Love is the remedy for itself.

Assumption: Every disease has a remedy.

Remember -- remedy, not cure.
Based on the assumption of a "cure,"
one could conclude that every disease could be destroyed.
A remedy simply states that there is a way to relieve a disease's effects.

Assertion: Love can be a disease.

Disease -- Dis-Ease.
Love can cause dis-ease.
I'm sure we've felt the dis-ease of love at some point in our lives.
Parents try to discipline us out of love --
-- to the point of causing us dis-ease.
A close friend disregards good advice completely --
-- without reason, without explanation, without thinking far enough ahead.
Pride gets in the way -- an even worse dis-ease, if not handled well.
Disease can spread throughout the body --
-- or among other bodies.
Dis-ease can occupy the mind --
-- or among other minds.

Conclusion: Love must have a remedy.

Question:: What are possible remedies?

Some people numb the dis-ease by
over-stimulating the senses --
-- blasting music until the ears almost fail,
drugs and alcohol, sex, cutting themselves.

Others think the easiest remedy is to
deny that love is a disease --
-- to deny that love never existed --
-- to deny that one was never dis-eased by love.

But when the cause of the dis-ease returns,
the dis-ease is felt --
-- no matter how numb the physical senses have become --
-- no matter how much one denies having dis-ease --
-- no matter how much one tries to ignore it.
It's there, no matter what mask or what wall is put up
to defend the hurts the dis-ease has caused.
Denying the dis-ease is just as bad as
being caught up in it.

Question: How can one diagnose love's effect of dis-ease?

Diagnosing the dis-ease is easy,
if one has been dis-eased by love through experience.
The physical signs and scars are easy to observe, but
there are other ways to diagnose it.
One can see it in another's eyes through the neutral or the smiling mask --
-- one can hear it in another's voice -- or in the silence --
-- one can feel it in the air that another gives off from behind the solid rock wall --
-- this much is obvious to an experienced, previously dis-eased observer.

Assertion: A remedy is useless
if it doesn't work for longer than a few days,
or a few hours.

Question:What remedy haven't i tried?

Assumption: Love is the remedy for itself.

Love is the only proven remedy that works.

[1 Corinthians 13:4]
Love is patient, love is kind.

The Greek word translated "patience" in 1 Corinthians 13:4
refers specifically to patience with people.
It literally means "to be long tempered,"
and speaks of one who could easily retaliate when wronged,
but chooses not to.

The Greek word translated "kind" literally means
"useful," "serving," or "gracious."
It isn't just the sweet attitude we normally associate with kindness;
it's the idea of being useful to others.
It's the flip side of patience.

Patience endures abuses from others;
kindness repays them with good deeds.

It is in enduring the abuses that may cause us dis-ease,
but one must remedy it with good deeds --
-- no matter how emotionally hurtful.
In trying to remedy the dis-ease,
the pain may intensify.
But as with any sickness or disease,
it gets worse before it gets better.

Conclusion: One must love until it hurts,
as Jesus taught us to love.
The only remedy for the dis-ease that love may bring is
to continue to love --
-- until the pain is gone.

Question: How can the cause be the remedy?

As with truth in the Lord,
Love will set you free --
-- free from the self-bondage of fear
-- free from the self-bondage of pride
-- free from the self.

Love is the remedy for itself.