Love and Affection

“I sought an object for my love; I was in love with love, I hated safety and a path free of snares.” -Book 3, Chapter 1

This is one of the first sentences written in book three and it could not be more relatable. How many times a day do we desire to be accepted and loved and wanted? How many times must we throw ourselves at anything and everything that shows the least bit of interest in us just for a little bit of the affection we crave? And how many times do we race headlong into a situation we know will not end well just for a little bit of acceptance and recognition?

There is no need to lie because we have all done it. We desire to be loved and accepted, and we are willing to do a lot to get it. Augustine starts off book 3 by telling us of his strong desire to be loved and how he sought the love he craved through women. He continues to describe how he searched and searched but found no lasting peace or acceptance in anything that he tried. Many of us do the same thing. Maybe not through sexual relationships, but through the acceptance of friends, family, coaches, or teachers. It is not a bad thing to desire love and acceptance. It becomes a bad thing when we start to look for it outside of Christ. Augustine tells us of how he looked for love in all the wrong places and it never worked out. He finds that Christ is the only place to find true love. 

As Christians, we know that. Then why do we still search for it in other places? I do it all the time. I look for love in friends and family when I know that Christ is the only one who can love me fully. Over and over again, I have to remember that. Augustine does too and I think that is why the quote above resonates with me so much.


I commented on Hannah and Katie's posts.