that crazy little thing called love

so tonight, I decided "forget popping in a cd to study to. I'm going to listen to the radio."
I'm noticing a trend.

nearly every song has something to do with love.

the desire for love.
the celebration of love.
the absence of love.
it's all there.

we are a culture obsessed with love.
generally, when you are obsessed with something, you keep it in perfect condition. you try so carefully not to damage it. to lessen its value.
but that is exactly what we have not done with love. we've cheapened it, demoting it until it has become what it is now; a synonym for infatuation. love is now synonymous with whimsical emotions.

that sucks.

and I'm guilty of cheapening love as much as the next person.

I wish so much that we could go back to the pure form of love. the one that Adam and Eve shared with God in the garden of Eden. it was the kind of honest love that didn't scream for attention. it didn't scream for temporary emotional satisfaction. it was perfect satisfaction. Adam and Eve had a triangular love going; they loved each other deeply, as man and woman ought to, and they loved God deeply as they walked through His perfect garden with Him.
Whenever I think of the garden of Eden, I think of a beautiful, indescribable jungle, with Adam and Eve, hand in hand, walking through the trees and bushes, following God with a devotion that man has not been able to match since the fall. Every once in a while, God puts His heavenly arms around them and says "Look what I've made! It's beautiful. It's good. But you know what? I love you more than these. You are in My image. That sets you apart. I can love you in a way that I cannot love the birds, the trees, or any other good thing I have created."
and Adam and Eve are just standing there, letting God's arm warm them from the inside out, overflowing with gratitude and childlike awe for this incredible Being that has put so much effort into designing them unique, yet in His image.

they feel loved.


and what is love now?

a flighty emotion.
someone who gives you special little gifts.
temporary satisfaction.

you might even say that we have allowed ourselves to partition our love. really, love is one passion. one desire. but every time a new infatuation comes along, we tear part of it off, and try to offer our mangled love to the object of this infatuation.
no wonder nearly all high school relationships fail.
we have not yet learned to save this key element in our lives until we can give it fully.

and you know what?
if we give it fully to our Lord first, the love we later give to other people will be the overflow from our love for God.
and that overflow is better than any love we could possibly give on our own.


I'm not anti-dating. not anti-courting. not anti-high school relationships.
but I am anti-cheapened love.
give your love to your Lord first. trust Him with your love from there.
and always make sure that you are giving from your overflow for Him, because in His hands is the safest and most important place your love can be.



mmk.
and now, after that refreshing little break,
I return to homework (: