Stephen Bleile

Oh, and “I am sorry.”  That’s the other hardest three words to say.

Why, though?

Why is it nearly impossible to tell someone that you love them?

What makes those words so awkward to utter?

Anyone who has been to a wedding conducted in the Christian tradition will recall the minister expounding on the three different words/types of love from whatever language the Bible was written in.  These three loves are Eros, Philia and Agape.

From what I can tell Eros is like, um, erotic.  Sort of sexy / animal instinct / passionate / hollywoody.

Philia seems more like brotherly / family love.

And Agape is God love.  That is to say how God loves.

I suppose the minister would usually conclude that for a healthy marriage the couple should learn to walk in all three types of love.

Maybe it’s this diversity of meaning that are all boiled down to the word “love” that make it so awkward.  I mean if you came up to me and suggested you erotically loved me and that I made you feel like an animal in heat I suppose I would feel uncomfortable. (Correction: I know FOR SURE I would.)

The other problem is that we love everything.  I love ice cream.  I love Dr. House.  I love the way they used lego to re-enact a particular system of a down song.   I love baby Jesus, etc. Maybe subconsciously we figure we can’t tell other people that we love them because we know we’ve already used up that word on stupid stuff.

I don’t know the answer exactly but I wish it wasn’t so.  I mean after all… I think The Beatles were right:  all we need is love. It’s ironic as the British are about the last people group in the world that you would associate with any sort of emotional expression. (It wouldn’t be proper, don’t you know.)

Fine.  I’ll say it.

I LOVE YOU.