Love has so many shades and forms. It’s part of our essence and accompanies us in all aspects of life. But what is love actually?
What makes it unique, and how can one act out of love in a naturally-flowing, ongoing basis?
Love allows us the greatest gift of all when we give ourselves to it. It fills us with joy and the ability to lead life in a much more harmonious and balanced way.
How do we do all this?
Love is universal and familiar to every person no matter who he is. Despite this, it enjoys a huge variety of interpretations, possibilities and perspectives. Let’s try to delve into a few of love’s guidelines and find their common denominator.
The person giving love also benefits
Giving love is not foreign to any of us. When love is expressed, it comes from sensitivity and understanding the other party and what he or she needs at that moment.
It might be helping an elderly woman cross the road. Just by helping, our feeling of satisfaction increases, and the heart expands a little more. Part of true giving is expressed in respect and honor. I mean the ability to see the other person as he or she is, to appreciate their uniqueness, and from this place to take care of their well-being and growth.
It is not for nothing that it was said that ‘We are all one.’
Love is behavior
Words are not really enough. Actions are what really counts. Especially when it comes to a relationship of any kind. Even the statement ‘I love you’ is empty when not backed up by appropriate behavior. This is the way toward growth and development in a relationship.
Love takes time
When it comes to a relationship, after the falling-in-love phase passes and the “sparks” go out, only then does the true journey of love begin. And as such, time is required for the development and deepening of the intimacy that has not yet really begun.
Love, like a seed, also needs time to germinate. Here, too, the act of giving deepens the bond between two. Giving is manifested primarily in attention, patience and curiosity regarding the other person out of a genuine desire to learn to know them. True love is not conditional. It does not keep a record of rights and wrongs.
Love is an action
Love is devotion that comes “dressed” in different ways and in various settings, but the essence remains the same. We have quite a few names for it: love for no reason, marital love, love your neighbor, love of mankind, self-love. Every kind of love, in my opinion, requires action, being present and giving attention.
Love is essence
In a sense, there is no need to teach about love, since we were created from love, and love is our very being.
God is love. God created us with love. And therefore true love is a manifestation of God in us (1 John 4:7).
True, sometimes we have to go through a journey for it to become visible in us. Or maybe something happens to ignite it in us and reminds us that it exists. Even in war it can be present and change the way we think of the enemy.
“…But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” (Matthew 5)
Connect to the flow
Sometimes all we need for this connection, is to simply raise our heads and look at the environment in which we live, at the circle of people around us, or at our family.
Just observe them, without straying to distant thoughts or even good memories. Be present in the here and now. Dive deep into the eyes of the person standing in front of you and simply sense them. Words are not required here, although one may have a sudden protective instinct to “drown” in words to avoid an awkward moment.
However, the “awkward” moment might actually be the turning point, the moment when the way we think of this person, changes.
And our hearts are filled with love.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
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4 responses to “Reflecting on Love in Honor of Valentine’s Day”
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A Christian friend posted this, Can anyone verify?
Valentine was a passionate evangelist who sought to win people to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is also known for ministering to and caring for Christians who had been persecuted by the Roman Empire.
A common hagiography describes Valentine as a priest of Rome or as the former Bishop of Terni, an important town of Umbria, in central Italy. While under house arrest of Judge Asterius, and discussing his faith with him, Valentine was discussing the validity of Jesus. The judge put Valentine to the test and brought to him the judge’s adopted blind daughter. If Valentine succeeded in restoring the girl’s sight, Asterius would do whatever he asked. Valentine, praying to God, laid his hands on her eyes and the child’s vision was restored!
Immediately humbled, the judge asked Valentine what he should do. Valentine replied that all of the idols around the judge’s house should be broken, and that the judge should fast for three days and then undergo the Christian sacrament of baptism. The judge obeyed and, as a result of his fasting and prayer, freed all the Christian inmates under his authority. The judge, his family, and his forty-four member household of adult family members and servants were baptized.
Valentine was later arrested again for continuing to evangelize. He was sent to Rome, to the emperor Claudius Gothicus (Claudius II) himself. Claudius took a liking to him until Valentine tried to convince Claudius to embrace Christianity. Claudius refused and condemned Valentine to death, commanding that Valentine either renounce his faith or he would be beaten with clubs and beheaded. Valentine refused and was executed outside the Porta Flaminia, a gate in the Aurelian Walls of Rome, on February 14, 269.
As far as I know Valentine is a pagan holiday! It has nothing to do with Yeshua!
Where did you find all this info on ‘Valentine’ as a person and a christian?
Google “Valentine” and a number of sites like the BBC and Encyclopaedia Britannica refer to aspects of the above story. I think it came from Wikipedia. A February Roman holiday gave it pagan associations but they don’t need to be observed. Valentine’s love would fall into the “Love is behaviour” category above.
When we realise God loves us it sets us on a journey to learn to love as he does. Scripture says, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Emulating God’s love can lead us to act as Valentine supposedly did. We surely all know of others who are doing a better job of loving God’s way than ourselves, and who inspire us to do better.