"So this is love...mmmmm...so this is love."
It's a song familiar from my childhood. My sisters and I used to watch Disney's version of Cinderella over and over and over again. (Click here to hear the song.) Cinderella and Prince Charming dance, staring deep into each others eyes, and sing this song to each other in perfect harmony in their heads...or they are ventriloquists and can sing without moving their mouths. (I always thought the fact that they weren't singing aloud odd as a child.)
Even though we know Cinderella is the epitome of fairy tale, movies such as these define love as moments of emotional bliss with another person. Often times, subconsciously we are longing for these fleeting moments, and when they flee, we're desperately trying to experience that emotional high all over again.
You don't hear the strains of "So this is love..." while you're putting fresh sheets on the bed at 1:00 a.m. for your exhausted husband who has conked out on the couch after a long day. You don't hear melodic birds twittering in the bathroom when you remind yourself you don't need to be right and apologize. You don't feel the butterflies of first love in your stomach when you spend time with the in-laws, even though no one is speaking in English.
Too bad. Maybe a little romantic music would make those things easier to do.
I doubt anyone would truly admit that their idea of true love is dependent upon fairy tales and Hollywood movies, but if we truly look deep down into the thoughts behind our actions, what ideal is guiding our decisions?
Even in myself, do I see myself yearning for something that seems authentic but is really just a moment of emotional bliss. Love is really defined by the moments when you would love to do the unloving thing but you do the loving one instead.
You don't feel butterflies around me? We should go on more roller coasters ;)
ReplyDelete"Love is really defined by the moments when you would love to do the unloving thing but you do the loving one instead."
ReplyDelete...I disagree? Are we talking about true Godly love here? Are you applying that statement to just romantic love/marriage? Or love in general? It's an extremely limiting statement, and I think true love far surpasses that.
Dear Kitty,
DeleteThank you so much for your response. It is impossible to talk about love and not cover all the aspects of it, which I believe is one of the beauties about love. It is so individual, yet has no bounds.
It should be clarified that I am not talking about Godly love. That being said, I feel like I'm discussing human love in general.
While I do not think that love only encompasses doing the loving thing instead of the unloving, I think that in today's society, love is so often defined as an emotion, a feeling. I think that while love is an emotion, its also a decision. And often, the decisions that define our love are the tough ones in which we battle our own selfish nature.
I agree with you. True love surpasses my measly statement! I guess I'm just trying to argue for a more intentional and selfless love than what I see in today's society.
Thanks for the discussion! I always love discussing love. ;)
Yes!! Thanks for clarifying. I agree, love becomes cheap in a secular context. And with God's help, our intentional, selfless love doesn't have to be detached from emotion, either. As the Holy Spirit refines us to become more Christ-like (by God's grace), we'll more naturally incline to do the loving thing--and with joy, too!
DeleteThanks again for your gracious response :)