What Is Love?

What is love?
By: Michele Tutty

This is a question for the ages. It would seem so easy to answer. "Love is when you feel 'in love,'" or "love is when you feel like this and that and the other." But, when you really think about love, where does it come from. Why do people love. I mean, what really is love? And, obviously there are different kinds of love - love for family, love for spouse, love for kids, love for your friends, love for humanity, love for animals and etc. But, why are there different kinds of love? The concept of love seems so simple, yet so complicated - something right off the tip of your nose, yet something so difficult to completely fathom.
I believe that love is much more than a feeling; much more than having affection and an emotion for someone or something. I can see that it is also a choice, an action. That is why sometimes you might not feel "in love" with someone or you might not feel like doing something good for someone, but that doesn't mean you don't love them and that doesn't mean that you don't do good for them anyway - at least sometimes - despite what you feel at the time.
And, some people show love a lot more than others. Some people have a way with words, others show it best through their giving and yet others show their love by simply being there for someone, even if they never say the words, "I love you." Everyone has their own particular "style" of showing and displaying their love for someone.
Yet, there are times when we don't show very much love with our actions. We might purposely not treat someone right when we know we ought to. Why do we do that? And, why is it that sometimes people can really hurt other people - and even know the consequences of their actions - and yet they do it anyway? Is it because they are really acting out of the bad in them and not out of the love that is inside them somewhere? Yes, I believe so. And, that is a choice.
Although there are times when we don't show very much love with our words and actions, that doesn't mean that we don't love. And, it doesn't mean that we don't care. Because love is more than feelings. But, it does also seem to be more than action. This doesn't make sense and it wouldn't make sense to me unless I could see it and understand it for myself.
I see love as being something deep inside that cannot be altered. It is like how most people see the people that they love most and are closest to in life. It's like this knowledge within you that no matter what happens and no matter what they might do to you, you will always love them. Why do we do that? This itself proves that love is more than feelings and words and even actions. So, then what makes you love?
I believe love is really something eternal, something that cannot be altered once it is set within you. You can stray from it and get lost and feel bad and get confused and all kinds of stuff. But, it doesn't mean that it's not inside of you somewhere, on some level. Even if you can't always see it and understand it.
The Bible says that God is love and that love comes from Him and that we are able to love because He first loved us. I believe this is true. This is where love comes from then - it comes from God. There are feelings and emotions involved and actions as well, but the reason why love can be and is eternal is because God is eternal. That is why love is eternal. That is why we love and are capable of doing so. Because He first loved us.

"We love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19 ESV)

"...let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God." (1 John 4:7 NIV)

"God showed how much he loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love — not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." (1 John 4:9-10 NIV)

"We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters." (1 John 3:16 NLT)

"...since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other." (1 John 4:11 NIV)