Where Is The Love?
The Problem We Face
In our society, the crime rate has become an undeniable challenge, circling in our neighborhoods and threatening the safety of our communities. Recent reports, such as the incident highlighted by Fox 2, where a man was shot at my favorite restaurant, Chipotle, over an issue so ridiculous, like receiving too much guacamole. Now, I am a person who loves anything extra, so I would have looked at that as a blessing. However, this proves we have a problem in our neighborhood, an issue that seems to me to have only one solution, and that is love. So my question to you is, where is the love? And how do we find it? To solve this problem of crime and hate, I believe so many of us are searching for love in a hateful, deceitful, and cruel world. We have decided to find love through idols, fantasy, money, our bodies, status, and drugs. This mindset leads us away from the true love that is kind and gentle, true love that is patient and hopeful. The world tells us that love is a feeling we have with butterflies, but love is an action.
A World Darkened by Hate
As time passes, the persistence of hate and crime shows a troubling darkness within our neighborhoods. Incidents of violence, theft, and shootings have risen, indicating a deepening societal crisis. ABC News reports, “As of Feb. 15, at least 4,994 people have died from gun violence in the U.S. this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive – which is an average of about 108 deaths each day. Another 3,351 people have been injured.” These statistics are a glimpse into the reality of crime and hate permeating our neighborhoods, communities, and society, emphasizing the pressing need for decisive intervention to address the root of these malicious acts.
Violence in Our Schools
Our school system has now become a place of shootings, and now teachers, students, and parents of students have to have in the back of their minds whether they will make it back home. According to CNN, “There have been at least 18 school shootings in the United States so far this year, as of April 18. Four were on college campuses, and 14 were on K–12 school grounds. The incidents left nine people dead and at least 25 others injured.” This saddens my heart; I have a young cousin in kindergarten and two younger siblings. I am a college student away from my parents. The thought of someone doing something so vile should be unheard of and unthinkable. Where is the love?
The Normalization of Hate
We live in a world where it is normal to have hate, bullying, and suicide; it is normal to get bullied on social media platforms. In an article written by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, it says, “They found that children and young people under age 25 who were victims of cyberbullying were more than twice as likely to engage in self-harm and suicidal behaviors than their non-victim peers. The findings also indicated that perpetrators of cyberbullying were at increased risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors.” Seriously? This shouldn’t be a thing. Now, I have to worry about getting bullied by strangers on the internet, let alone at school. Where is the love? According to Alliant International University, the root causes of crime are multifaceted, intertwining socioeconomic factors with mental health challenges. “Substance abuse, often correlated with lower-income neighborhoods, exacerbates criminal behavior, with opioid overdoses disproportionately affecting disadvantaged communities. Additionally, limited access to quality education perpetuates cycles of poverty and crime, as children from lower-income families face barriers to academic achievement and future opportunities.” This is true; however, there is a deeper root to this issue that we ignore: the lack of love and the acknowledgment of God.
Turning Away from God
We are over here killing each other; we are now in a society that hates God, and the crime rates and the violence in this world are proof. What happened to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind? And loving your neighbor as yourself? Which is the same as loving the Lord. In Matthew 22:37, Jesus, the Son of God, our Savior and King, was asked by one of the Pharisees, who was an expert on the law of God, what was the most important commandment. He responded, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and most important command. The second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’” Love was the answer, but many of us get this answer wrong.
Searching for Love in Idols
In our pursuit of love, we often fall into the trap of seeking it through the idols of this world. There are many definitions and perceptions of what an idol is. However, according to the Oxford Dictionary, an idol is “an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship” and “a person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered.” We often think that idols are just people or “American idols” like celebrities, but idols are way more than just that. In an article published by Deb Preston, she researched modern-day idolatry; she says, “In modern society, idolatry can take many forms. Some common examples include prioritizing material possessions, wealth, fame, relationships, or even social media popularity above spiritual values.” We mistakenly believe that love can be found in the idols we make and in temporary pleasures like sexual immorality, fantasies, drugs, addictions, or selfish pursuits.
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places
In an article titled “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places,” published by Dr. Carol, she talks about how we all look for love, but because of hurt and disappointment and never seeing a healthy display of love, we often try to find it in other things. She says, “It’s no wonder many look for love in places such as accumulating wealth, a prestigious career, controlling other people, or illicit or dangerous pleasures. Any little thing that brings relief to your love-starved soul is quickly turned into an addiction: alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, violence, shopping, getting attention, money, relationships, and on and on.” However, these pursuits only lead to a cycle of disappointment, depression, regret, and anxiety. The love we seek in these temporary fixes leaves us feeling lonely and unfulfilled.
In an article published by The Inside Job, titled “The Dopamine Dilemma: How Short-Term Pleasures Affect Your Mental Health,” where they talk about how temporary pleasures that send dopamine to your brain are detrimental to you and how instant gratification traps you and leads you to addictions—and how social media plays a role too—they make a point saying, “This dopamine-driven reward system can sometimes lead to addictive behaviors that can have a detrimental impact on our mental health.” We may indulge in these behaviors, hoping to fill a void within ourselves, but instead, we find ourselves further lost and disconnected.
