During the history of mankind our culture has made love to be mysterious, complex, difficult, and undefinable. As you may have noticed love is the subject of endless poems, songs, films, and literary works.
We have received in this culture that there is not definite definition of what love really is. Is love really this hard to define?
So Lets Start to Define Love:
Love is complicated. It is an emotion, a feeling, a wanting, and a “being”. We know it feels good to be in love and to be loved.
Love is Accepting:
Acceptance is labeling someone as "sufficient" with no want to to change them. Who they are is perfectly fine with you. When you have unconditional love. The moment your love walks out you feel that pain deep in your chest.
Love is Appreciating:
Appreciation is one step beyond acceptance. All acceptance is is saying you love that person. Appreciating means that you actually care what happens to them you always will watch their back. You will appreciate them for who they are. When you tell your friends that you are "in love" you just appreciate them a lot. So what really is love?
Love is Wanting Another to Feel Good:
When we really love someone we want them to me safe, happy, healthy, and fulfilled. Along with those we want them to feel good physically, mentally, and in emotional ways.
How Do We Show Our Love?
Love is a feeling. It’s an action. If you are able to see the difference between a feeling and an expression, you can then love endless numbers of people. So you can love as in friendships and then love as in relationships same word "love" but totally different meaning.
So have we come up with a definite definition yet? No.
So then what really is love? Well lets go the the most sold and oldest books in the world, the Bible. The Bible has chapters dedicated to defining what love is. Here are five of the largest definitions of the word love from the Bible. The book of love in the Bible is called 1st Corinthians. That book was written by Paul. He wrote it in Ancient Greek. In Ancient Greek there are 4 words for “love”, Agape, Eros, Philia, and Storge.
- Agápe (ἀγάπη agápē) means "love" (unconditional love). In Ancient Greek, it often refers to a general affection or deeper sense of "true love”.
- Éros (ἔρως érōs) is passionate love, with sensual desire and longing. In Ancient Greek “Eros” means "intimate love”. But it does not mean “love” in a sexual in nature. Eros is love that is stronger than Philia.
- Philia (φιλία philía) means friendship or brotherly love in Ancient Greek. Philos is a general type of love, used for love between family, between friends, a desire or enjoyment of an activity, as well as between lovers.
- Storge (στοργή storgē) means "affection" in Ancient Greek. It is natural affection. Such s affection from parents for their children.
There are many other places in the Bible where love is mentioned. Here are five of the largest definitions of the word love from the whole Bible. Many of them go back to the Ancient Greek writing of Paul.
1. Unselfish, benevolent concern for another; brotherly concern; the object of brotherly concern or affection
2. The self-denying, self-sacrificing, Christ-like love which is the foundation of all other graces
3. Unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the well being of another
4. The high esteem which God has for His human children, and the high regard which they in turn should have for Him and other people
5. To love, to have affection for someone; to be a friend; the love of brothers for each other
Here is my favorite verse concerning Agape, Eros love.
1. “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. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
This last verse from Paul is a real mouthful. It talks about how true love will always be kind, how it will never flaunt itself for attention, it will never be jealous of others and their accomplishments. True love will always be thinking of others and their welfare, it will never rejoice or wallow in evil and sin.
Many people try to make their true love what they want with manipulation. But the real meaning of true love is what Paul says. “It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” So there still is no definition of what love is. There is so many different forms of love. So you have to figure what love means for yourself.
