And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments. (II John 6)
Real Love
If we believe Romcoms, Hallmark, or modern music, love is a confusing, slippery, and impossible thing. It would seem that love is an uncontrollable emotion, something that hurts, or a cosmic joke with a sad punchline.
But John describes love as something graspable, doable, and obtainable. We love, he says, not by cultivating a mushy feeling, finding just the right person, or persistence. We love by obeying God.
God’s commandments instruct us to put ‘someone else’ ahead of ourselves. God’s commandments ask that we choose the rights and needs of ‘someone else’ above our own. God’s commandments direct us use the pronouns you, he, she, them, and y’all more than we use I and me.
As hard as those things are to do… it is understandable and graspable.
And the only way to know that kind of love is through Christ. He fixes our disobedience and enables our obedience.
In other words, He lets us love and be loved.
We are peculiar, we have real love.