Love, Love, Love & Love!
Bible Gateway has a verse for the day every day. Today it is this:-
The Son shows the glory of God. He is a perfect copy of God’s nature,
and He holds everything together by His powerful command. The Son
made people clean from their sins. Then He sat down at the right side
of God, the Great One in heaven.
Hebrews 1:3 ERV
Jesus said that those who saw Him had also seen the Father. Jesus was the humanform of God and He came because God loved us so much that He was willing to die for us and now He has prepared a place for us in heaven.
So here begins a little series on love. Whether we recognise it or not, we are surrounded by different kinds of love.
According to my research, in the Greek language there are eight different words for the different kinds of love, Éros (erotic love), Philia (affectionate love), Storge (familiar love), Ludus (playful love), Mania (obsessive love), Pragma (enduring love), Philautia (self love) and, Agápe (selfless love).
So from those, the main four and their uses are:-
Agápe means the love that is especially charity; the love of God for man and of man for God. It is used by Christians to express the unconditional love of God for His children.
Éros means love, mostly sexual passion. (The Modern Greek word "erotas" means "intimate love.")
Philia means affectionate regard, friendship, usually between equals.
Storge means love, affection, especially between parents and their children. It is the common or natural empathy, like that felt by parents for their children. It is also used when referring to the love you feel for your country or your favourite football team, for example, and has also been known to express mere acceptance or putting up with situation.
A retired Vicar I know used to talk about the different types of love when he officiated at wedding ceremonies. The Bride and Groom Éros each other, their parents Storge the Bride and Groom, all the other guests Philia the Bride and Groom, and finally, God Agápe, not only the Bride and Groom, but everyone.
I think it is such a shame that we only have one word for love. We can often be reluctant to tell the people in our lives that we love them because we feel silly or think that love means one thing.
Remember that there are many loves, and we love many. Can you tell someone you love them today? Every day? It will make them, and you, happy.
Jeany Pavett, author of Life After Death: A Mother's Story
Photo by Dani Vivanco on Unsplash
