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"Let all your
things be done with charity."--1 Corinthians 16:14 (KJV)
“…never
having to say you’re sorry.” (from Love
Story) It’s been almost five decades since the novel and movie, Love Story, exploded onto the U.S. pop-
culture scene. The tragic drama of star-crossed young lovers starring All
Macgraw and Ryan O’Neal kept us crying for decades. The beautiful theme song, “Where
do I Begin?” enchants us even today.
Truthfully,
that saying, the “meme” of those low-tech times, had some of us scratching our
heads. Could love really be that that uncomplicated? Aren’t accepting
responsibility and apologizing essential aspects of any healthy relationship?
Yes, we need to accept each other as we are, but there’s more to love than that…right?
Valentine’s
Day will arrive before we know it. That’s
a celebration of romantic love. The
next few articles will explore various aspects of this important, complicated
topic.
We have one
word for love in English. That’s not always the case with other languages.
Greek is the
original language of New Testament. It includes about seven words for love. Totescute.com
lists the four main types of this emotion:
- Eros—sexual passion
- Philia—deep friendship; warm and tender
platonic love
- Storge—family (parent/child); friendship
- Agape—(unconditional; Godlike) self-sacrificing
love for everyone
Developgoodhabits.com
lists some quotes that clarify the divine emotion. I have grouped them into
categories:
Life-giving
“Where
there is love there is life.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Active, not Passive
“Love is not only something you feel, it is
something you do.” – David Wilkerson
Focused
“The most desired gift of love is not diamonds
or roses or chocolate. It is focused attention.”– Richard Warren
Felt with the Heart
"The best
and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard but must
be felt with the heart.”– Helen Keller
Selfless
“In
order to be happy oneself, it is necessary to make at least one other person
happy.”– Theodor Reik“
******************************
Love
is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your
own.” – Robert Heinlein
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“Love
does not dominate; it cultivates.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Persistent
“The art of love is largely the art of
persistence.”– Albert Ellis
Essential to Happiness
“Love is the master key that opens the gates
of happiness.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
******************************
“One
word frees us of all the weight and pain of life. That word is love.” –
Sophocles
Stronger than Death
“It
is love, not reason, that is stronger than death.” – Thomas Mann
Mutually Beneficial
“This
is the miracle that happens every time to those who really love; the more they
give, the more they possess.” – Rainer Maria Rilke
Inspiring
“Love
in its essence is spiritual fire.” – Seneca
My Conclusion
Love
is meek, yet powerful. It is a resource for living right. 1 Corinthians,
chapter 13, probes deeply into the characteristics of charity/love/agape.
Please enjoy this slide show set to instrumental music by Keith Washo:
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