It was a long time ago. A kind nurse was transporting me to my room after surgery. It had been a difficult two days. I’d been told the baby I carried for thirty-four weeks had died. There was nothing they could do but induce labor. That didn’t work, so my baby was delivered by c-section. I was numb. Still in shock. The nurse quietly asked questions about my family, how many children I had, and so on. Then, after tucking me into bed, she gave me a little card. She told me she was praying for me and she included these words:

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39 NIV).

Those words resonated with me. It soothed my heart and I felt hope and assurance that my situation was not unknown to God.

What does the word love really mean? In the English language, there is only one word. In Greek–the language used to write the New Testament in the Bible–are several words for love. Phileo (brotherly love), eros (sexual love), and agape. The Greek word used in the verses above is agape: Agape love involves faithfulness, commitment, and an act of the will. 

How often do we use the word love in our conversation?  I venture to say often. It is a throw away word. “I love jamocha almond fudge ice cream. I love the smell of roses. I love basketball. I love spring. I love your new jacket. I love the smell of coffee.” I could go on, but you get the idea.

The words below give a little indication of the word’s meaning:

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
  And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
  And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
  Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
  Though stretched from sky to sky.

~Frederick Martin Lehman, 1868-1953.

If you’ve been near any ocean, you know how much water is contained in that one body of water. The words, “could we fill the ocean with ink,” and every man write the words about the love of God would “drain the ocean dry.”  That’s amazing!

I hope now that I’ve thought about it,  I’ll be more careful when I use the word love.

How about you? As you think about it, listen to the song below.

What songs move you? Have you thought about how often you use the word love? We’re all guilty of it.

Let’s pray.”Heavenly Father, you gave us your word to know how much you love us. I can’t always comprehend your love, but the words to this song give me a glimmer of what your love is. Help me think about the wonderful concept of your love. In Jesus’ name, amen”

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