Several nights ago, I listened to another beautiful song on YouTube. “Somewhere in Time” has perhaps the most haunting melody I’ve ever heard. The version I heard came with a trailer for the movie from which the song came. The story involves a young man who becomes captivated by the picture of an actress who lived several generations before his time. He’s so captivated, he manages to get himself transported back to her time, where they meet and fall in love. The trailer ends with them in bed.
As I said earlier, the music is beautiful. I couldn’t get it out of my head. I’ve played it every night since I first heard it. However, the accompanying trailer bothers me. It seems to imply that the ultimate culmination of true love is sex. It isn’t, even though that’s an assumption held by many in our world today. Now, don’t read me wrong. Sex is an important part of marital love. It’s one of the most important parts. But if it’s the only thing that draws a couple together, their union won’t last.
True love is based on much more than physical attraction. Have you ever noticed how an old couple looks at each other? I mean a couple who have been together for 50 years or more—most of their adult lives. Look into the old couple’s eyes. There’s love and more; there’s also admiration, respect, gratitude, and reverence even. But there’s no lust, and this isn’t due only to the lack of hormones. Theirs is a love that has grown from storge (affection) through philia (friendship) through eros (romantic love) to agape (divine love—the kind of love which sent Jesus to the cross). This love for one another, a couple will carry throughout eternity. It’s perhaps God’s ultimate Gift. Let’s not confuse it with lesser things.
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