Defining love is a futile attempt undertaken by humans since the beginning of time. Everyone seems to have a definition. Everyone seems to know or completely ignore what love is. People try to explain a source, a location in the human psyche, a physical location, a recipe, the actions that define love, and a justification for all the above. Many books have been written about it. Movies try to portray so many versions of love that generally end up being one of the same, some for good and some not so good, but generally focusing on the fairytale love.

One movie comes to mind: Love Story. This movie was filmed in 1970. I was born in 1975 but didn’t watch this movie until late 1980s I think. Or was it 1990s? I don’t remember that specific detail. I do remember that I was at my grandparents’ house and heard the famous music, so I decided to watch the movie. I found myself swimming in my tears as the credits began to show. Only a few times in my life I cried so much specially watching a movie. Why did she have to die? I also cried watching the 1994 version of Frankenstein. Dr. Frankenstein also had issues with death and people dying, but I didn’t cry about that. I cried when ‘the monster’ was attacked by the son of the old man after he was the one who saved the old man from attackers. Not to mention that he saved the family from starvation and restored the harvest. It felt unfair to me.

Death, attack, unfairness, and sacrifice are the definitions of the love I came to know in Jesus Christ. Because he loved me first. I saw the example in my parents and my family growing up. I keep trying to learn to love that way. That love holds my marriage and family together and I hope my kids learn that too and pass it along to their families in due time. People are going to die, we are going to be attacked for what we believe and the way we live, life is not fair, we have to sacrifice many things and even our own lives, and still not understand such an amazing love. Love is so hard to comprehend that it is easier to fall for love that is fake, distorted, selfish, and transient.