What the world needs now is love sweet love...

Ahhhh, February! It is the shortest month of the year, and maybe the dreariest. Cold and gloom prevail, and maybe that is the reason someone decided a long time ago to liven up this otherwise gloomy month with visions of love. Of course, I’m talking about Valentine’s Day.

Yes, February is the time when we express our deepest affections and shower those dear to us with expressions of love. We pick one day, February 14th, and we honor those we truly love with such things as an intimate dinner, beautiful flowers, perhaps even a box of delicious candy. We have come to believe that these are all examples of how we display our love to one another.

As I have studied the New Testament, one of the things I have appreciated in its writings was the skillful use of language. The original New Testament was written mostly in Greek, and the Greek language has some wonderful nuances that we should pay attention to. Let us take for example, the word “love”. The Greeks had at least three different words they used to denote love; Philia, Eros, and Agape. Let’s take a moment to examine the differences.

A man might say, “I love my dog…I love my truck…I love pizza…I love my wife.” Obviously the word love in these examples carries vastly different meanings…right? In Greek, the word Philia might be translated as like or fond of. I like (philia) my dog or I like (philia) pizza. The word Eros denotes romantic love or sensual desire, as in I love (eros) my wife. Finally, the word Agape denotes unconditional love, as in Christ loves you and me.

For many of us, Agape, or unconditional love is the most difficult type of love to understand. In most situations, we love others because of the love they return to us…in other words, we give with the expectation of something in return. However, true love, or agape love, is unconditional; that means love is given with absolutely no expectation of anything in return. Love is given because of who you are, not what you can do for me. Christ loves us for us, not for what we can do for him.

As Christians, Christ calls us to love (Agape) our fellow man. It is not enough to be fond of, or even to merely accept others. We are not called to “tolerate” others. Instead, we are called to love as Christ loves. Jesus tells us, “My command is this, love (agape) one another as I have loved (agape) you.” John 15:12. We are called to a higher standard, a living example of Christ’s love to our fellow man. As you enjoy Valentine’s Day 2010, pause to remember God’s true valentine was Christ, and His ultimate gift of love (agape) to each of us was a death on a cross so that we might have eternal life. It was Christ’s agape love that held him to the cross. Now that’s love!

But this is Valentine's Day, and so we need not forget those whom we truly love here on earth. For your reading pleasure, I offer this piece of prose...

The Rose and the Leaf

If my love were a rose, and I were a leaf…
separate and distinct, yet connected by necessity.

I would bask in the glory of her beauty,
content to reside in her shadow.

Daily providing strength and encouragement;
collecting sunshine to brighten her day,
and savoring the morning dew as her kiss.

Growing together in love that only time can provide,
until the ravages of time take their toll.

Til that day when age and Mother Nature take their course,
and together we whither and fall,
to take our place amongst those who have gone before.

Only to change and become one once again,
mixed and mingled with the soil of new life,
together always and forever…

If my love were a rose, and I were a leaf…

Happy Valentines Day!