"all you need is love"
Tuesday, December 19, 2006 Filed in: deep thoughts
i've been thinking a lot about love lately. (because,
i'm told, it's all you need.) it's made me realize
that our language kinda sucks. i mean... most other
languages have several words for love in it's many
forms and varieties. there are so many different
types of love out there and we just have one word to
cover them all. most people think everyone is after
the romantic type of love. and sure... they are. but
i don't think that's the one people NEED. when it
really comes down to it, people want and need another
kind of love. the love that is a choice. we want
people to CHOOSE to love us. probably that's a big
reason why i'm a Christian. let me explain.
we all want love. and if you think about it, the times when you're pissed off at someone for some reason, it's because they didn't love you. they didn't show you respect, or kindness, or selflessness, or they weren't patient with you, or they didn't accept you for who you are. it happens all the time. this, of course, is because people suck sometimes. people are imperfect and majorly flawed. and as much as we like to think WE would NEVER do that to anyone else... we do. all the time.
so, we're all wandering around this planet trying to find love wherever we can get it. and that's okay. but the ironic thing is, the one place that it's offered perfectly and freely, most people pass by. and even those of us who don't, we aren't satisfied with it a lot of the time. of course i'm talking about God.
so, here's the situation as i see it. there is a God who has chosen to create us... chosen to stick with us even when we spit in His face... chosen to go above and beyond to give us another chance. and there are people everywhere who are incapable of loving perfectly. incapable of ALWAYS showing love to us. incapable of being there for us all the time. and yet... we choose to try and find that love in the people instead of where we could actually find it. not only do we choose people... but we depend on them and are always hurt so badly when we're let down.
according to God, He IS love (1 John 4:8 amongst other places). and He defines love as being patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, not keeping a record of wrongs, not delighting in evil, rejoicing in truth, always protecting, always trusting, always hopeful, always perservering and never failing (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). (in fact, in that verse, you could replace the word "love" with the word "God" and you suddenly have His defining features.) the interesting thing is... those are all things that one CHOOSES to do or not do. to be or not be. they aren't feelings that we just have. God doesn't love us because we're just so great that He can't help but love us... He loves us because He just simply IS love. He doesn't even have to choose to love us. He just IS patient and kind and all of those things. i feel like i don't know anyone who fits that bill. and yet, that's what we expect from each other and refuse from Him.
don't get me wrong... people are capable of those things. and those are amazing things to strive for and we should be striving for them. but we cannot realistically, with the screwed up state of this world and the screwed up state of the human heart, expect people, even the best of them, to demonstrate that perfect love all the time. i wish we could. i wish i could know beyond a shadow of a doubt that people would accept me completely for who i am. (and i'm a VERY open person. i can't imagine what it must be like for those who are much more private.) but it's just not realistic.
so, as Christians we strive to be more like the Biblical definition of love. (which, even if you don't believe, you have to admit is a pretty good definition.) in doing so, we're striving to be more like Him. and that's all He asks of us. the show His love to those around us. (of course, Christians, as an organization, fail at this more than we succeed i think. how badly have we screwed up God's message to this world?)
so, maybe John, Paul, George and Ringo really were onto something. maybe all you really need is Love. let's just be realistic about where it's coming from.
--matt
ps... if you're into the Beatles (and who isn't?)... George Martin (their original manager and producer) just spent a few years reworking some of the original recordings to be used in a Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas entitled "Love" and they just released the soundtrack. it's really cool the way he "mashed up" some of the songs together and it's been getting fantastic reviews.
we all want love. and if you think about it, the times when you're pissed off at someone for some reason, it's because they didn't love you. they didn't show you respect, or kindness, or selflessness, or they weren't patient with you, or they didn't accept you for who you are. it happens all the time. this, of course, is because people suck sometimes. people are imperfect and majorly flawed. and as much as we like to think WE would NEVER do that to anyone else... we do. all the time.
so, we're all wandering around this planet trying to find love wherever we can get it. and that's okay. but the ironic thing is, the one place that it's offered perfectly and freely, most people pass by. and even those of us who don't, we aren't satisfied with it a lot of the time. of course i'm talking about God.
so, here's the situation as i see it. there is a God who has chosen to create us... chosen to stick with us even when we spit in His face... chosen to go above and beyond to give us another chance. and there are people everywhere who are incapable of loving perfectly. incapable of ALWAYS showing love to us. incapable of being there for us all the time. and yet... we choose to try and find that love in the people instead of where we could actually find it. not only do we choose people... but we depend on them and are always hurt so badly when we're let down.
according to God, He IS love (1 John 4:8 amongst other places). and He defines love as being patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not proud, not rude, not self-seeking, not easily angered, not keeping a record of wrongs, not delighting in evil, rejoicing in truth, always protecting, always trusting, always hopeful, always perservering and never failing (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). (in fact, in that verse, you could replace the word "love" with the word "God" and you suddenly have His defining features.) the interesting thing is... those are all things that one CHOOSES to do or not do. to be or not be. they aren't feelings that we just have. God doesn't love us because we're just so great that He can't help but love us... He loves us because He just simply IS love. He doesn't even have to choose to love us. He just IS patient and kind and all of those things. i feel like i don't know anyone who fits that bill. and yet, that's what we expect from each other and refuse from Him.
don't get me wrong... people are capable of those things. and those are amazing things to strive for and we should be striving for them. but we cannot realistically, with the screwed up state of this world and the screwed up state of the human heart, expect people, even the best of them, to demonstrate that perfect love all the time. i wish we could. i wish i could know beyond a shadow of a doubt that people would accept me completely for who i am. (and i'm a VERY open person. i can't imagine what it must be like for those who are much more private.) but it's just not realistic.
so, as Christians we strive to be more like the Biblical definition of love. (which, even if you don't believe, you have to admit is a pretty good definition.) in doing so, we're striving to be more like Him. and that's all He asks of us. the show His love to those around us. (of course, Christians, as an organization, fail at this more than we succeed i think. how badly have we screwed up God's message to this world?)
so, maybe John, Paul, George and Ringo really were onto something. maybe all you really need is Love. let's just be realistic about where it's coming from.
--matt
ps... if you're into the Beatles (and who isn't?)... George Martin (their original manager and producer) just spent a few years reworking some of the original recordings to be used in a Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas entitled "Love" and they just released the soundtrack. it's really cool the way he "mashed up" some of the songs together and it's been getting fantastic reviews.