The great journey of humankind, I think, is to enter the Undiscovered Country of godly LOVE, to explore the height and depth and width, and to know that virtue which God claims as the core attribute of His being.
Humans rarely find Real Love in this world, at least not early on. It seems to be something we must grow into.
As I think about it, I realize that I have truly loved only a handful of people on this planet. Most of what we call “love” is only deep affection. It’s altogether too easy to march through life unencumbered, laying no claims on others save selfish desire and allowing no one to grapple our hearts to theirs in a manner that would cost us real sacrifice in the long run.
Parents love their children and — eventually, hopefully – vice versa. Some lucky spouses find Real Love in their marriage once the sheen of nuptial bliss rubs off under the grinding wear of daily life and quotidian selfishness. And on rare occasion friends may discover that they honestly Love one another in that way Christ described — “true friendship is this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
And I don’t think humans have much capacity in our fallen state for the Real kind of Love – that which God claims as His own. We twist whatever we get our hands on. C S Lewis speaks in The Great Divorce of a heavenly, glorified Love that does not need to see a return on its investment. Says one of the heavenly beings:
I don’t know.
