5 DIMENSIONS OF LOVE THAT CANNOT BE OVEREMPHASIZED IN MARRIAGE
By Bisi Adewale
There are five kinds of love which must always be involved in any marriage. They are;
- Passion.It is known as EROS in Greek. It is sexual love entered by singles based on romance and erotic feelings. It is called LUST but it is needful in marriage for couples to enjoy their sexual life. When passion is not in a marriage, the sex life will be dry and uninteresting and when sex is not interesting in marriage, the union may be leading for the rock.
- Emotion.It is known as PHILEA-It is love based on feelings and affections for one another. It is what most people mean when they say they are in love but it is different from agape. While Agape is unconditional, phileo is a love that thrives on feelings and easily dies when the climate is not right. It is also needed in marriage.
- Attraction. It is a sense of acceptance of how somebody looks or what they are doing. It can also be called infatuation. It is common among singles, especially teenagers.
It is also needed in marriage. There should be a deep attraction between husbands and wives that will keep them together till one of them dies. When attraction dies, it affects passion and emotion, thereby affecting the marriage.
Couples should deliberately create attraction and women, should dress neatly to win the admiration of their husbands. Attraction helps emotion and sustains passion. It should be guided jealously.
- Agape love. This is real love. It is also called compassion. It is divine. It speaks of God’s love. It is love for somebody that does not deserve it; it is unconditional and is offered no string attached. It is not based on feelings, sex, attraction.
It is a giving love; a sacrificial love. You need it to connect your spouse even when the feeling is long dead in marriage. You may not feel it every day yet stay in love in marriage.
- Storage. This is love based on family ties and blood relations. This is the love that exists among family members. You need it in marriage because blood is thicker than water. It also helps in preventing divorce in marriage.
LOVE MIXTURE
All 5 types of love must be mixed for a balanced marital life. All should be jealously guarded carefully, cared for and nurtured to produce a satisfying and pleasurable family. Agape is good but cannot give birth to child on its own. Therefore, sustain a good sexual life in marriage. It is the job of passion (EROS). Emotion is good but cannot truly forgive. That is the job of Agape.
Attraction is good but it is dormant in the presence of challenges. Only Agape will stand Eros is good but cannot handle responsibilities. That is the job of Storage. Storage is good but cannot die for you. That is the job of Agape.
A combination of all the five gives a good mixture of true love, which is the foundation for a blissful home.
Singles should not allow the passion aspect of love to be released until marriage and they should not allow emotion to override their reasoning.
© Bisi Adewale 2020
