But it's such a deep topic. It's one of those that could never be overanalyzed. Love is so multi-faceted, and can signify so many different things.
It's interesting to me that there's only one word in the English language for love.
[my inner word nerd is coming out...]
There are four words for love in the Greek language:
agape (αγάπη) is most commonly used in modern day Greek, and refers to real love. You know, like the kind of love where you would do absolutely anything for the person.
eros (έρως) is a sensual passionate love. i.e., getting to know someone in the "Biblical sense".
philia (φιλία) is friend love. It can refer to loyalty among friends, comfortable familiarity with family, etc.
storge (στοργή) is acceptance. Sometimes it has the connotation of a begrudging acceptance, but it's almost always used in reference to an unearned affection.
My point of focus the past couple days has been agape love. It totally blows my mind. It's quite possibly the most beautiful and unselfish thing I've ever witnessed.
There's an older couple at Madison Park (my church in Anderson) who have been married for a lot of years. Over the past few years, the wife has become more and more affected by dementia.
I first met them a couple years ago when I started to become more involved in the worship arts ministry at Madison Park. At that point, the wife was in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's. She would say the same things to me every Sunday (most Sundays she reminded me that she plays violin and would then give me a high five because I "deserved it"), but was otherwise self-sufficient.
By the time I left the church the following summer, she had become somewhat socially inappropriate, and was no longer mentally capable of driving, but was still able to play violin in the orchestra and be an active member of the church choir.
I hadn't seen or thought about her since I stopped attending Madison Park eight months ago, but while I was in Anderson this past month, I couldn't help but notice her in the church choir there.
You see, she kind of stuck out. Not only was she the only female standing smack dab in the middle of the men's section, but she also wasn't really singing. She'd stare off into space for a few minutes, then sing a few words that weren't necessarily a part of the current song, and then she'd look around some more.
It was honestly kind of sad to watch, but at the same time, it was really a neat thing to see. Her incompetence wasn't the neat part; it was the way her husband was there to support her. She probably shouldn't have been in public, but her husband was right there with her watching her every move and making sure she didn't harm or embarrass herself (or anyone else).
Her husband has literally devoted his entire existence to enabling his wife to live the life she wants to. She was standing in the men's section so he could keep a closer eye on her. He stands in her shadow and watches from a distance. If she does anything inappropriate (which is frequent), he gently guides her away from the situation.
She's obviously a very different person now than who she was when they got married.
But he wasn't kidding when he told her,
"For better or for worse.
In sickness or in health.
Until death do us part."
I was looking through the four Greek loves to try to identify which of these was most closely linked to the love I saw this man show his wife, and I couldn't decide on just one. His love for his wife is so deep that it encompasses all four of these loves. Sure, there's probably not much eros in their relationship at this point, but he displays the other three loves in an unmistakeable way.
The interaction between this couple is the closest thing to God's love that I can ever recall seeing. Sure, a lot of people are of the opinion that God is a harsh and critical deity. But all I know for certain is what I've experienced, and what I've experienced is that God is a god of unconditional, unmerited, irrational love.
Regardless of what I do or how far away I try to run, God's never stopped loving me. He's never stopped providing for me. I don't understand it. But I can't deny its truth.
Love always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.
-1 Corinthians 13:7
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