These three relationships are of paramount importance for any human life to thrive. They define who we are and what we become, and they are all encompassed in one relationship – a relationship with God: The Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
Humanity’s yearning for love can only be fulfilled by understanding and experiencing the love of God in all its dimensions, 3 of these are crucial to our lives’ purposes. And God alone is Love. Not that He was, or from Him came, but He Himself is Love (1 John 4:16).
A Father’s Love
A Father’s love is a great and indispensable need in the life of any son or daughter. It shapes their identity from childhood, causing them to either become confident or have poor self-esteem, feel loved or rejected, be bold or timid, secure or insecure and the list goes on and on. Every son has a dire need of a father who can be his role model to being a man. Every daughter needs a father to tell her what she’s worth. Not just that, studies have shown that the absence of a father in the early years of a child is a common factor leading to juvenile crimes.
But the truth is, as much as the physical presence of a father is necessary for sound upbringing, we cannot deny the negative impacts that an abusive or callous father can have on a person, thus distorting the image of what/who an ideal father is and should be.
Even though I have been brought up by a very loving father, one of the first things God dealt with me in my relationship with him is to establish my identity as a true daughter of God. Even the best earthly dads cannot compare to the Heavenly Father that God is (1 John 3:1). God wants us to grasp a hold of and root ourselves firmly in the love that He has for us as a Father whose love is so vast that it could never be earned by works, nor could ever be lost by deeds. (Romans 8:38)
A Fiancé’s love
Another dimension of love that is craved for by every human being is the love of the ‘Beloved’ as so beautifully woven into the Songs of Songs – a love that waits patiently for the arrival of the One whom the soul longs for, which is why this kind of love is usually attributed to the ‘soul-mate’ or ‘life-partner’. ‘Eros’ (i.e. Greek for romantic or passionate love), although generally understood as existing within a sexual relationship between a couple, need not exclusively be experienced in that sense, as sex is originally only a by-product of this kind of love.
Again, man cannot fully satisfy our need for this love. For this reason, we are often scared to love or commit as we are scared of being let down. But if the Son of Man has already occupied this place in your heart, you have nothing to worry about.
I remember once telling Him, “Lord I’m too scared to give my heart to this person because I fear it will be broken.” I honestly wasn’t expecting such an immediate reply from Him saying, “Liny, you’ve already given your heart to Me. It cannot be broken as long as it is with Me.”
Being in love is a truly wonderful feeling. But what if you could be in love with Love Himself?
Being in love is a truly wonderful feeling. But what if you could be in love with Love Himself?
A Friend who Never Fails
Friendship - that one ship that never sinks! Ha ha. Well, I disagree slightly. As long as our friends are humans, they will fail at one point or another. But there is only One Friend who is faithful. He was faithful to the point of death. He willing laid down His life for us, His friends (John 15:13) - this He calls is the greater of all loves.
To lay your life down doesn’t just mean to physically die but it also means to die every day mentally and emotionally to one’s self desires in order to uphold the sacrificial love for your dear friend. Jonathan did this for David and David upheld it to Jonathan’s next generation, just as Jesus did for the apostles and from then on we continue to uphold it for Him as we take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. This is the love that’s worth dying for and Jesus, through the Holy Spirit personifies it.
It is the reason why the Holy Spirit was sent for us - our Helper and Friend who will be there with us always till the end of the age (Mat 28:20). The physical presence of God has been made manifest through the Holy Spirit who is constantly with us and will never leave our side as a dear Friend, who upholds us through all of our struggles and victories. PS: In fact, it is His help I’m using to even write this up right now! ☺
Walking with the Lord everyday helps you unveil the Love He has for you and completes the need for love in every area of your life. God places people in our lives so that we can love, bond with and nurture each other. We experience love with them - but let’s never forget to make Him our First love, lest we find ourselves disappointed.
All that this broken, confused and starving generation needs to heal is the reassuring embrace of the Father, the touch of the Real Lover, and the companionship of a True Friend.
Is there a hole, a void in your heart for this love? All I would say is, come taste and see for yourself. This love that nothing or no one can truly replace, the love of your Maker Himself.
Liny.
About the author:
Liny is a anointed social activist.She is currently working for an NGO raising awareness against human trafficking , abortion and pornography in the colleges in India .