How’s Your Love Life?
Here we are in February, and central to the month is Valentine’s Day. Some would say, “Love is in the air.” That raises an interesting question. How do we define love? We love that someone special and at the same time, love hockey. And then there’s that favorite dessert that we “really love.” And the list goes on as we try to describe the things that are special in our life. Hopefully your love for the special dessert, hobby, or pet, is not the same as the love you have for your partner, family, or close friends!
Today I want you to join me for a journey on the “Love Boat.” The first stop is at the city of Philadelphia. Did you know that Philadelphia means, “The City of Brotherly Love.” (Phileo) This is a city where we meet each other’s emotional and mental needs. As we meet the needs of each other, there is a bond that holds us together. This is a love between friends that is based on commonality. You meet my emotional/ mental/physical needs and I meet yours.
If there is a balance in the meeting of needs, there is a bond of love. However, when one person stops meeting the needs of the other, the love scale goes out of balance and the relationship begins to deteriorate. The problem arises when I see your needs being the same as mine and I try to meet your needs in the same way that I would like to have mine met. Let me illustrate this with a real-life story. A husband bought his wife a movie camera for Christmas because he wanted their family history preserved on film. He was mystified when his wife’s response in receiving the gift was less than his joy in giving the gift. He was giving a gift that he wanted to receive, not one that would bring her joy. The City of Brotherly Love thrives when we focus on the needs of others. It is destroyed when we lock in on entitlement.
The next stop for the love boat is a city called Agape – The name of this city takes love to a new level. It is a name that describes unconquerable benevolence and invincible good will. The people in this city have a deliberate conviction of the mind that shapes an inalterable policy of life. The founder of this city intends that its residents experience a love that transcends all human expressions of love. The founder extends His love, not because people deserve it, but because they need it. He wants to share His love with us so that we can extend that love to one another. His love will enable us to give to others at our expense. We will give love without consideration of what comes back. Even if people are disrespectful and antagonistic toward us, we keep on giving love. The founder wants His love to empower us to leave a place in better condition when we leave than when we came. His love enables us to see past the harsh negative comments to the insecurity of the soul. His love says, “You may have fallen but your success is measured in the number of times you rise and keep pressing toward the goal.
The people of Agape see the powerful potential in words that affirm the value of a person – not because of what they do, possess, or the position they hold, but value that is imparted to them by the one who created them. They see past the annoyance of the nosey person to the value of their alertness. They can see the strong determination that lies behind the belligerent teen. And the person who seems to lack conviction oozes the balm of mercy.
The founder of Agape has love without limit, grace that has no measure, and power that has no boundary known to man. Personally, this is the city where I want to live. Join me and I’ll see you at the top.
Duane Harder
