Finding Love in A Broken World
You’ve probably heard the saying, “Love makes the world go ‘round.” But if that’s true, why is it so hard to find love? You may long to be loved, but you probably also struggle with wondering whether or not you are worth loving. You desire deep friendships but also struggle to love others who are different from you. Why is it so hard to love? Why is it so hard to be loved? Is the love we’re yearning for real, or is it merely a romantic notion that can only be found in movies or novels?
GOD’S STORY OF LOVE
I don’t know who originated that saying, but he was right. Love does make the world go ‘round. Perhaps the author who penned those words was simply persuaded by love’s universal nature, but maybe he was thinking about God. When we step back and consider this saying in light of God’s story, we will be convinced that it is absolutely true.
Before creation, perfect love existed and was experienced. How do we know this to be true? Because God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). God existed eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even before creating the universe (Genesis 1). When Jesus was with his disciples, he prayed to his heavenly Father, saying, “you loved me before the creation of the world” (John 17:24 NIV). Imagine the Holy Trinity, enjoying perfect love that flowed equally, infinitely, and inseparably between the persons. Consider the joy, peace, pleasure, and affection that the members experienced within their one being. Such love was and is glorious, and it has overflowed as the God of love has written a beautiful four-part love story: