Many of us spend an entire lifetime trying to find love. For some people, love may even seem like an impossibility.
Deep down, our hearts long for someone who gives us meaning and purpose; someone who knows our flaws and imperfections, yet is able to steadfastly love, forgive, and perfect us regardless.
It is easy to recognise love even if we don't quite understand it, because perfect love casts out fear. Perfect love is also founded on trust, which is based on the truth.
True, perfect love can only be found in a perfect person: and that person is our Creator.
Receiving Love
Without a perfect reference point, our experience of love is often scarred by disappointment, cynicism, fear, and hurt.
When we are motivated by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, it is hard to love others and accept love in return, because of our desires and our pride. Wrong choices made with the wrong motives destroy the trajectory of our life through time, leading to hopelessness and despair.
When the weight of our actions become hard to bear, we might turn to friends, family, therapists, medication, personal vices, shopping, work, good deeds, travel, fitness, astrology, yoga, crystals, hobbies, self-care, philosophy, meditation, food, social media, validation from others, or accomplishments for assurance or help.
Although these may give temporary comfort or relief, they will never perfect us. Rather, our unrighteous actions lead to guilt, then the fearful expectation of judgment. Nevertheless, true love is actually nearer to you than you may realise.
Love isTrust
Humans are unique in that we can communicate with reasoning and language. This is why God has given us His Word, the Bible, so we can know His character and trust that He is faithful and true.
Our Creator is the Living God of the universe, and He is eternal, holy, righteous, and just. He is also a person with a heart. Our unrighteous actions, called sin, not only hurt Him, it hurts us and the people around us. If we don't address it, we will never be healed of it, and we can never experience what true love is.
The Bible is essentially God's love letter to us. He has made Himself emotionally vulnerable so that we can know He loves us, desires our well-being, and wants to help us. However, He also constantly emphasises the dire consequences of our actions if we try to live without Him.
Suffering and evil is perpetuated by human nature, which is by default hostile and rebellious towards God. Thankfully, God has not given up on us, because try as we might, we cannot save ourselves.