Love 1

Song of Songs 8:6-7

Before I perform any wedding I must meet with the couple and discuss certain issues, usually talking about what to expect in the marriage, and so on. One of the first questions I ask of the couple is, “Why are you getting married?”

I ask the question because I need to know that there is love between the two people. Love is essential in a relationship, especially one that will last. And love is an all-or-nothing thing. There is no half way to love.

Ascribed to King Solomon, the son of King David, the book in the Bible called “Song of Songs” or “Song of Solomon” is a passionate accounting of love. What does the person in love desire? How is love described? What is the comparison between love and wealth?

These words are often used in wedding ceremonies. They embody the power and passion of love. They describe how strong the emotion of love can be. For those who are truly in love it is easy to identify with these descriptions.

Love is as unmovable as the inevitability of death. Love can cause our hearts and minds to burn with passion, blazing like a bright fire that cannot be quenched by water; and no amount of money can sway us from our passion.

But this passage begins by calling for a seal, a marking that shows that the one in love belongs to another. Love should be a seal placed on the one who is loved. In our society we have the exchanging of rings – gold or silver bands – that let others know that this person is sealed in a relationship of love. But in reality the love that two people have for one another can be that seal, that emblem that shows others that this person is committed to another.

When we love another person then our actions and behaviors will act as that seal. When we love another person then our attitude and the way we treat that other person will act as that seal that signifies a deep relationship exists. Although we have seals that are used to mark our love relationships, those who are truly in love need no tangible item for others to know that they belong to another.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What do you do to show others that you are in love?