What Is Love?

When I was growing up, my siblings and I enjoyed watching some "family friendly" video series. My parents were careful about what we watched. 

About the only thing I can remember watching as a young child was a series called "Little House on the Prairie". We also enjoyed watching "Anne of Green Gables" along with a spin off series called "Road to Avonlea". As I got a little older, we enjoyed a few more family video series. (occasionally skipping an episode that my parents didn't think was so good) 

As an adult woman now, I am so thankful for the loving protection of my parents in that particular way. Extremely thankful. 

One of the series we watched had an episode titled: "What Is Love?"  

Many years ago, I watched that episode again. That question, posed to school students by their school teacher at the beginning of the episode, had me thinking for a little while.  

What is love? That's easy to answer. (or so I thought)  Love is...well, love. Hmm. Maybe that question wasn't as easy to answer as I thought. 

The episode concluded with a young school boy giving his definition of love based on things that were done or given to others in the episode. It was a sweet ending. 

But that question had me thinking long after the episode had ended. How would love be defined?

Believe it or not, that question, What Is Love?, has stayed with me for years, tucked away in the back of my mind. Every now and then, something would come up that would remind me of that question. Love wasn't as easy to define as I thought it was. 

After thinking for a long time about that simple question, I finally came to the conclusion that if I was asked that question, I would probably define love as caring about someone or something. 

To me, love is caring.  

If you do not love, you do not care. 

If you genuinely care about someone or something, to me, that is love. I'm not sure how well a school teacher would grade my answer, but that would be my definition of love. 

In the past year, I have thought a lot about love and what it means to love others. God's Word is full of this, and I realized that God's Word directly answers that question. The older I get, the more I realize that God's Word defines so many things - including this question. 

What is love? 

In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, God's Word says: 

Love suffers long. 

Love is kind. 

God's Word goes on to say what love is not. 

Love does not envy. 

Love is not proud. 

Love does not dishonor others. 

Love is not self seeking.

Love is not easily angered.  

Love does not think about evil. 

Love does not rejoice in sin.

God's Word continues to define what love is: 

Love rejoices in the truth. 

Love bears all things. 

Love believes all things. 

Love hopes all things. 

Love endures all things. 

God Word finishes by saying: 

Love never fails. 

Wow! What a definition of love. This is God's definition of love. (The old English uses the word charity for love) 

Love is kind. I like that definition. So very simple, yet so incredibly profound.   

Since the month of February is centered around love here in the United States, I found it refreshing and uplifting to remember what true love is. Love is a mark of true Christians. Love is listed in the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

I told a friend of mine on Valentine's Day this year that I wasn't thinking much about romantic love. (don’t ask me about the following weekend when I realized how incredibly single I still am) Instead, I thought about what true love is, as shared in this post. I thought about God's incredible love for me. I am His. I belong to Him. I have been purchased with His blood. 

John 15:13 says: 

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." 

Christ did just that when He died and shed His blood for you and me. There is no greater love. 

What is love? 

I like God’s definition of love best of all.