LOVE

Where is the love
What's love got to do with it
Love the one your with
Love will find a way
I want to know what love is

I am sure more songs have been written about love than any other topic. Countless books, lectures, sermons, etc have attempted to explain it. Yet here we are, after all these years, and we still have no idea what this very human emotion is.

As I sit here trying to rationalize the concept of love, I find myself regressing back to a time and place to where I questioned whether such a feeling even exist.

It has been said countless times that there is a fine line between love and hate. If LOVE is real, why would such a line even exist. In my self description of what I think love should be, it would be impossible for hate to inhabit the same heart. I mean think about it, if love is all encompassing, how or why could hate sneak in. The answer lies some where between the heart, mind, and soul. For me to explain love to myself I first had to wrestle down my feelings toward God or a creator.

What?? How did we go from love to God? For years, I have questioned the existence of the biblical God, I suppose I could go as far as saying the mythical God. Trust me, I know people are cringing our even tuning out as those words resonate. The cringe is out of fear, more than it is your own impassioned belief.  Granted I would not be so arrogant as to speak for anyone, especially with a subject as sensitive as this. As for me, I simply cannot square the circle or bridge the chasm between the church taught biblical God and the religious God used or abused for control purposes.

I share this because our definition of love has at its core roots to religion. For those that attend regular services you will hear each week how much God loves you, unconditionally BUT. It does require you to align your beliefs with that of the church you attend. Plus in addition to your presence, you are instructed that tithing requires you give your percentage to the church. Novel concept you must admit. The church at large will decide how your tithe will best be utilized, you have no say in such matters. BUT they are doing the work of the Lord. I find it rather ironic that the Lord reserves his instruction to a limited few and the flock just needs to blindly obey. This, my friends, is our recollection of LOVE at it's worst.

I have been told that I must LOVE this or that as it relates to church activity. Plus if I desire a deeper relationship with God I must pray, recite, or chant this or that. Other words love is a trained response not a soulful feeling. Admittedly it took several years for this to resonate within me. Once it did, I begin to realize that compulsory love truly is man made and not God made. I stepped away from religion in an effort to find my spiritual God that is also our divine creator. During that trek I stumbled upon some wonderful people and discoveries. I found people that LOVED people for who they were. The vast divides that existed between religions or even churches of the same religion disappeared once I learned to "see the person". Feelings, that I felt were lost forever, returned. I begin to love for love sake. The prism of which I saw the world now had amazing hues that brought forth stunning sights. I felt God for the first time. Not the God I was TOLD to believe in, but the God of creation that innately lived in me. I felt love and was able to share love.

What is love you ask? It is the ability to see the difference in humans and accept them as they are. It is the ability to cherish and respect the earth that we inhabit. It is the desire to make sure everyone has equal opportunity to live in freedom. It is the deep seated hope that we can supply basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, and medical attention to each living being. LOVE is action as well as feeling. LOVE is me, LOVE is you, LOVE is we. When we feel the needs of others, the hurts, pains, joys, etc. We know that we have arrived in a beautiful place called LOVE.

Co-authored by
Rikki Paschal and Dale Childress