Some thoughts on love

As Valentine's Day is fast approaching (it's tomorrow, boys! :0), I thought I would write down some thoughts on the subject of love. Did you know that legend has it that Valentine was a priest who served during third century Rome. There was an Emperor at that time by the name of Claudius II. Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those that were married. With this thought in mind he outlawed marriage for young men in hopes of building a stronger military base. Supposedly, Valentine, decided this decree just wasn't fair and chose to marry young couples secretly. When Emperor Claudius II found out about Valentine's actions he had him put to death. Another legend has it that Valentine was an imprisoned man who fell in love with his jailor's daughter. Before he was put to death he sent the first 'valentine' himself when he wrote her a letter and signed it 'Your Valentine', words still used on cards today.

Perhaps we'll never know the true identity and story behind the man named St. Valentine, but this much is for sure...February has been the month to celebrate love for a long time, dating clear back to the Middle Ages. In fact, Valentines ranks second only to Christmas in number of greeting cards sent.

Our New Living Translation Bible offers these thoughts on "True Love": it reads in a caption, "Our society often confuses love and lust. Unlike lust, love is directed outward toward others, not inward toward ourselves. It is utterly unselfish. This kind of love goes against our natural inclinations. It is impossible to have this love unless God helps us set aside our own natural desires so that we can love and not expect anything in return. Thus, the more we become like Christ, the more love we will show to others."

I really believe that if you change your thinking, your behaviour will follow. When we fill our minds with pure and noble thoughts - when we take captive every thought and submit ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit - 'right' thinking prevails ... and our behaviours show the "fruit" of the Holy Spirit. God has truly given us an amazing gift when he designed our ability to choose. Our thinking capacity is like no other creature on this earth. When I was 14, I read a book entitled, "The Origin of Consciousness and the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind" (a little light reading before bed :0) It challenged my thinking and caused me to question things like, "Does our dog think about going to eat her food, or is she merely reacting to a physical need? Is she choosing to get up and walk over to her dish and eat - or is it a natural response to an inner sensation of hunger?"

If you think about this concept in Biblical terms (which I always like to do), then what separates man and woman from all the other creatures in this world, is our ability to reason through our choices. Personally, I think I behaved more like my beloved cocker spaniel before my eyes were opened to a new reality lived through the life of Christ. I was just meandering around my life reacting to physical needs and inner sensations instead of rejoicing at the gift of choice and and my ability to think - and was definately not spending time meditating on anything useful. I aged and developed more sophisticated tastes to meet my needs - but it was all the same.

So, what does all of this have to do with LOVE? You know what's coming, don't you? LOVE is a choice ... we may fall in love quite easily - giving our heart away at the slightest whim - open to experiencing new and exciting sensations ... yet, what happens when the sensation wears out or the physical need has been met? We're left standing at our empty dog dish - staring into an oblivion of unconsciousness (or maybe, shall I say "un-conscience-ness" :0) That being said, let's meditate on what the Apostle Paul said love is - I come back to this passage often ... I have very strong natural tendencies that I must take captive and allow God to change my thinking :0) He IS love, afterall ...

"If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth, but didn't love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn't love others, what good would I be? And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody. If I have everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would be of no value whatsoever.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Love will last forever, but prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will all disappear. Now we know only a little, and even the gift of prophecy reveals little! But when the end comes, these special gifts will all disappear.

It's like this: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.

There are three things that will endure - faith, hope and love - and the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, NLT

I hope everyone has a blessed Valentine's Day! And maybe, for a moment during your day, stop and meditate on the most perfect love - the love of the One who lived and died for us all - our friend and Saviour, Jesus ... maybe that thought will change us just a little bit for the better, yes?