As many celebrate a day set aside for love this week, it might be good to reflect on what love really means.

Is it just an expression we share, a four-letter word that we have used thousands of times or is it something that we may not really understand the true, deep meaning of the word?

Wikipedia refers to love as a variety of different feelings, states and attitudes that range from interpersonal affections to pleasure. It can also be an emotion of a strong attraction and personal attachment.

Going further, it states that love is the unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another.

To love and to be loved is high on the list of most people. To share one’s love with another and in return to receive love back from that person will fill the heart with gladness.

The apostle Paul shared these words from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, 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. Love never fails…”

Reading these words of Paul, the word unselfish really comes to mind. When you are able to love without expecting anything back in return, only then may you have found the true meaning of love.

As we go through life, several events might come into play in our lives as we experience true unselfish love.

One that comes to mind is the moment you see the woman that is to be your wife walking down the aisle. Another might be the first time you see your child after witnessing the miracle of his or her birth.

Another event that you may not even think about could be the loss of a loved one, making you realize how much you really did love them.

When we put the wants, needs and desires of another before those of our own and when we would willingly sacrifice all that even our own lives, only then can we know what love really means.

Boxes of candy, red roses or an expensive dinner are all great expressions of love. Unfortunately, they are not a replacement for the love that we have within our heart that we can share with others. From the noun “love” to the verb “to love,” we know from God’s word that “the greatest of these is love” because He first loved us all.

Randy Garrison is the president and publisher of the Hartselle Enquirer.