Boylove. . . is it really LOVE?
Submitted by tigris on January 7 2002 21:59:33
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Hey gang. I have a question. 1 Corinthians 13 says that, among other things, love is not self-seeking. OK, so that got me wondering about the love that I have described feeling and the love that many of you profess to have for boys. I know, speaking for myself, that the love that I feel for some of the boys in my life is actually a selfish kind of love. I spend time with him partly because he fills a need in my life for acceptance. Does that mean that my love is self-seeking, and therefore not pure love? I admit that there is an element of physical attraction to my love for him, and does that mean that it is not pure love? I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I mean, I have had several parents tell me that they really appreciate the love that I show to their kids and the difference that I have made in their lives. They appreciate another godly role model in their kids' lives. But I can't help but feel guilty when I hear this. It's like I have a dark secret (which I do) that makes anything I do with their kids tainted with selfish motives. My efforts with the kids aren't as sacrificial as they seem. On the other hand, I do pray a lot for the one kid especially. I pray for him every day. I have mentioned him before on this board, so I won't go into details. My prayers for him are motivated by a genuine concern for him and the choices he is making and the choices I fear he will make. I really don't see anything self-seeking in that. Does that counteract the other motives that I have? Where do you draw the line between pure love and "love" that is actually selfishly motivated? Does this even make sense? I would be interested to hear your thoughts on these thoughts I have had. tigris |
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