Love

Never date a tennis player: Love means nothing to them.

Well I was a tennis player, and in some ways, I still am. I don't think the word love means anything to any of us anymore.


"I love otter pops," "I love soda," "I love driving,"I love video games." "I love you"


Love. A mere four letter word. Its definition has been distorted over the years and through American culture. The word is overused, underestimated, and its once powerful definition now means nothing, but a strong fondness. It's a word that can be used to describe your strong positive opinion of a food item and in the next sentence can vaguely describe your feelings toward a special someone.


Love.


I overuse it. I said it when I didn't mean it. I've cheapened its meaning, and now I'm convicted of it. Every time I use it, it means less every time. Someone recently told me that the more times I use a pickupline or compliment, the more meaning it loses...


I mean... Love means something. It means everything. Everyone has their own opinion of it, but I think from what I've surmised from over the years, it's the most important thing.. But I can't really put my finger on exactly what it means.. At least at this point in the entry.


What is love.. It is underestimated and is over complicated. Let's take a look at what some children's definitions (some intentionally left for silliness):


"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca - age 8


When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4


"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5


"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - age 6


"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4


"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss" Emily - age 8


"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate," Nikka - age 6

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - age 7


"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6


"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore," Cindy - age 8


"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - age 6


"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4



"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget," Jessica - age 8




"There are two kinds of love. Our love. God's love. But God makes both kinds of them." Jenny - age 8


See? Children get it... I couldn't come up with such pure innocent answers. Am I overthinking? I don't know.. Probably.


"Life makes love look hard"

-TSwift



Love has charcteristics found in 1 Corinthians 13.. Let's look at what love is





Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.


That means hate is mean, envies, boasts and is arrogant. It is RUDE. It insists on its on way, it is irritable resentful rejoices at wrongdoing, rejoices in deception, hate does not bear all things, Hate does not believe, hope and endures all things.


Wow. I hate people. There a few things I do need to work on to love more effectively.


I want the people I love to know and feel those three words and know that they are true when I say them and when they hear them. I don't want to cheapen love. Not even the word. I will make a whole-hearted effort to, even jokingly, hate less and love more, and not use the word excessively.


God is love. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church. A self-less unconditional love. Wow. I don't deserve it, and I'm starting to doubt that I'm really capable of it... Yknow.. Loving a real kind of love. But God makes us worthy, right?


Christ is patient and kind; Christ does not envy or boast; Christ is not arrogant or rude. Christ does not insist on His own way; Christ is not irritable or resentful; Christ does not rejoice at wrongdoing but Christ rejoices with the truth. Christ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things endures all things.