Agape
“Agape
doesn't love somebody because they're worthy. Agape makes them worthy
by the strength and power of love. Agape doesn't love somebody
because they're beautiful. Agape loves somebody in such a way that it
makes them beautiful.”
Rob Bell
We English speakers don't
have very many choices when it comes to expressing love—just one
word that has to cover a lot of material: “I love you.” or “I
love pizza.” or “I love Facebook.” Somehow, that one little
word seems inadequate to cover what is a very broad subject. The
ancient Greeks had four words for love; everything from eros (erotic
love), philia (love among friends), storge (love between parents and
children) to agape (transcendent, universal love). Agape is
considered to be the highest form of love. We don't encounter it very
often, because it is sacrificial in nature—the best representative
of it in our lifetime was probably Mother Teresa.
When we do encounter
agape, we're sometimes unaware. I think about my little sister,
Missy, who had cerebral palsy. Missy couldn't do anything for
herself, couldn't walk or talk, couldn't feed herself or dress
herself. She was absolutely dependent on others for all her needs.
She was misshapen, disfigured, not at all physically attractive. But
somehow, she brought out the good in other people. She could light up
a room with her laughter, and with all of her profound limitations,
she was a joyful spirit. She garnered agape love from a wide range of
people. Her presence in our family made us better people than we
would otherwise have been.
It is not a mistake that
agape (love) is spelled the same as agape, which means “wide
open—especially with surprise or wonder.” Agape love is wide
open—universal, unconditional. It reaches beyond ourselves and
our desires, beyond our friends and family, our tribe, to embrace the
world and its people. It emanates from a heart that is wide open. It
transforms ugliness into beauty, makes what is unworthy by the
world's standards, worthy. And best of all, it changes us. It
transforms us into complete human beings, fully functioning and
undefended. Being wide open makes us vulnerable, which is why we
avoid it. Most of us, myself included, will never get to this highest
form of love in one lifetime, but its still a worthy goal.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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