LAYERS OF LOVE

Glaciers are layers upon layers of ice. The layers of ice are what form and sustain glaciers. Layers upon layers of moments, hours, days, and years of shared love sustains relationships.

We have all heard love is a feeling. The statement over simplifies what love is and gives a false idea that if we don’t feel love “in the moment” we must not or do not love someone or something. Love is much more than just a feeling.

Love is an action. The book Love Forever I recently wrote explores love through the concepts taught in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. The verses and the book show how love is relational. We love things and we love people. Our love may start with a feeling but it grows and changes as a relationship continues.

Love cherishes. A relationship that is cherished is a level of love that sees something or someone’s true value. When we cherish something we protect and care for it because, in essence, we see something or someone as priceless or precious. Relationships that last a life time are ones we cherish. The relationship itself may change but the decision to love someone or something doesn’t.

Love is a commitment, which means it involves making a decision to love. We can look for the good rather than focusing on failures. We can encourage rather than criticize. In other words, we remove boundaries of our love time and again as necessary to build, maintain, reconcile, or rebuild relationships.

Love is relational. When we make love a relational priority we learn how to love others not based on feelings or conditions but rather based on our commitment to love. We can further see the value of people and relationships over time as we continue to create relationship layers of shared love and faithfulness.