The One Who Holds the Key

I've been doing quite a lengthy study on I Corinthians 13:4-8.
Why, you ask?  Because I need to understand what real love is.  Don't we all?  Most of us only know one form of love...the Greeks called it eros...from which the word erotic comes from.  It is a sensual love or a love born of the senses...touch, taste, see, smell, hear.

This is how most of us fell in love.  We saw someone.  We spoke to them.  We smelled them....yes you  did (aftershave, cologne, perfume).  Eventually we touched them.  Then we tasted them through a kiss (fireworks went off)!  And at that moment a sensual connection was made to that person that left an indelible imprint on our souls (minds, will, emotions).  If we then foolishly pursued a deeper, more intimate relationship with that person; we then entered through another door that either brought us great joy or a broken heart.

This surface, sensual type of relationship offered great promise until we discovered the shallowness of each other's hearts.  Because this type of love has its foundation upon self-gratification, it's root system cannot be sustained; it dies due to poor soil conditions.  Oh....we've all read the reports as to the why's and the how's of love that dies.  It has been analyzed, scrutinized, Oprah-ized, and Dr. Phil-ized until it makes our heads spin.  And yet, we still wonder why?

I wish schools would offer classes in the meaning of love...not SEX!!   Sex is the outcome of one form of love, because it arouses the emotions.   Most of us only know the one kind because that is what we saw, heard, felt, tasted and smelled.  Our only means of comparison is based on what others...saw, heard, felt, tasted and smelled.  This is why thousands of magazines and books are devoured on a daily basis.  And yet the ONE Book that has spanned thousands of years, reveals every act, thought and desire of man is ignored because it has been accused of not being relevant to our time.

Lets look at the Greek word that most describes our "love" experience...Eros.
Eros was the Greek god of love - sensual, sexual, impulsive (pay attention to that).    Kenneth Wuest further brings forth the definition as a love that has its basis in passion, and its expression takes the form of a blind impulse produced by passion.   He goes on to say "an overmastering passion seizing upon and absorbing into itself the whole mind."  Go back and read it again.  This kind of love "seizes" the mind.  In other words a person can lose their reasoning ability when it comes to this form of love.
Ever heard of an impulse buyer ???  This is a person who just HAS TO HAVE what they see at the moment, and is willing to do whatever it takes to possess that item, even if it means financial bondage.

If I can just re-emphasize something here, and that is that the eros form of love does not employ the reasoning of the mind, and this is what leads to a lot of heartache and disappointment.  Oh, its thrilling and exciting, but in order to maintain that excitement, the emotions must be constantly in control.  Then it becomes exhausting and leaves that person feeling empty and disillusioned.  Remember this a "form" of love, not the true essence of love.  

I've been married for 42 years, and I do not offer my marriage as any exact science in the example of love.  My husband, Herb, and I, like most married couples have muddled and prayed our way through many difficulties and good times.  As we have aged, we have both become more aware of the kind of love that the Bible calls us to walk in.   When I first met Herb, I thought he was a hunk.  Really, I did!!!  I was 18 years old, away from home, on my own, and there he was!!!  I did not "know" him.  I was siezed with eros!!  He had hair (hope Herb doesn't read this), muscles, smelled good, could dance; I mean what else do you want???  But, I did not KNOW who he was inside.

And talk about a package??? Well, when he fell in love with me..., bless his heart..., I don't think the man had any clue as to what he was siezed with.  We were ignorant of the true meaning of love.  We have endured many challenges to our marriage, and by God's grace have come through them all.  I was very fortunate to have found someone who knew what commitment was, because I didn't.  My father was married five times, my mother three times, and I witnessed and experienced many things that did not paint a lovely picture of marriage or love.

I only knew one kind.  And this is the reason for this blog.  Over the next few days, I just want to share what God's Word has to say about this subject.  Maybe, it will help someone see that they can discern the relationship they are in, and move toward a better one.  Maybe it will help someone see that what they have been siezed with is really not for their best.  Maybe it will help someone realize that they have a relationship worth committing to, and let God's Word come in and strengthen the roots of that marriage.

Let me leave you with this today.  God's Word holds the key to real love, true love, love that goes beyond feelings, and becomes the blessing He intended it to be.