To choose, or to feel: that is the question.
Does the Bible tell us to love "everybody"? I mean, we are told:"...love your neighbour as yourself" (Lev. 19:18)
"...love the LORD your God" (Deut. 6:5)
"...love your enemies" (Matt. 5:44)
"...love one another" (John 15:12)
"...Husbands, love your wives" (Col. 3:19)
There are also things we are told to love, such as the law and mercy. However, I have yet to find a place the Bible tells us to love people whom we have not met. Even so, it seems Christ-like that we should.
I've been battling this one through, weighing and sifting the argument. The solution lies in defining love. Is it a feeling, such as infatuation or attraction? Or is it a decision - a choice we make after weighing the odds? Of course, if love is a decision, then it ought to include people whom I have not met. What about my future wife? Can I love her right now? Surely I cannot feel the attraction, right now, that I will feel on my wedding night, but can I love her? Can I live right now in a way that shows that I love my future wife right now?
I believe it is possible. Because love is a choice. If love is a feeling, then I do not love my enemies. If love is infatuation, then all through the Prophets, God did not love the Israelites. If love is attraction, then it will come and go 'with the weather.' Only if love is a decision, will we be able to love always. Only if love is a decision, will a marriage remain after an affair has come to light. Only if love is a decision, will it forgive all.
God loves us not because He is infatuated with us; He chooses to love us because that is His nature. Because love is a choice, and His choice is "yes." And so, now, the choice is ours.
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