LIKENESS: "WE SEEM TO BE COMPATIBLE AND I LIKE YOU THEREFORE I GOTTA HAVE YOU"
LOVE (AGAPE): "I LIKE YOU BUT I WILL WAIT ON THE LORD. IN THE MEANTIME, I WILL TREAT YOU LIKE MY SISTER AND SOMEBODY'S FUTURE WIFE. I WILL ALSO PRAY FOR YOU SO AT THE LEAST, YOU CAN INVITE ME TO YOUR WEDDING."
Many don't understand the difference between true love (reference to The Princess Bride or unconditional love as described by the bible) and what is commonly called Puppy Love, Twitterpation (Bambi), or what is technically known as Limerance to counselors.
In short Limerance always ends, agape love never ends.
Here's a link to a video that explains it pretty well in my opinion, although he says "True Love" is not easy to pin down since people refer to it in various ways.
https://youtu.be/-e-gKUh1Upo
If you don't have access to Youtube or this video, I'll summarize for you below.
In essence, limerance is the early attraction and spark in a young relationship while you feel madly in love and still only look at the positives and tend to overlook the negatives. This always fades over time. God's unconditional love, agape in Greek, is different. See 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a ESV
"4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends..."
We can only find unconditional love from others who know how much Jesus has done for them. 1 John 4:19 ESV "We love because he first loved us."
This is part of the reason why so many of us are frustrated with relationships, or perhaps even have issues with trusting men/women. We get unequally yoked with someone less committed to God and yet are surprised when they quit or abandon us. 2 Corinthians 6
14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial[b]? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will live with them
and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they will be my people.”[c]
17 Therefore,
“Come out from them
and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you.”[d]
18 And,
“I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.”[e]
Sorry for the length, but I hope this helps you. I found myself preaching to myself as well. May God bless you in your search for agape love and a godly relationship.
These words say it all—especially these words: “love never ends...”
True love never ends or fails.
There’s no such thing as “falling out of love” IF you have true love.
If you love like the world, that love will fail because that kinda love just gets old and tired and can’t love anymore.
“Worldly love” loves only so long as you’re beautiful and nice but it dies and turns to hate when you get angry and fat.
True love rejoices in the truth. That has more than just one meaning, one meaning might be: IF you truly love someone, you will help them overcome things that don’t please God.
And IF you truly love someone who just pointed out something wrong you’re doing, you will learn from it (get wiser and love the person) and not get angry at the person who loved you enough to tell you. Proverbs 9:8 Do not rebuke mockers (fools) or they will hate you; >>>rebuke the wise and they will love you.<<<
A wise humble person can be rebuked even by a fool and and learn from it and still not get angry or even hate the fool. Occasionally, even a fool might have at least one good word to say.
"4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Likeness...wanting to be with someone all the time. Thinking they can do nothing wrong. Being infatuated.
Love...once you are married (at least as my case was) you learn who that person really is. What their faults and weaknesses are. As well as them learning yours.
There are days you don't want to be there but you still do what you need to do. You still do the action of love. You keep trying.
Those likeness feelings/thoughts can be refreshed. But maybe in a more realistic way.
