What is Love

I love ice cream! I love my girlfriend! Many people see those two sentences as the same when they are entirely different. If I tell my girlfriend I feel about ice cream the same way I think about her, that won't go over well. Nobody actually feels the same way about ice cream and someone they care about.

In the same way, the word love, as we use it in modern English, is way more complex and has many different meanings than we give it credit for. Even though the word love is used to describe anything enjoyable, from family to food, there are

many layers to the word, and it should be used appropriately.

Saying  “I love ice cream” is hyperbole, an exaggeration to create an emphasis. Saying I like ice cream would be more accurate, but it does not carry the same weight. 

Hyperboles are used for many words and can diminish their true meaning. In this instance, the word “love” is used in place of the word “like.” 

In 1931, love only referred to God and family members, but by 2006, it had been extended to cover anything enjoyable (Baker). 

However, saying “I love you” and saying “I like you” don't have the same meaning. Liking someone is usually a reaction based on the other person's actions. In contrast, love takes time to build and is willing to work through conflict. 

Different Kinds of Love

Although love can be used for family and God, it comes in different forms. The Greeks had four words for love.

The first kind storge describes the love between family. Storge love is the first love humans experience and comes naturally and does not change based on actions.  The second kind is philia, the love between friends. One of the most prominent examples of philia is the relationship between close teammates. Unlike storge, philia fluctuates and close friends can turn into strangers and even enemies. The bond that David and Jonathan had is the standard of philia. 

Eros is the romantic attraction that couples share. Eros builds and changes as the relationship continues to grow. A relationship solely based on eros does not tend to last because the foundation can shift easily. 

The final form of love is unconditional love, known as agape. Although this is the greatest form of love and the one that everyone strives to have, God alone possesses it. God displayed his love by giving his one and only Son so that whoever believed in him would have eternal life (NIV). Agape love is difficult because it means showing love even when love isn't precipitated.

Love is a mutual word between human beings. There are many things that people like to do, but those things don't love them back. But the love of other people directs itself. There is the one loving and the one being loved. Real love involves more than just the lover's feelings; it is not self-centered. It occurs when one person believes in another person and shows it. Of course, performing all sorts of duties for someone without genuinely caring for them is possible.  

True Meaning of Love

Love does not involve being hired to help. Love does not include an obligation done with a cold soul. But neither does it involve a passion that expresses itself in cruelty or does not express itself at all. The feeling must wed itself to the deed. 

We would have a healthier understanding of love if we recognized that love, like parenting or friendship, is a feeling that shows itself through actions. What we do reflects what we feel. A poet’s song inspires, and passion can move emotions, but the most profound beauty of love lies in how it changes lives.

Parental love is the first love mentioned in the Bible, and it is a glimpse of God's unconditional love for us (Gen. 22). Parents would do anything to ensure their child is safe and happy. In the doing lies the love—the feeling enacts itself (Wolpe). Liking ice cream doesn't lead to significant action, but loving people always requires action. 

Dagi Thomas is a senior in high school and takes online dual credit classes through Summit. He loves football and is a heartbroken Vikings fan.