Daniel Martinoli’s Website

Yeah, I was inspired to write this blog entry after learning that someone I know (who shall remain nameless), broke up with his girlfriend recently. These two had been going out for a couple of months, I guess and I’d seen them proclaim their ‘love’ for eachother over MSN/MySpace.

Anyway, after I heard that things had come to an end so suddenly, I began to think about how so many relationships are like this. Two people say they ‘love’ eachother and then in a few months it’s over.

Have we really lost the idea of what love is? Do people say they’re in love because they’re obligated to?

Sure sounds like it.

Some people seem to not know the difference between attraction and love. The phrase ‘love at first sight’ is simply stupid. You cannot possibly love someone at first sight simple because you do not know them. Sure, you can be attracted to them, but love them? Not right away. People seem to be getting confused and proclaiming ‘love’ or even marrying a person simply because of attraction. Any relationship not based on love is doomed to fail miserably.

Anyway, I thought about it some more and realised that we have a PERFECT example of what love is – God’s love for US! Here are a few passages that describe what love is and how God loves us:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Describes how love should be. True love is NOT about you. It’s about the person you love. This goes against everything our fallen world stands for.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Describes God’s love for us. Even though we screw up every day, rejecting God over and over again, he still DIED so that we could be forgiven. That is pure, self-sacrificing love and should serve as an example to everyone.

It’s a shame we really are amateurs.

So, in light of this, should we accept society’s definition of love? Should we be more careful about how we use the term ‘love’? I sure think we should all be more careful with our relationships.

I say we reject societies idea of love (self-centred, all about attraction/sex/money) and try to follow God’s example. God’s love is pure and perfect love. So you can’t go wrong with trying to imitate it.