In Season: Love

Love has always been the one thing that has remained constant in my life.


I've struggled with self-control (chunky thighs and flabby arms, compliments of an overdose of brownies).

I've struggled with faithfulness, occasionally questioning both my role and God’s role on Earth.

Patience has always been out of the question as well, as I have the attention span of a caffeinated squirrel.

I valued love more than any other Fruit of the Spirit (although I am in no way saying that the other ones are not as important).



My sister-in-law recently told me her definition of love.

I think love is one word with a plethora of meanings and intensities. 

I could “love” sushi and “love” my mom and dad. To me, loving sushi and my parents are two different types of love. The love I have for my parents is emotional and unconditional. My love for sushi is a more of a desire, pleasure, and impersonal. I would take a bullet for my parents, but not for my sushi (well, maybe some days). 

I love my friends and family, I love playing board games, I love listening to music, I love to cook, etc… These all show and prove a need in my life. They all provide me with happiness. The love I have for cooking is not intimate, though. Having love for your spouse is. The love of your favorite movie can’t compete with the love of your child. 

Love is a noun and a verb. I believe love is over-used, yet under-said. You will hear someone talk about how much they love popcorn, for example, but have a hard time telling someone close to them that they love them. 

The emotional connection is different. I think we need to take time out of each day to tell our loved ones “I love you."

While I agree with her definition, it has taken me several years to realize that God is love.

God's love exceeds our definition of love and is very hard for us to understand. We love our family unconditionally but God loves us more. I can’t even begin to grasp that idea because the love I have for people makes me feel like my heart will explode at any second.

God’s heart- His love – is infinitely bigger than the love we have for those close to us.

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” -1 John 4:8

The Bible clearly tells us God is love.

He created it.

He understands it the best.

He loves more than every person who ever lived, combined.

God’s love is not based on His feelings or emotions. He doesn't love us because we're adorable or because we make Him feel good about Himself; He loves us because He is love. He created us to have a loving relationship with Him, and He sacrificed His own Son to repair that relationship.

And when the Bible says that God is love and that God defines love, it doesn't mean that He defines it like the dictionary defines love. Or how we define love. It means that God is the very definition of love. There is no such thing as love without God. We cannot define love outside of knowing God.

“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.” -1 John 4:7-11

If you want to know true love, get to know God. He is ready to show you His love and He wants to teach you how to love others as He loves you.

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Samantha is the creator and writer of the blog, His Endless Love, an online community dedicated to sharing God’s love with the world. She is a freelance writer and egalitarian. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband.





Thank you for sharing with us, Samantha!

Stay tuned for the rest of our study in the Fruit of the Spirit! 

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