What is Love

This is an essay that I wrote for school some time ago. At first when my mother had asked me to write an essay about love I kind of dreaded the assignment, I had no idea why but I did. It took me awhile to find out that it wasn’t the assignment but the subject itself that I dreaded. I realized that I really had no idea what love, true love really looked like and what it meant; as you will read in the essay. Through this realization came a powerful longing to find out the answer to “What is Love” especially Yahweh’s love, which I believe is the truest kind of love you could ever find, don’t you? So what was first just an essay became a quest. A quest that I’m proud to say that I am still on today, and coming closer to the answer each time I take Yahweh’s hand and let Him guide me in His ways.

The one who does not love does not know Yahweh, for Yahweh is love.

By this the love of Yahweh was manifested in us, that Yahweh has sent His only brought-forth Son into the world, in order that we might live through Him.

In this is love, not that we loved Yahweh, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be an atoning offering for our sins.

Beloved ones, if Yahweh so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:8-11

Now here is my essay. I hope it will put in your heart the urge to follow the quest for the truest kind of love - Yahweh's love- as I am trying to do. If you are already on this quest keep it up and don't discourage, you will find the answer some day.

When I was first given this assignment, I thought it was going to be easy.  I thought I knew what love was, but as I got father along with it, I found that I didn’t know the true meaning of love.  I had been so caught up in how I should show love, and not spending any time on finding out what love really was.  And as I started to think about it, I came to the conclusion that the only way you can show true love, is to know what true love is. 

     So trying to find more about the meaning of love I started reading stories in Scriptures that were about love.   The first story I came upon was when Yahweh commanded Abraham to sacrifice his most loved son Isaac.  But before Abraham went through with it, Yahweh sent a ram to give as a sacrifice emplace of Isaac. (Gen 22)

     While reading this story I tried to think what it would be like to be Abraham; giving up something I loved so much.  What faith and obedience that would take to go through with it.  By showing those two qualities he showed love, love for Yahweh that is amazing.  He loved Yahweh so deeply that he was willing to give his most favored son. Sound farmiliar? (John 3:16)  I pray that if Yahweh asked me to give something up that I truly love, I would give it wholeheartedly, because I love Yahweh more than anything.

      The next story that came to mind was about Ruth, and how she loved and cared for her mother-in-law, Naomi.  She devoted all her life to make sure her mother-in-law was fed and clothed, even when times were hard.

      As I started to remembered and read more and more stories, I started to realize that they all had one thing in common; a sacrifice.  Be it David and Jonathan, willing to lay down their life for one another, or Jacob serving Laban for fourteen years so he could marry Rachel.  All of which had sacrificed something.  

      Now I am not trying to saying that sacrifice is the only attribute to love, there are many others, like patience, obedience, forgiveness, loyalty and trustworthiness.  But was it not Yahweh and Yahshua who gave a sacrifice, to show the greatest acted of love ever in the history of the world?  The answer is “Yes”.

      So when someone asks me what is love?  My answer will be.  “Love is when you give with out reason, obey with out question, forgive no matter what, and lay down your life without hesitating.”  That is what love is.      "No one has greater love than this: that one should lay down his life for his friends. " John 15:13

 Thank you for listening to what I have to say and my opinion, but I hope you won't take my word for it and search it out for yourself.