselfishness and commitment on our part.

Love in any relationship has different qualities. One of the most important qualities of love is staying power. A few weeks ago, I read a story on Matthew and Kelly Stafford, the LA Rams quarterback of the new Super Bowl Champs and his wife. I am a fan of Stafford because he is a former Georgia quarterback, he’s had a rough professional road, and the story is heartwarming. Kelly was diagnosed in 2019 with a benign brain tumor which had to be removed surgically. After the surgery there was a long recovery as she had to learn to walk again. She gives one hundred per cent of the credit for her recovery to her husband as she says, “Matthew was right there by my side for every exercise and every step.” This kind of love has staying power.

Love is unselfish likened to that of the parable of the lost sheep. The shepherd had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them. He left the ninety nine to find the one sheep that had gone astray. Our Buford grand boys each got a bunny for Easter about two years ago. The bunnies, Stanley and Cotton, made their home outside with a condo like enclosure, fans, heaters, food, water, and lots of places to make themselves comfortable. It was a short time later when they realized that Stanley was blind, and he never left Cotton’s side while relying on him for everything. One morning, Stanley was gone. What happened to him is a mystery. Cotton wandered around for a couple of days in the cage, and then one morning he was gone as well. In trying to explain this, Ashley said, “If you were lost, wouldn’t you want someone to come after you?” What would make even a bunny go after the other? The answer is unselfish love.

Love also values the other person. According to the Bible, love is an active interest in the well being of another, and as such, it should never be confused with modern feelings such as sentimentality or gratification. William Barclay says, “Love is the spirit in the heart that will never seek anything but the highest good of its fellow man.” God’s command to love your neighbor probably sounds irrelevant in this world of police departments and force to uphold the law, but if we truly love every person because they are a person, we’d never desire to cause them harm.

Love is costly. Love takes goes out on a limb to help others, it takes a chance, it makes a statement, it leaves a legacy, it does unexpected things, and it can do things that steal your heart and are never forgotten.

Years ago at the end of a wedding where Randy was officiating and I was attending, he pronounced the couple man and wife, and the organ postlude began. I was horrified because the groom had not kissed his bride, so I began to furiously throw kisses toward Randy hoping he would understand the signals. Randy was so surprised at my outward show of affection that he began to throw kisses back. This exchange went on as the bride and groom were waking up the aisle. Finally, through many missed signals, Randy realized the omission. He stopped the music, had the congregation sit back down, and called the couple back down to the altar. When the confused couple were back in place he said, “Now, you may kiss your bride.”

The couple were thrilled with this wonderful end to their wedding and everyone in attendance could talk of nothing else. This emphasis on love made other brides ask for that same thing in their wedding! Nope, that was a one time thing!

It’s also costly as you give of yourselves to others. It’s love that feeds the homeless, it’s love that fosters children, it’s love that visits the sick, it’s love that gives to the poor, and it’s love that spreads Christianity. Christian love is the most costly investment you will ever make.

The good new is that God’s love is unchangeable, and He loves us even when we don’t see or feel it. “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5) This kind of love grows if we nurture it, develops if we feed it, and expands if we persist in it. Love needs staying power, love is unselfish, love is valuable, and it is costly. The good news is that God’s love never fails.

We can do no great things only small things with great love. Mother Teresa