"Listen to the words that others can't speak; speak the words that others can't hear."

Friday, February 5, 2010

On Love.

The other day I heard someone say that 'the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference.' Those few words, wise as they were, caught my attention and I couldn't help but brood over it for the rest of that day.
Lately, love is mistakenly used for all situations and the word has simply been worn-out. The word 'like' has taken the place of 'umm.' and 'love' has inevitably replaced what 'like' used to stand for. This begs the question: Why does all this matter?
The answer is simple. In God's eyes, love is something special. It is what He gave us when He died for us on the cross. It is what He believed to be a special bond shared between a man and a woman. God didn't believe love to be a common, everyday word. Don't get me wrong, He wanted love to be shared; He wants His people to know that they are loved by Him and by others. That we, as a church, can grow in His peace, love and kindness and as a community can contribute to building up the foundation that He set up when He gave His life for His people.
Personally though, with the way the world has evolved, I fear that the word will soon become meaningless; if it hasn't already. Men use the word simply to get a woman to give in to the man's sexual desire, to sin. Women use love for almost everything. We love fashion, music, movies and we've even learned to love people we have never even met. I don't really know about everyone else, but this just disconcerts me.
I'm the type of person who believes in love. I have been in love, in true love. I have felt the difference between love and lust, I have witnessed both true love and simple infatuation. And honestly, I would be a liar if I ended this by saying that I have never used love in an impersonal way.
The fact of the matter is that we have all used love in the wrong sense of the word. Subconsciously, most of us abuse the word on a daily basis.
To get to my point, and to prove that I really did have a purpose in saying all this, I am going to challenge myself and the rest of the world (I say that only to humor myself and make me feel like I have readers) to not use the word, to save it for when it means something, when it's special.
Instead of saying the word, I'm taking the freedom to show it, to express it. Everyone will know how I feel for them through my actions, not my words. And if I make the mistake of using the word too soon or with the wrong timing I will remember that the opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
"Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn't jealous.It doesn't sing its own praises. It isn't arrogant. It isn't rude. It doesn't think about itself. It isn't irritable. It doesn't keep track of wrongs. It isn't happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up." ~ 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

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