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One of my favorite childhood memories is riding around in my sister's Jeep Grand Cherokee, listening to 90's R&B. My sister was my very best friend growing up. Much like Spongebob and Patrick, Mikey and Miera were inseperable. I'm not sure if this was because she was much older than me and our mom forced her to bring me places, or because our relationship was really that strong. Nevertheless, I remember listening to love songs and craving that type of love. Despite being in elementary school, I just knew that it was right around the corner.
As I got older, this fantasy of falling in love began to fade away, just like my hairline. Not only was I questioning if I would find love, but I also began to question if it even existed. The interesting thing about R&B is that it doesn't seem to exist anymore. Is this because no one cares about love? Or have we stopped believing that it truly exists?
How many of us have given all of ourselves to someone who constantly lets us down? Even if it's not physical abuse, our hearts have been abused by the ways of society and the crookedness and filth of our cultures, leaving us all with the question, "Where is the love?"
People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt, hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
Or would you turn the other cheek?
Father, Father, Father, help us
Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (love) ~ The black Eyed Peas
The intersting thing about love is that it is actually the inspiration for the majority of decisions that we make in a lifetime. We see people join gangs in search of it. We see people jump into premature marriages in search of it. And we also see people kill themselves because of an absence of it.
So a question comes to mind -- If every human being on this planet is craving the same thing, maybe the answer is what the seven billion of us have in common? Imagine if we gathered every fish from every ocean and placed them on land. Some fish would react differently than others, but we can all agree on what the missing component would be.
What if, much similar to fish, we also couldn't survive without water? Imagine if a fish was suffereing from a lack of water and you offered it bread. I'm sure it would be grateful, but the bread wouldn't actually satisfy its urgent needs.
This is why Jesus offered the woman living water. Because by trusting and believing in Him, the desire for, or the needing and craving of anything outside of Him would slowly begin to dimish. We're all created by one God, and the scripture says that "God is love."
"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." - 1 John 4:8 KJV
So the question isn't, "Where is the love?" The question is, "Where is God in your life?"
No matter how many love songs that my sister and I sang, she was never able to give me the love that my heart was longing for.
When we think of the Bible, that is our closest example to the love that we are craving. Imagine someone being tortured and beaten on your behalf with no ulterior motive, just purely out of love and compassion for you.
"But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole." - Isaiah 53:5 AMPC
As we look through the scriptures, we see the true love story between Jesus and His disciples. Laying down His life for all of us, and His true disciples choosing to do the same.
"12 This is My commandment: that you love one another [just] as I have loved you.13 No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends." - John 15:12-13 AMPC
"20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." - Galatians 2:20 NKJV
The people of the Bible were plagued with the same problems that we have today. And once they met Jesus, they ditched everything in their lives for a chance to encounter the purest form of love.
"16 And passing along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon [Peter] and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net [to and fro] in the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, Come after Me and be My disciples, and I will make you to become fishers of men. 18 And at once they left their nets and [yielding up all claim to them] followed [with] Him [joining Him as disciples and siding with His party]. 19 He went on a little farther and saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were in [their] boat putting their nets in order. 20 And immediately He called out to them, and [abandoning all mutual claims] they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and went off after Him [to be His disciples, side with His party, and follow Him]." - Mark 1:16-20 AMPC
The Question of the Day: Look at the person next to you. Do you really think that person is worth basing all of your life decisions on?