What is love? Like happiness, love is two things: (1) it is a feeling (2) it is a behavior. The feeling of love for a person is a feeling of affection, desire for relationship and, in some instances, a desire for sexual intimacy. Love as a behavior is kind, patient, and compassionate (see 1 Corinthians 13).
I have been asked on occasions if I thought there was a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone. Yes. The basic difference is behavior vs. feeling. "I don't want anything bad to happen to her. I mean, she is a good person and I want her to be OK." (Kindness). "Dr. Spears, I love Adolf (Behavior) but I'm not IN LOVE with him." (Feelings). Translated....."Somebody needs to start packing here!" It seems to me that loveless (feeling) marriages produce intense unhappiness.
We use the word "love" in place of "like" sometimes. I love popcorn just does not really fit the idea of love. You may have a strong like for popcorn, but feelings of intimacy or desire for relationship is stretching it a bit. (You might want to take a look at a rather new word used for love...limerance.)
Ok, so what's love got to do with it? Those lyrics would make a good song. What, if anything, does love have to do with happiness? Is there a correlation between them; love and happiness? Yes. Look at the qualities that constitute the Biblical idea of love found in 1 Corinthians 13. Love is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, just to name a few qualities. Are you happy when you are being envious, impatient, unkind or boasting? Not usually. You can learn how to be patient, how to be unenvious and kind. When you do, you may just find the secret that St. Paul was talking about when he stated that he had learned the secret of happiness.
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."Love just might be that secret. Something to think about.
