Works of Love - part 1

Lift himself above earthly distinctions.
- Søren Kierkegaard

This book is such a good read, from the Danish writer Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855). If you've ever read C.S. Lewis' The Four Loves, you will catch on easily to what Kierkegaard is getting on about. He just takes longer to get there, with more philosophy and abstract thought. That means I read this book slower, and as I do, it gets better, and my understanding is deeper. In his view there are two loves (which differs from Lewis' four loves) - a friend/lover/parent type love and a God/charity love.

Alas, but the world has changed, and gradually as the world changes the forms of corruption also become more cunning, more difficult to point out - but they certainly do not become better! (pg. 86)

Kierkegaard is challenging me to love others (and he clarifies and distinguishes who are neighbors truly are) in a giving-with no-expectation-of-receiving anything love. He recognizes that with close friends or family this is hard because we already have an expectation that we will receive something. But when we love our neighbors: the poor, the hurting, the lonely, the stranger, we already go into that situation not expecting anything in return. We go into that fully expecting to give of ourselves.

The idea of love is so confused by the world. It is amazing how Kierkegaard saw this issue in the 1800's, and saw how it was getting worse. It is not true love which looks inwardly to better oneself at the expense of others, but that is what the world embraces as love. Our purpose is to share a love that is infused with the tendency to glimpse the eternal in the temporal. So much of the celebrated earthly love does the opposite. Earthly love looks to solely get the most out of this life and indulge all you can because that's all there is. Fighting that inclination of our culture is the big challenge we have to overcome. As Christians, we go against the grain of the world.

So much of our love in the earthly sense focuses on the temporal  - some object or state of being, but only with a heavy dose of agape can each kind of love be truly good and have the right set of eyes to see beyond the moment and to seek the needs of others, regardless if any love is returned. May we be able to set aside ourselves, and as Kierkegaard encourages, ignore differences amongst us, to engage in disinterested love; a love that does seek to give to others, without expectation that we will receive anything in return. The whole perspective shifts when we don't expect anything in return.

Shut your door and pray to God and you have the utmost a human being can have; love your Saviour, and you have everything, both in life and death; then pay no attention to the differences, for they make no difference. (pg. 80)