Queue the music; “baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me… no more.”
Yes, any club hopping, street cruising, radio listener of the ninety’s will remember this beat. Recorded by Trinidadian-German Eurodance artist Haddaway for his debut album, The Album, “What is love” was released on 8 May 1993 as the album’s lead single. Just like many songs of the time, it’s an ode to love in distress. However, the question was never answered.
What is love exactly? It seems there is a lot of room for interpretation these days. Everyone seems to have an opinion. Haddaway certainly had his expectations of what love was. Unfortunately, it was not reciprocated.
More and more we see that what love is to one, is not to another. It seems like it would help to agree on what love is in order to avoid so much confusion. I’m afraid people are so passionate about their expectations around love though that they are not willing to agree. And whether its kids or adults, both appeal to some form of authority for a decision. And in all likelihood, someone is not going to like the final answer.
My recommendation is to appeal beyond the realm of flesh and blood. To the One that has given us life to begin with. To the One that truly understands the depths and exhibition of love. To the One who is love. “For God is love.” (1 John 4:8)
The Holy Bible is filled with examples of love but none as well defined and perfectly demonstrated as between God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ. And while we may suggest that two perfect beings could perfectly demonstrate love towards one another, what we see most in scripture is how both God the Father and God the Son demonstrated love towards humanity.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
When we look to summarize love, we often find that at the core of that summary is the idea of sacrifice. Unfortunately, the world seems to summarize it a much different way; through sexuality. While sex may be an expression of love, it certainly shouldn’t define it.
So how should we define it? The Apostle Paul has given us an incredible definition that literally boils down the biblical examples that we see all throughout scripture. Let’s examine the biblical definition of love.
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”
-1 Corinthians 13:4-8
In each upcoming blog, I hope to use this scripture as the foundation for better understanding what love is, one example at a time. So “don’t hurt me” because I didn’t fully answer the question as to what love is. It will take more than one blog to explain this.
(Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, oh-whoa, whoa, ohh, ooh)
(Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, oh-whoa, whoa, ohh, ooh)
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