– “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.”

I John 4:7

She loves me, she loves me not, she loves me, she loves me not. I watched my cousin work his way around a wild daisy, alternating those statements until the petals were stripped. Then he lifted the last petal and announced she loves me!  I asked why he did that? He said he liked a girl and wondered if she liked him.

If interpreting love was only that easy. For my cousin who questioned the daisy – he was as incapable as the flower to know if she loved him. At the tender age of 7, I got the idea that loving and liking were the same. In everyday conversations people used love and like interchangeably. They said they love or like food, they love or like people, cars, houses, jobs, or money – you name it.   What I saw was this, when a person liked how someone looked, how they dressed or whatever, that perception carried the hope of romance – but liking is fickle. It can be changed to dislike by a disapproving look or a critical word. I am not saying that liking someone is wrong, it is wonderful, but relationships need more. The flesh can like but love is vital to keep the flame burning through hard times. Con artists are masters at being likable. Beware of flattering words that recruit you to an uncomfortable cause. Then there is the friendly deceiver who wants in your wallet or the charmer on a quest for Victoria’s secret.  Sin and deceit like best to be called love. Continue reading →