Like or Love

I love you, three words that hold time in place as we feel the affection of those we also have feelings for. Some of us have experienced the phenomenon, love at first sight. Is there such a thing as love at first sight? Are we all just really alone that we crave for love in any and all forms?

I happen to like a lot of things as I’m certain you do but what exactly separates something we like to something we love?

When it comes to liking something, its instinctual, you can’t explain why you like it but you know you like whatever it is. When we love something it’s very similar to like except we feel more intensely to points where we are willing to go out of our way to get what we love.

I broach this conversation with certain restraint because we now live in a world where feelings defy logic. A world where we fall in love a multitude of times with a multitude of people. If we don’t back it up, the difference between like and love is lost somewhere in translation.

If I like something, there are days I won’t even be interested in it. Days the whole affair just irritates me and I can’t be bothered. But when I say I love something even on the days when I’m not interested or even have the strength for it I will have to make the time to show that I love it.

This is especially true when it comes to people and the relationships we hold dear to us. But maybe we need to stop lying to ourself, especially when it involves liking or loving someone.

If we can love at first sight what measure do we use to prove that what we have is love and not like? Consistency is one such measure I lean on to emphasize love. This in no way goes to thwart the love felt, it’s just a simple question of proving this love.

Proving love is hard, it’s not a simple math equation but I do believe each of us in the deepest parts of our being. Where no one sees but us, we know what love is.

Recently I’ve been asking such questions and the answer literally jumped at me. Intention. More specifically am I being intentional with my actions when I Express my love? Or do I say it but my actions lack the effort to back the words coming out of my mouth.

If I love you or love something, I will be intentional about my actions towards you or something. For instance, does cheating in a relationship negate the love one has claimed to have? Simple answer, yes because there was no intentional act to avoid the cheating. Put in another way, there was no intentional act to show that I am true to the words, I love you

However this is the real world where life is more complex and a thousand things happen, but the truth I believe is if you love something or someone there will be no need to want to control them and every choice we make in that regard will be with a view to honour our love.

Love I believe is an action, saying I love you alone simply doesn’t add up some form of proof must be shown otherwise we are simply glossing over the importance of love. Also it should be noted, I define love through bible scriptures which constantly reminds me that Jehovah God is love and so if he is love then the qualities of love are qualities I must be looking to exhibit.

According to scripture, Love is

Patient

Kind

Humble

Not envious

Respectful

Selfless

Calm

Honest

And many more qualities I neglect to mention at this time. To fit the bill of all that is considered love is actually too much for a mere mortal and as such I can understand why like is much easier than love. Seeing as we are imperfect people I do not expect that we can successfully pay the bill.

However, the goal is not perfection but progress. When we stumble, we must get up and keep progressing, if I love you and I error in judgement I should be honest and seek to make a recompense. I can’t control how you act by my flaw but I can still meet you at the place of love where even my dirt gets cleaned.

Like or love then both depend on how intentional we choose to be and seeing as no one but you can decide the depth of your intention I would advise you take a moment every now and then to ask yourself if what you have is worth being intentional over. The devil is in the detail after all.

Until tomorrow, light and love I send your way in hopes that each day brings us closer to our true selves and that whatever you want in life you rise above the confusion and find yourselves.

That love may lead and we maybe consumed to spread it everywhere we go, for we all are in desperate need of love.