Week 10 - Love is Unconditional

God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ~ Romans 5:8

Unconditional - without conditions or limitations; it is absolute.

Agape love is the kind of love for another that is complete, absolute, and without condition.  It is a love of choice, not a love borne of anything the other person has done for us, not how they look, not how they act.  It is the most pure form of love.

As emotional, thinking, and rational humans, we're naturally wired to take care of ourselves first.  And that selfishness - no matter how big or small - causes us to unconsciously set conditions on friendships and relationships.  "He's my friend because he does..."  or "She hurt my feelings the other day, and that makes me wonder how good of a friend she really is."

We're called to a higher form of love, the same kind of love that Christ demonstrated for us:  Agape - an absolute and complete form of love that is unconditional.  Any of us, left on our own to justify to Christ why he should have died for us, would fall woefully short.  We've done nothing to deserve his love and sacrifice.

Do we love that way in our relationships?  Do we simply choose to love our partners, only because we want to, and we can?  Do we choose to love them based on what they do for us, or how they look, or how good of a cook they are...  Is our "love" based on things that may change or fade with time?  Or are we loving them simply because of who they are?  Do we quietly expect our partner to change themselves to suit our own desires?  Or do we accept them just as they are?

When I was doing my research to write this posting, I searched for a good definition of Agape love.  Agape - a three-syllable word pronounced uh-GOP-ay.  The English language also has another meaning for the same sequence of letters: agape - two syllables pronounced ah-GAP with a long "a" in the second syllable.

Agape (uh-GOP-ay) means the love of God and Christ for humankind.  Agape (ah-GAP) means to be with mouth wide open in wonder, surprise, and eagerness.

Shouldn't Agape love leave us agape?

What is love?  It is patient, it is kind, it is not selfish, it is thoughtful, it is not rude, it is not irritable, it believes the best, it is not jealous, it makes good impressions, and it is unconditional.  But above all, it is FUN!