Perfect love is hard to comprehend

Love in the biblical context sounds so frightening and unrealistic that sometimes we think the message is not meant for us. A close examination of the scriptures gives us a clear picture of how perfect love is hard to comprehend. Let us consider these two passages from the Bible: Romans 5:7–8: “You could hardly find anyone ready to die even for someone upright; though it is just possible that, for a really good person, someone might undertake to die. So it is proof of God’s own love for us that Christ died for us while we were still sinners”. The second passage is a description of the weight of love found in 1 Corinthians 13:2 “And though I have the power of prophecy, to penetrate all mysteries and knowledge, and though I have all the faith necessary to move mountains – if I am without love, I am nothing”. What irked me most after reading the texts were the words “I am nothing”. Surely, I can not be so if I can “penetrate all mysteries and knowledge”. The worst part ran that I would still be nothing even “if I have all the faith necessary to move mountains”. But where does this love reside in the human being? When someone says “I love you with all my heart,” it may give a wrong picture that love is in the heart. The heart being a hollow organ that pumps blood to all body parts, there is little chance that it can hold the love we are talking about. Is such love possible in human society? Can mortal man possess such love that is heavier than “faith necessary to move mountains”? A young man and his girlfriend went to study in the United States. After three years of study, the man came back to Africa and left his girlfriend who had another three years to go. The man got a good job and settled down; the girlfriend got involved with another man with whom she had a baby girl. The girl thought that her former boyfriend aware of her infidelity would not allow her back. But eventually she moved in with the man who continued to love her. She planned, one night, to let the cat out of the bag and tell the man the whole story. She reasoned that it would be better to tell the story before things went too far; for she feared that the man would find out and chase her away. The man said to her, “do not bother yourself darling, I know all about what happened, and the child.” The woman fainted in disbelief! Yes, I do believe that there is love, and that human beings are capable of manifesting this type of love that can move mountains. That type of love which is greater than gaining all knowledge of the mysteries of the world. I also understand what St. Paul says in the letter to the Romans where we read that “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for u.s” We did not deserve the love we were given since we were still God’s enemies. My prayer is that God speaks into our hearts so that we can manifest that Godly love which is beyond human understanding to our families, friends and communities. E-mail: redplan20002001@yahoo.com