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Understanding Love

I think it is hard to understand the concept of Love. We are told that God is Love and to love and that we are loved, but what is it? What does Love mean? I have been pondering this question, because it is so hard to fathom the depth of the meaning. And, of course, there are many contexts and meanings. It is a noun and a verb too. In the Christian Bible, in 1 Corinthians 13:4–8a, we read that "Love is patient, love is kind..." While this is beautiful and often said at weddings, it is less than tangible for us. I thought about this and how Jesus of Nazareth might have answered this question. He would have used analogy or parable to do it. "The kingdom of heaven is like..." So what is Love like?

I like "water" to answer that question. So what if God was water? Love was water. I am not suggesting that he/she/it is water. This is analogy. 

About water
Every day we wake up and take a shower or go to the river to clean ourselves with water. This is comforting, refreshing and purifying. Water is the universal solvent. We ask for or pour ourselves a cup of water to soothe us and to replenish the supply that we expend. We are told to drink 8 cups of water per day for health. Without drinking water for two weeks, our organs shut down and we die. On the average, 60% of our bodies are made of water. Water covers about 70% of the earth's surface. All life requires water to survive. When we look out on a great ocean of water, It seems boundless. When we take a cup or a bucket or a barrel of water out of the ocean, it doesn't get smaller. Water conforms to the shape of the vessel that holds it. Sound travels faster through water than air. There is water in the air we breathe. Water is alive. It creates and sustains life.

Putting it together. 
Love is like water. It washes and purifies. Love can soften and dissolve all that builds up and hardens in our life. Love needs to be asked for and received. Love needs to be consumed to be helpful in our lives. When we love, we need to be loved in return. Without Love we will die. Each person is made up of more Love than not and there is more Love in the world than not. If you were to look upon God, the source of all Love, He is boundless. We can receive all the Love we can hold and never deplete the source. Love takes on the shape of those who hold it. We receive messages faster through Love. There is Love in the air we breathe and we expend Love when we exhale. Love is alive. Love creates life. Love sustains life.

One thing that struck me in the exploration of this just now is that Love needs to be replenished (in this analogy). We need to receive Love in order to love. I recall being taught to love and not expect anything in return. But maybe Love as a resource is a good way to thing about it. We forget about receiving Love and opening ourselves up to be filled.

In Roman Catholicism and the Orthodox Christian faiths, bread and wine through transubstantiation, change into the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. You must not take it, but you must receive it. Jesus for these Christians, is God and God, according to their Bible, is Love. In essence then, they go to church to replenish their supplies in order that they can "go forth to love..."

As you go through your day and periodically, think about water and its properties. Think about water as Love and see if you gain any more insight.
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