Love at First Sight

What do you hear when you are told about love at first sight? Is such a thing possible? What kind of love are we talking about? Is this not a mirage in the desert of sin, which beckons you with its romance, but never comes in your life? Or is it a beautiful rainbow, which very clearly shows all its spectra of colors in someone's life, but never achievable by you when you want to approach it?

There was a time in my life when I watched television programs, and I well remember the one that was called: "Love at First Sight." I believed that such a thing existed, that the heroes of this show were real, and I always rejoiced when young people successfully chose each other and won the main prize. It was very similar to market trading, where boys and girls evaluated each other as a commodity, asking different questions. The choice was small, three girls got acquainted with three guys whom they saw for the first time, and at the end of the poll everyone had to name the one they liked. If there was a match of sympathies, he and she chose each other, they were paid for a restaurant in which they had to get to know each other better and then on the next broadcast guess what the partner loves or does not love, and if a certain number of points was gained, then they could win a romantic trip for two. And I sat, as if spellbound, by the screen and believed in this "pink dream," thinking that here it is, happiness—you just need to go and take it.

And if you remember all those romantic films about how he and she found each other forever, which I managed to watch before meeting Jesus, then in my worldview a certain model of relationships was formed, which was so firmly established in my heart that I could not imagine anything else.

In light of what the world taught me, I also perceived Christian families, seeing how they are created according to the same principles, but with the condition that your chosen one be from the same denomination as you.

Although I already had a family before my repentance and rebirth, I always had an interest in the topic of happy marriage, and I am still not indifferent to the laws of this happiness. I strive to learn and accept them into my life, sharing with others.

In the Greek language, into which the books of the Old Testament were translated and the New was written, the word "love" has many different meanings and is not always the same, although it always relates to people. In Greek it sounds like erotica, love for a friend, love for family, love for homeland, Divine agape love, and these are completely different words that are translated into our language with one word "love." I would add there one more modern love for food products. There is a merging of all these meanings into one, and we can only guess whether it is about love for fish or for "little fish."

Love at first sight is attractive because it contains the word "love." Everyone can boldly put any Greek meaning in this place and believe that this is possible. But the big problem of God's people is that we do not know agape love in our life, we do not know its laws and therefore easily succumb to all kinds of deceptions and counterfeits of this love.

The enemy of the soul is interested in us believing in any love except that which God is. We are offered a beautiful soap bubble, impressing us with its size, symmetry and magical color overflows. We are fascinated by the force of surface tension of this bubble. We see with our own eyes that it is real, and we decide to make it ours.

In my life I have witnessed many marriage unions, I have also seen how some of them fell apart. And the main reason for divorces is that young people did not know the person with whom they were going to create a family, and did not strive for this knowledge even within the family. All romantic experiences and all their love at first sight burst like a soap bubble at the first trials, and instead of solving these problems on the spot and asking for love and wisdom from above, family members found other partners or decided to part.

Love at first sight is the evil one's lottery, where someone sometimes wins, and this is trumpeted everywhere, but where there are much more disappointed hearts and broken lives, and few speak about this. If I am accustomed to looking at the surface of relationships and do not try to understand what rocks are hidden in the depths, then sooner or later I will collide with these underwater trials, and my life will be shaken and tested.

Studying the science of agape love, seeing in it a direct connection with God and His prophecies for the last time, we discover for ourselves a new world of stable laws, statutes and principles. If I am asked about the existence of Agape at first sight, then I will not be able to answer this question unambiguously, understanding that those who have not yet known this love within themselves will not be able to have it and build something from it. Agape at first sight is possible if I understand its laws and principles and build my relationships with neighbors precisely on them. And if in the world love at first sight leads to cohabitation or hasty marriage, then agape is in no hurry to create a family union. It wants to comprehensively know the whole person and love him all life. It is not so much interested in marriage with a loved one as it is interested in the person himself. It can endlessly long study the soul of its chosen one, constantly making new discoveries and calmly overcoming all trials of relationships, building something solid and beautiful on the ruins of egoism.

Having once looked at a new candidate for its heart attachment, agape love makes a decision to love him always and under any conditions, despite trials in the future. It begins with the first sight and the decision to be eternal love for this person and can no longer change this choice, because He who is Love is incapable of loving otherwise.

The only problem that I can experience in such love may be that I, not having known it within myself, will decide that I possess it and love precisely with it, relying on my internal source of myself. But when I come to emptiness and internal burnout, then I understand that I am nothing, and I can do everything only in the Lord who strengthens me.

God is not against sinners loving each other at first sight and building their houses on the sand of such myths. But He is against attributing His holy Name and power to this sensual love.

The Lord does not offer us a lottery game where only one receives the main prize. He invites us to accept His plan, delve into it and all become winners and sit with Him on His throne.

His love once begins in my life, to never end. Although it is complex in its structure, it is very strong and simple in handling. You can run after the rainbow all your life, never catching it, but losing all your strength on this squirrel wheel. And we are offered a reliable means for eternal relationships, which, having begun with my decision, will never end, but will constantly delight me with its victories and discoveries.

1. Please read: Phil. 2:13; Matt. 24:12,37-39; 1 John 2:16-17; 3:1; 4:7-8; Jer. 31:3; James 3:12-18; John 13:34-35; 17:26; Eccl. 3:1,8; 1 Cor. 13:4-8 in light of this topic.

2. What did you understand from this topic?

3. What other verses from the Bible came to your mind?

4. What is love at first sight?

5. Do you believe that love at first sight exists, and it is the most beautiful event in the life of any person?

6. What is the difference between God's love and that which the world offers?

7. Do you remember your first love at first sight? Is your heart still burning?

8. Can I begin to call the activity of my hormones love?

9. How to understand where is real love from God, and where are my strong feelings and emotional experiences against the background of hormonal activity?

10. What should I do if I, being a single person, fell in love with someone at first sight and noticed the same attitude toward myself? Is it worth developing these relationships or should they be feared like fire?

11. What should I do if someone fell in love with me at first sight, and I have no feelings for this person?

12. Is it possible to order your heart to love someone and not to love someone?

13. Is it worth suppressing in yourself the feeling of love at first sight if it has come and delights your heart?

14. Is it important to understand what my love is based on?

15. First love and love at first sight—are they the same thing?