The Definition of Love

Love is Love is Love is Love. The definition of Love is definitive- therefore a period, not a dotdotdot, not a comma, not a semi-colon... People tend to believe that their pursuit of Love is infinitely based on their definition of it... but I believe that is wrong. They are merely describing their feelings or response to Love, or their desired ideallic feelings as such. Love's definition does not alter between persons, but remains the same- they instead manipulate their idea of the definition of Love to fit their desired feelings and emotional/spiritual/physical destination. Love is a universal term... a universal, infinite term that describes and definest something of its own entity within itself. Petty humans cannot master something so great without directing themselves to the Definition of Love Himself.

What is the definition of love? Prehaps the true question, in this case, is who, not what. Love is, essentially, impossible to grasp. It has a category all on its own- it can describe others and itself entirely at the same time. You can feel love, see love, show love, be love, give love, recieve love, call love by its name... as if it broke and fulfilled all of the grammatical laws of language we know of. Although the Definition of Love Himself cannot be defined by just a couple lines in a dictionary (no, not even the thousands of pages can contain enough information that would sufficiently scrape the surface of such a definition), there are ways we can detect Love- detect its true identity, versus it's imposters. Those who see Love as a word, a deed, a feeling that can be manipulated, predicted, brushed aside or stimulated by man alone. Those who believe Love is something to be lost, fallen into, found, or fallen out of. Love is not a wandering hole in the ground someone trips into and flounders around in... neither is Love so menial a thing that it can be lost by a word, deed or feeling.

Love is so much greater. Love is Greater. It is The Greater. Not only bigger than our brains can intellectually rationalize, but it is The Bigger. It is not vast but The Vast, not complete but The Complete. Love holds tight the perfection we so strangely pursue in imperfection. We desire completion, wholeness... by searching for it in broken things. Love's worldly picture creates standards to be met, quotas to be met, needs to be satisfied, feelings to be felt... words to be said- when in reality all of those things indeed are included in The Defintion, but only included- they are not, in turn, the definition themselves, which so many people so sadly mistake them to be.

Love is Patient. The Patience people are when they are perfectly patient. Perfection in Patience. Same with Kindness. Love is Kind. The Definition of Love is both Patient (in it's completion), and Kind (in its completion). Love does not envy. What does this mean? That He- the Definition of Love- cannot be envious of others because Love is the residence above all things. Love has no jealousy of things it already has- for jealousy is of lusting after what one does not have, and Love holds everything. Love is perfectly complete.

Love is not rude. Because Love does not need to rise any further. He doesnt require the slashing of others in order to elevate Himself- Love is perfectly complete. Love is not self-seeking... Love is not easily angered, Love keeps no record of wrongs, Love doesnt delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. Love delights in the Truth because it is the Truth. Love defines Truth and Truth defines Love. They are one. Anything evil will break it, and since Love is perfectly complete, therefore there is no brokenness. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. The definition of Always is infinite. It is perfectly continuing forever. There is never a time when it isnt- Always is forever. Love is forever. If at one time Love did not protect, trust, hope or persevere- Love would cease to be itself.

Love never fails. Never is forever. If Love failed even once- it would cease to be Love. Love Himself would cease to be Himself. Because forever continues perfectly on. And Love is forever.

These are the things Love is. But the Definition of Love still is mind-boggling. Who is this entity who can contain these perfect, complete, infinite traits? Love can only be found by asking this question. Love is that substinance that we, whoever we are, strive for all of our lives. Consciously or unconsciously. Intentionally or unintentionally. We are here, ultimately, because of Love. To find Him... or, rather, for Him to find us.

We frequently make the mistake of believing that Love is something we can say offhandedly to our girlfriend, parent, best friend, sibling- without thought or second thought... mostly in ignorance (sometimes in intentional refusal of the knowledge) of the true Definition of Love. It really is His name we are using so crassly every day of our lives. He is Love, is He not? Therefore it is His Definition and He is it's. Then why do we use the term "love" so loosely- a thing that has so much... is so much. Perfectly MUCH.

You can laugh or roll your eyes, sigh, and move on- but hopefully not. Hopefully my epiphany (my "aha moment) has created one of your own. I know that my desire of Love is emminent... and my desire to become a Missionary has stemmed ultimately from my yearn to reveal this Love (in all of its perfection and completion) to others. Ive realized that not only does 1st Corinthians 13 define God, but it should define us (in all of its perfection and completion) because we are no longer bearers of excuse in Ignorance. We cannot say we have exeption to flaw. We are of God... and God is of us! The Definition of Love should be ultimately and definitively, shown and revealed through us.

Why is this so often not the case!?