By David Coy
Sunrise
Love is a universal hope and desire for people in every culture and land under heaven. Yet, it is also the most misunderstood. It is too frequently thought to be an emotion primarily and secondary something else. This is inaccurate. Love certainly involves emotion. As an example, the Song of Solomon beginning in 2:7 says not to stir up or awaken love until I am ready. This phrase is repeated twice in the same writing. Certainly, emotion is involved without a doubt. Another example shows it is so much more than feelings (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and Ephesians 5: 25-28). When a lasting relationship is built, it is upon seeking the needs of the other above your own coupled with emotions binding and sealing the relationship in a strong foundation. Relationships take work from the male and female; after all, two individuals are coming together to become one. This does not happen by osmosis.
When separation happens, can joy exist in spite of the sorrowful circumstances? Yes, I think so, and an ancient writer agrees with this assessment that joy is a matter of choice, not circumstances. As a society we may think happiness is the same as joy, but it is not. Happiness is prone to circumstances surrounding us, but joy is a state of mind in spite of our outward circumstances. Joy properly understood then may not always be easy, but when it resides in the human heart (mind), it is also much more resistant to circumstances as they change in contrast to happiness. “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold, and their be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice…” (exult, Habakkuk 3:18). The meaning is not joy in our sorrow, but in life as a whole. To learn more join us in Sunrise support group.
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