Marriage fulfills the different types of love

The word "love" in English is all encompassing. It is used as a generic word for love that a person has for different people & objects in his/her life. However the Greeks used 4 words to describe love.

1. Storge - love of parents for their offsprings

2. Eros - love between men & women

3. Philia - love between friendships

4. Agape - sacrificial love

It is in a marriage that all the different forms can be fulfilled in one fell swop. Take me for example. My wife is my best friend and lover. We've sacrificed many times for each other. We're expectant for a future where we'll provide a loving and nurturing environment for our kids.

How i make decisions

Everybody has a cosmology, a worldview that he/she holds in his/her mind. Its the thing that reduces the chaos of the world that we live in into maneagable principles.

Take me for example. My worldview is that of a christian and therefore i believe in good and evil as defined in the Bible and my purpose here on earth is to worship God through spreading the good news and loving those around me which will then affect how i live my life out. What is your worldview and what are its principles?

The other thing that shapes our decisions are our core values. These are within boundaries of our worldview and helps us nail down the details of our lives. For me, my core values (in priority) are

1. Loving God wholeheartedly and serving Him humbly

2. Loving my family, wife and kids

3. Loving my God given talents and developing to my fullest potential

4. Honor my friends and associates

So you see these are simple, easily understandable values that i carry in my heart that guides me in making decisions in my life. We live in the age of options so this is especially important in helping to sieve out the kraft. What are your core values? How does it guide your decisions?

Value System

Values... it's what shape us and influences our decisions... Most of us share the same values. Example,

- Career

- Integrity

- Spiritual

- Family 

- Health

Now if we share the same values then why do we often have conflicts? That's because the values shared must be ranked to become a Value System and that's where we usually differ. Take mine for example.

1. Spiritual

2. Integrity

3. Family

4. Career

5. Health

How many of you have the same ranking? It's the process of prioritization that can lead to arguments between individuals, be it spouses, family members, friends or business partners. Identifying this is the first step to peace & reconciliation. The next would be to love the other enough to sacrifice your own prioritization.