What is Love? The Truth About Love
What is Love? I find this question complex at the same time simple. Before I can even attempt to define Love and the truth about Love, let me first share how love is generally understood or misunderstood.
The oxford English Dictionary defines love as follows:
“an intense feeling of deep affection.” For instance “babies fill parents with feelings of love” or ” feel deep affection for (someone).”
In these two definitions from the Oxford Dictionary, love is defined as a feeling. More often than not, love is defined by our emotions or desires. Defining love as a feeling is limiting in itself because feelings are bound to change yet love is permanent. How can love be permanent yet I stopped loving someone you may ask. My simple answer to this is that Love can never cease to exist. The lack of belief in Love does not eliminate love. Love is beyond feelings.
The state of your emotions or your desires, are the rewards of Love. For instance, a couple in love are emotionally connected, the emotional connection is achieved because of love. Therefore emotional connection comes as a reward of love. Love knows how to reward acts of love. Where people love one another there is peace and abundance. Just imagine the multitude of gifts that love comes bearing.
What is Love? Is it a feeling?
As we try to answer this question, what is love? We have so far eliminated feelings in defining love. It therefore implies that I cannot define Love based on how I feel. Love is not subjective but it is objective. Love is simple yet complex depending on how you want to look at it. The real definition of love is giving selflessly.
In other words love is giving without expecting anything in return. Giving selflessly does not involve feelings. Because you are giving irrespective of how you feel about the other person. By understanding this, we can say that love is the act of giving that is not subject to anything. Love is giving without expectations. The Bible tells us in John 3:16 (NIV) that “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” We did ask for it neither did we deserve it, this is a pure act of Love.
What is Love? Unconditional love
When you truly love someone, you shall still give whether you are angry or disappointed with them. It implies that you will care for that person whether you feel like it or not. It simply means that I shall catch that grenade for you irrespective of how I feel. I know that when love is defined for what it truly is (unconditional) then it seems unachievable because our minds have been corrupted with selfish tendencies. That I have to think of myself first. What is in it for me? How can I benefit from it? Such questions limit the true definition of love.
It therefore implies that love has nothing to do with feelings. It means that I will give irrespective of how I am feeling about you. Love implies giving yourself up for the sake of the other that you love. Love is unconditional in the sense that when I say I love you, I am simply implying that I am giving up myself for you without expecting anything in return. Neither do I expect something to be fulfilled before I love you. Whenever there is an expectation then it ceases to be love and it becomes a transaction or an obligation.
More about Love
Love comes from a place of abundance, this implies that you cannot love when there is no love in you. This simply means that you cannot use acts of hate to express Love. The acts have to be full of love. For instance, I cannot kill someone to get someone else’s love. The good thing is that we are made in the image and likeness of God and thus by default we are full of love until we are corrupted by the patterns of the world. Paul in his 1st letter to the Corrinthians gives us a glimpse of what love is.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV
What is love in summary? Love is about the other person and not myself, it is the act of giving up on yourself. As we have been commanded, go out there and spread love. Love your neighbour as you love yourself.
If we all do things without expecting anything in return, then we can redeem ourselves from what is killing mankind today. If you look keenly at issues facing society today, you will find out that the root cause is selfishness which implies no Love. Love will redeem us.
Check Getin4 inspiration for more.
You can also visit our YouTube page for more inspiring videos and teachings.
What is Love in it’s real essence