If you’re reading this, chances are you know the rush, the thrill that you drown in when you realize someone you love feels the same way about you. Tingling, intoxicating, it feels so good it’s almost painful. That silly stage when the two stare at each other like besotted fools and believe everything they say to each other is profound, when the boy promises the world and the girl believes him

Such is the way of a man with a maid … or some men with some maids. Even the complete cynics among us have felt it at one time or another, and the loss of it is probably what made them cynics in the first place.

Poets and musicians have waxed lyrical about this feeling for I’d say, approximately 6,000 years … but what is it? When is it right or wrong? It’s been called passion, lust, love. It’s so easy (ahem, at least in certain circles), to think that “passion” and “falling in love” have to be wrong, because they are of Hollywood. But the most powerful lies are the ones that contain mostly truth and that there are stories aplenty in the Bible about people falling madly in love … not to mention the Song of Solomon. Passion just is another gift from God that people abuse. Passion might be love. But not necessarily. There are also stories we like to forget about, though, about arranged marriages. Did they have passion? I don’t know and I guess it doesn’t matter for us to know. I suppose we’ll find out in heaven after we’ve been dead for a while. It does seem that arranged marriages can generate passion, though. Like Isaac and Rebekah.

Here’s my problem, though. When is it right for the fires to be lit? What should one do if they seem to have come ablaze on their own?

The point is the desire to share everything, absolutely everything you have with that other person. But that’s not really possible.

For some, it comes and goes. For others, it stays gone. But whatever happens, it doesn’t last. It never does. Some people think that finding someone to share everything with means you’re not lonely anymore. But that’s not true. You’re just lonely in a different way. Because sin cuts you off from people and so does finiteness. As sinners we can never be wholly united with anyone and being finite (to varying degrees) keeps us from understanding each other completely.

It’s fun have to get merry on beer and wine and cocktails, it’s fine to go to the amusement park, but confusing passion with love is grievous for everyone involved.

The worst is passion and love without God.

There can be love without passion, passion without love, neither is necessarily better. But there is no love without perseverence, or love without longing.