Love is Love?

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There is this video spreading around the interweb. It's of this huge x-ray machine with figures playing, kissing, hanging out, and then they come out from around the curtain. Have you seen it? It's pretty heart warming with the moral of the story being love sees no discrimination. I'd like to set my disclaimer here. This is not a blog post about diversity. This is a post about the very end of the video. At the end of the video it is briefly said, "love is love."

Love is Love?

What?

1. You can't define a word with using the word itself.
2. It's just simply not true.

Honestly, at first watch, I got ooey gooey feelings. Tear came to my eye, it's a good video. But after much contemplation, I felt really uncomfortable by the message that love is love. When we define love as "love." I think we cheapen the concept, narrow the scope, and cheat ourselves. Love is simply not just love. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love doesn't envy. Love is humble. Love serves. Love hopes. Love perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13)

That's just the start.

Being in love whether it is be romantically, friendly, or familial, love requires a great deal of our lives. It means sacrificing, serving, being present, and setting ourselves aside. When the honeymoon phase ends and things get tough, is "love is love" enough?

I don't have the answer to that question, but I do have these two scriptures:

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me? Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
--John 21: 15-19

What does Jesus require of Peter to show his love? ACTION. Feed and take care of His sheep. Sacrifice, commitment, patience (seriously, have you ever tried to love a difficult person? or actually taken care of sheep? It's hard), gentleness, dedication, should I go on? Love requires action. Especially when things are tough!

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.--Matthew 22-37-28

What does love require? All your heart, all your soul, all your mind. Have you ever attempted to put your all into something? What happens? You end up pretty drained. Not to say love is draining, BUT love is work! It's awesome and rewarding work. The returns are worth it. Secondly, you should love your neighbor as yourself. How can you love others with out loving for yourself, loving yourself takes processing, vulnerability, and courage. Can you do that for yourself and for others?


So you see, love is simply not love. Labeling it as such can lead to a great deal of heartache. When the simplicity of love being love wears away, your foundation is gone and your framework tumbles down. I can't tell you how many times I have stayed in relationships that needed to end because it was "love." I can't tell you how many times I have stayed in the darkness of sin because I was in "love." Please hear my heart, love is simply not love. God is love and God is light and NO darkness can hide in the light.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 

--1 John 4:16

God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 

--1 John 1: 5-7

Love is deep, rich, and challenging. And I pray that you experience love in such a renewing way.