In our culture, love is grossly misdefined. In fact, we use the word ‘love’ so much that we’ve destroyed its meaning. The world says love is a ‘feeling’. Love does affect my feelings powerfully, but love is more than just a quiver in my liver!  – in fact, if love is just a feeling, we are in deep trouble because feelings change so often!

One thing I’ve found is that real love doesn’t leave you guessing, you could always tell through the actions. Real love isn’t only chocolates and flowers. Real love is pure as a snowfall but could also be painful as thorns. Ask Hosea. This holy man was asked to marry and have children with a prostitute. He was asked to keep on loving his wife, even though she was heading for a world record in bed-hopping. If there was ever a woman with serious commitment issues, this was it. But Hosea chooses to stick with her and chooses to see beauty over baggage. You may not have the same issues as Hosea’s unfaithful wife but some of us are walking contradictions when it comes to the issue of love, blowing hot one minute, cold the next.

No doubt love has to do with romance, natural affection, sentimentality, physical attractiveness, personality, or even a harmonious atmosphere.  However, real love is a decision that commits itself to the well being of another, regardless of the reaction of the one being loved. As you head out for valentine weekend, remember, love is more than a quiver in the liver.