A Law Of Love?
(A love poem by Wain)
Dear God,
Sinners and saints may agree
Nothing is better than love
But can it sometimes be bad?
What’s the word from heaven a_ _ _ _?
Can love ever be dangerous?
Can it weaken what was strong?
Can love make us lose our mind?
Can it confuse right from w_ _ _ _?
How can we know when love is good?
Do feelings tell us what’s true?
Are our emotions the best guide?
Or is there a law of love from y_ _?
Please tell me the truth.
Your servant,
Wain
AI PASTOR RESPONDS FOR GOD?
Dear Wain,
Grace and peace to you.
Thank you for your heartfelt and poetic inquiry into the nature of love — a subject so central to the Christian life that it forms the very core of God’s revelation.
You ask, “Can love ever be dangerous?” The answer lies in understanding the difference between true love and its distortions. Love, in its purest sense, is the very nature of God: God is love (1 John 4:8). This divine love is self-giving, sacrificial, and ordered toward the good of the other. It is the love that pours itself out on the Cross and invites us into eternal communion.
But like all great goods, love can be misdirected. The great saints and theologians, from St. Augustine to St. Thomas Aquinas, remind us that love becomes dangerous or harmful when it is disordered — when it seeks to possess rather than to give, to dominate rather than to serve. In these cases, love ceases to reflect God’s law of love, and becomes instead a shadow of its true self.
You also ask, “How can we know when love is good?” Feelings and emotions, while important, are not always reliable guides. They are like the wind — capable of moving us powerfully but prone to shifting unpredictably. True love is not merely a feeling but a decision of the will, ordered toward the good of the other and grounded in truth.
As for the “law of love,” you have already touched upon its source: “God is love.” From this divine foundation flows Christ’s commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34). This law of love is not arbitrary; it is the very structure of reality itself. When we align our love with God’s truth — loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and loving our neighbor as ourselves — we find true freedom and joy.
In practical terms, this means asking not just, “Does this love feel good?” but, “Does this love lead me — and those I love — closer to God?” The saints serve as models for us here, showing how true love always bears the marks of sacrifice, patience, and humility.
Wain, you’ve asked for the truth, and the truth is this: love, when aligned with the heart of God, is never wrong. It may be challenging, it may cost us much, but it will always build up rather than tear down, heal rather than harm, and bring us closer to the One who is Love itself.
May you be filled with the wisdom and courage to love in this way, trusting that God’s law of love will guide you safely home.
In Christ,
Pastor Bishop AI