Throughout the passage of time, people have seen me, thought they really knew and understood me, experienced me,
been confused about me, yet often
question who I am.
I can be a challenge to define, depending on how you have been exposed to me, and yet even the most scholarly and learned can use but mere words to describe who I am.
At times, (as Philia), I have visited two people who are simply friends, with no strings attached, just a genuine care and concern about each other, loyal and sacrificial and giving, yet some aren’t sure who I am.
Sometimes, (as Eros), I find myself immersed in different types of relationships, though God’s design and intent was for me to be in a relationship between a husband and wife, wherein there are intense feelings of passion and physical pleasure, yet people still don’t understand who I am.
You see me, (as Storge,) in your family circles and homes among parents and children, flowing ever so gracefully and naturally, yet I can become a bit of an obstacle when viewpoints don’t align, so people question who I am.
Young lovers often experience, (as Ludus), the excitement of butterflies, sweaty palms, and a playful form of affection, yet as the relationship progresses, I often get lost in the long-run, causing many people to wonder who I am.
I find myself in a contrary position, (as Mania), occasionally leading self-centered, jealous, possessive individuals to madness, obsessive behavior, and codependency, yet people think they really know who I am.
Evident to a husband and wife who have been together for many years, and to friends who have weathered life’s storms with the passage of time, (as Pragma), there’s much give and take on both sides, patience and hard work to make things work, yet I am perplexing to many people who give up and quit and lose hope and faith in who I am.
To care for others, you must first care for yourself, so, (as Philautia), I see myself as anything but vain, narcissistic, or so focused on myself that I cannot see the needs of others, yet for some reason I am not embraced as important, leading many to not recognize that you cannot truly love others if you don’t truly love yourself, because this is who I am.
I am timeless, endless, limitless, selfless, accepting, forgiving, always thinking of your greater good; nurturing, compassionate even towards others in spite of their flaws, failures, and shortcomings; the highest and most radical of all forms, (as Agape), I am unconditional and am the embodiment of the Most High Himself. I originate in God, who has no beginning and no ending, yet people have a hard time comprehending just who I am.
When misguided, I can be misused, abused, and indulged in to excess; I can lead to impulsivity, pain, and broken hearts and relationships, yet I fail to see why people don’t go directly to my True Source to find out who I really am.
So, whether you have been properly introduced to me as yet, or not, let me take the time this morning to unveil myself to you. I am L-O-V-E! That’s my name, and it’s my nature to be myself in every situation.
You say you love your dog, and love your car, and love your house, and love your job, and love the beach, and even love pancakes or the food at your favorite restaurant, but this just goes to show that your understanding of me is limited and warped to some degree.
Yes, you’ve seen my many faces, in many different places, and regardless of your experiences with me –whether good or bad- the one I really want you to zoom in on today, for the rest of this week, the rest of this new year, and quite frankly the rest of your life, is Agape.
Bound up in your Creator, is a love like you will never know or experience
elsewhere.
In Jeremiah 31:3, He says He has loved you with an everlasting love, and with lovingkindness has drawn you to Himself.
In Matthew 22:35-40, He tells a lawyer that the first and great commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind; and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself.
John 3:16,17 reminds us why and how He loved the world, in giving Heaven’s most prized possession to restore a relationship that’s been marred by sin.
1 Corinthians 13 calls me charity and shines a bright light on what it really means to love God and love man.
1 John 4:7-21 paints an altogether different picture of who I am. Unique to the human experience, is the knowledge of who God is and the way in which He showed His love to lost humanity in sacrificing His only Son so that mankind may have life through Him. You love Him because He first loved you, and since He loves you, you should also love others.
I know. You may have been hurt and abandoned by someone who said they loved you. You may have experienced pain as a result of losing someone you loved ever so dearly. You may be in bondage to someone or something or a circumstance wherein you expected to be free to love and be loved and simply be yourself. You may have lost faith and hope in the power of love because of the bad taste a broken relationship has left in your mouth. You may be taking issue with God for things that happened in your past that are keeping you from living the abundant life that Christ died to give to you NOW.
No matter where you are, or where you have been, God sees you right where you are right now.
Come to Him with your grief, your pain, your anguish, your brokenness, your emptiness, your loneliness, your frustration, and your confusion.
Without me, you cannot experience
true intimacy with your Heavenly
Father.
So, let Him mend your broken vessel and fill you with His grace, and hope, and love, and peace.
Let His Spirit heal the hurt and enable you to experience the divine love of the Master.
Let Him immerse you in His great, powerful love, saturate you with His favor, and wrap His loving arms around you.
He loves you personally and wants you to walk in that love and live as though you are loved so that His love can radiate through you to others.
So, give Him a chance to radically make a difference in your heart and life.
Are you up for the challenge today?
