Great column! I especially liked how you said, "That original love that you were created for enables those other selfless loves." You are absolutely right when you observe that our culture has the cart before the horse when it comes to soulmates. We are told that you find your soulmate and then you get married. In reality, you should first fill the God-shaped hole in your heart with Jesus, then be receptive to the people God places in your life, eventually finding someone who you should and want to marry. And THEN you become soulmates by giving yourselves to each other selflessly, just as Jesus did for us. It's that "wanting only the best for the other" kind of love that is diametrically opposed to the "swipe right, instant gratification, it's all about me" kind of love that is pushed by culture. That is merely love of self--idolatry--and it always ends in tears.
Great column! I especially liked how you said, "That original love that you were created for enables those other selfless loves." You are absolutely right when you observe that our culture has the cart before the horse when it comes to soulmates. We are told that you find your soulmate and then you get married. In reality, you should first fill the God-shaped hole in your heart with Jesus, then be receptive to the people God places in your life, eventually finding someone who you should and want to marry. And THEN you become soulmates by giving yourselves to each other selflessly, just as Jesus did for us. It's that "wanting only the best for the other" kind of love that is diametrically opposed to the "swipe right, instant gratification, it's all about me" kind of love that is pushed by culture. That is merely love of self--idolatry--and it always ends in tears.