What True Love Really Is
True love is not about seeking temporary highs or momentary pleasures. It's about embracing vulnerability, selflessness, and empathy. In our society, we think that love is something we feel, and the moment we don’t, we throw people away. In an article titled “This Is How Society Defines Love,” Genesis Meyer says, “Society defines love as something that selfishness satisfies your desires. Relationships these days are centered around physical connections rather than emotional ones.” We think of love as something that is physical and that we feel and can hold on to. Why do you think in our pursuit of love, we try and find it through sex, drugs, and money, and so on? We in this world have been misled to believe that love is something physical and something we can obtain and buy.
The True Definition of Love
According to the Oxford Dictionary, love is defined in four ways: “an intense feeling of deep affection,” “a great interest and pleasure in something,” “feeling deep affection for (someone),” and “like or enjoy very much.” We know what society says about love and how they view love; we know what the definition of love is according to the dictionary, and the way the world agreed on what love is. But now let us talk about the real truth of what love is that comes from the word of God, the God of love himself. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, Paul, an apostle, says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others; it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” Notice how love isn’t defined as a feeling but as an action.
The Consequences of Losing Sight of Love
We talked about how, in our society, we view love as physically obtainable, and by its definition, we learn that it is a feeling we feel. Don’t get me mistaken; we do have these butterfly moments. We sometimes have these feelings that are so high in affection, and we have honeymoon stages that are so beautiful, but just like the honeymoon stage, butterfly moments, and the highly affectionate feelings, they go away. So what do we do then? Because we treat love as a feeling, we stop respecting each other; we grow angry with each other and keep records of the wrongs others do and mistakes others make that cause us to become bitter towards one another. That is when crime rates go up, killing, stealing, hatred, falling into addiction, ignorance, and selfishness. We continue to ignore what God says; we ignore his teaching and his ways; we try to follow the world and how we view it, but they only mislead us into self-destruction. We continue to follow our wisdom on what love and life are about and what we think is right, but that only hurts us.
God’s Wisdom vs. The World’s
We try to denounce his words, saying, “The Bible is man-made; it’s not real,” but anyone who truly trusts and follows God’s ways and learns to be like Jesus is always better off, and people are confused at how they are smiling when there is destruction all around them, how they don’t look like what they have been through, how they love when there is so much hate. See, God’s wisdom and love supersede all human wisdom and understanding. We say it is “man-made,” but his ways go completely against ours. Look at what the world said about love, and look at His. Now look at how we turned out because we followed worldly wisdom, then look at those who truly follow Christ Jesus and how loving and free they are from the bondages and chains of hatred, malice, unforgiveness, and sin. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9. So why not listen to the God who knows best?
Living in the Last Days
Instead, we have come to this: we walk without shame, hardened hearts, and brokenness. I had a phone call with my brother, and he had recently moved into his apartment; a week later, someone had busted out the windows of most of the cars down his road. My mom told me that young adults on our block have been breaking into all the houses. Where is the love? This is ridiculous; the crime rate is going up, and the world is fueled with hatred and evil. But we worry about what is happening with the Kardashians, and we worry about following trends. I bet once we look away from our phones and turn off the TV, we will realize that the last days are right now and that we have been distracted from the truth. “They will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. Will be unloving and unforgiving, slander others, and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religiously but reject the power that could make them godly.” This is a description of the “last days” by Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
The World Without Love
Does this sound familiar? This happens today; look around you. We live in a world that only loves and cares for itself. We walk around proud of ourselves, like we are everything, because we compare ourselves to others and deem ourselves better than others. We ignore God and his ways, knowing we are wrong and thinking he isn’t coming back. We disobey our parents, cuss at them, and lie. There was a video posted by WorldStarHipHop.com where they showed a little girl cursing and beating her grandmother, and destroying Walmart property. Where is the love? We have no sacred lives; we post everything on social media, boasting about what we did and how many people we had sex with, and we have websites for watching people having sex. Where is the love? We don’t love each other; we would rather cut each other down, slander people’s names, and be unforgiving, cruel, and hateful. We cheat, betray one another, and are reckless with our choices and lives.
The Fear of God and the Power of Love
We don’t care; we would rather please ourselves than the one who made us, than the one who has the power to destroy the very life we believe we have control over. Jesus says in Matthew 10:28, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” We do not fear the Lord God, and in this wicked generation, we have no respect. We often hear, “How can God be the God of love if he created the world and its evil?” Those who make this claim never realize that evil in this world results from our selfishness, pride, and lack of fear of the Lord and love. Do you believe that if we feared God, we would have issues with school shootings? Issues with rape? Murder? If we had listened to his commandments or obeyed him, loved him, and loved each other, I wouldn’t be typing up this paper.
Finding Love Again
Where is the love? That love is in Jesus. This power is something that so many of us reject. This same love that raised Jesus from the dead. We ignore this love, this power that cures broken hearts and depression, and hate this same power that heals the sick; we reject it. Where is the love? It’s knocking on the door of our hearts, waiting for us to open up to him, but we continue to turn our backs. Where is the love? Standing right before you, waiting for you to surrender, but we don’t.
It is easy to hate, it is easy to be angry, and it’s easy to fall for our selfish desires. If it were easy to follow Jesus and his ways, everyone would do it. We quite literally have to deny ourselves daily. We deny ourselves by choosing to love even when it’s hard and hurts; we deny ourselves by choosing to be kind when that person is mean; we deny ourselves by choosing God’s wisdom instead of our own. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it,” Jesus says in Matthew 7:13-14. It’s easier to follow the flesh; that’s why so many people go down that path.
The Answer
Where do we find love? When we seek to find God.
