Know God, Know Love!!!

Everybody wants love, wants to be loved and most times we are all seeking love in things, places and people. The idea of love that we have is more than just a euphoric feeling, we want love to be tangible, we want love to be something that we can hold on too, quite literally.

At the end of a rough day, we’d ideally like to turn to our object of affection, like a book, vehicle, food or maybe a person you are close to. Now in its entirety, it is not wrong, but the problem arises when we place our self into the addiction of that tangible love, assuming that it is this, that will fill us and the void we’re feeling. And this cycle doesn't end there, it continues to move from one object to the other, it moves from one relationship to another till we find ourselves weary of this journey because it does not lead us anywhere. We’re often told and somewhere deep down we know there is something bigger than all of creation, we know there is a creator who has created us all, we know there is a God, but do we really know who God is? Have we genuinely searched for him? Objective love comes with a shelf life and subjective love is often motivated by reason, which why is there is so much of hurt today, there is so much of misunderstanding and there is no trust. Today even the institution of marriage is on a downslide, and to quote Archbishop Fulton Sheen on this subject, He says,  “In all human love it must be realized that every man promises a woman and every woman promises a man that which only God alone can give, namely, perfect happiness. One of the reasons why so many marriages are shipwrecked is because as the young couple leaves the altar, they fail to realize that human feelings tire and the enthusiasm of the honeymoon is not the same as a more solid happiness of enduring human love. One of the greatest trials of marriage is the absence of solitude. In the first moments of human love, one does not see the little hidden deformities which later on appear”  

If it is only God that gives perfect happiness and fulfillment that no other can give, why is it that we are not seeking God and seeking everything else? The answer is, we do not know God, we only have an idea of who He is and most times this idea is built on perceptions, assumptions, and notions we have learned along the way, which is far from the truth and the reality of who God is. 

The truth is; God is Love and how do we know that? The word of God in 1 John 4:8 says, “Whoever does not love, does not know God, for God is love”. To further elaborate this, let's take a real-life perspective, There are rules, regulations, and laws that govern the citizens of every country. If you break the law and are convicted, you will be punished and will have to serve the sentence. But what if you’re told someone is ready to take up the sentence for you. How would you react? You'd be elated that you’re going to be free, but when it dawns on you that the person who is being punished for your crime is innocent, you quotient of happiness will come down as a realization dawns that this person loves you so much that he/she is willing to die for you.

In the spiritual context, this is what has happened; In Genesis 1:26, God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” Parents always look at their children as an extension of themselves. When there is a newborn, there is always a debate about who the baby looks like, and as the child grows, the looks and the personality take shape based on the parents. Likewise, the creator, wants his creation to be like him, therefore God made humankind in his Image and Likeness; LOVE.

Love is not a contract or an option, it is more than a feeling; it is a commitment that has to be lived day in, day out and this is best spelt out by St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians 13:4-7 “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.”  God's love is the same, it is unconditional, sacrificing, pure, holy and free from any motives or desires. It is because of this love that God has for us, that He exchanged our sentence with his Son’s life. In the mystery of the trinity, all three persons in God are Love and the word of God says this about God the Father in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” Can you imagine sacrificing your child for someone who has been unfaithful to you, but that is how God our Father is; all Loving and Merciful.

If the Father loved us so much, so did the son and Jesus loved his father so much that he couldn’t say no to him although this meant that Jesus would have to take human form, suffer and die here on earth and serve our sentence. Jesus took our place on the cross because He loves us. In giving up himself for us He doesn't instruct or advice, but commands us in John 13:34 “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” And no love is greater than that, that a man lay down his life for a friend, and that is the friend, we have in Jesus.

As Jesus ascended into heaven, he promised the apostles the Holy Spirit, and on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended on them and they were ready to go and make disciples of all nations. It was not easy, but neither was it impossible because the Spirit gave them the gifts to preach, teach and heal the sick, but most importantly the Holy Spirit bore in them fruits as mentioned in Galatians 5:22 "By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness." As we can see the first fruit of the Spirit is Love and it is this Love, which is at the center and is the very nature of God in the mystery of the Holy Trinity. 

Everything about God begins and concludes with love, it is by this love that He made us; it is by love that He saved us and it is by this love that He calls His children.  When we know God, we know love, love that is not propagated by motives and reason, but love so pure, unconditional and whole that it is willing to give itself up for the sake of us. So if you’ve been searching for love in the wrong places, things and people its time you took a step back and searched for God; for Love was God's plans when He made man for God's divine nature is love, and in the words of St. Augustine our hearts will never find rest, until they find their rest in Him.