Relationship - Like vs Love

"More today than yesterday. More tomorrow than today." Heard this twice over the last little bit...first time was this 722 sermon (good stuff btw. Love and Marriage. A friend sent it to me. Give me a shout if you're interested), the second was this random song I heard on the radio. No idea what it was, but yeah...

Whatever assumptions and ideas I had about "liking" and "loving" I'll clear right now by redefining those two words.

Like: "to feel attraction toward or take pleasure in", "to wish to have" (Webster's Dictionary Online)

Emotionally driven. This is that feeling you can't explain. This is why I eat chocolate or listen to rock music. This is why I read manga or play video games. This is why I prefer hanging out with certain people than others. Because it feels good. Because, for some reason, when I'm reading manga with music in the background, it feels good. Now, I understand that this term (in relations to people anyway) can be further broken down into two subcategories (ie, liking someone friend-wise, or liking someone relationship-wise) but I'll be focused on the relationship stuff today.

So liking someone. It feels good to hang out with them. To talk to them, to walk with them, etcetcetc. It is possible to like based on very little. Likewise, it can take little to stop liking someone.

Love: "affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests", "warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion", "unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another" (Webster's Dictionary Online)

Emotionally and knowledge driven. Might I suggest that our society uses this word all too lightly? I like chocolate, but to develop a warm attachment or devotion to it? I don't think so. Might I further suggest that we do not develop such feelings towards something unknown? Lets pull this verse from the Bible...

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." - 1 Corinthians 13.4-7

I'm still forming the argument, but this is what I am suggesting: It is impossible to "fall in love at first sight." Love involves trust (developed by communication), not self-seeking (there is no way "first sight" will tell you enough about the person for you to be able to share in his/her goals)

Many people operate on that "first sight" thing, and assume that their feeling is one of love. There really isn't much for them to compare against, cuz if that's all they operate on, that feeling is the most extreme they'll ever feel. If we relabeled this scale...and say its possible to "like on first sight"...and that love is only developed (by patience. by kindness. by truth)...maybe we wouldn't be in such a mess we are in today.