Our deepest desire, our principal need,
Our souls for it clamor, our hearts for it plead,
Without it we flounder while feeling dismayed,
Alone and abandoned, unwanted, afraid,
These struggles, we seek to resolve them through love,
Pursued so intently, but not from above,
Instead in relationships, feelings, romance,
We seek a solution while hoping it lasts,
But love that is sourced from our feelings and heart,
Alone cannot last until death do us part,
For troubles and arguments, passions and lust,
Will cause it to falter, grow cold, and distrust,
All forms of humanity’s love will not last,
For philia, storge, and eros will pass,
When selfishness, anger, and pride take ahold,
When sin in our hearts and our flesh take control,
Through eros, the love that produces romance,
Where love is a feeling that sparks at first glance,
Through passion and pleasure and intimate bliss,
Relationships blossom and burn with each kiss,
How quickly our selfishness snuffs out this flame,
When arguments flair and our rights we proclaim,
When lustful indulgence reaps heinous affairs,
Sees marriages ruined, and leaves hearts impaired,
Through storge, the love from familial bonds,
Where parents and siblings and others beyond,
Are bound by dependence, affection, and care,
Through troubles, achievements, and needs that we share,
These bonds seem so strong, but can quickly collapse,
When patience erodes to unleash hateful scraps,
When jealousy, selfishness, bitterness grow,
When wrongs unforgiven turn warm hearts to stone,
Through philia, brotherly love that unites,
Creating close friendships with selfless delight,
Through trials and triumphs, in joy and in pain,
This love will endure them and vows to remain,
Though close and committed, this love on its own,
Cannot change our hearts and sin nature dethrone,
Offenses, self-centeredness, arguments, sin,
Still hinder this love and cause friendships to end,
Humanity’s love: inconsistent at best,
Conditional, fickle, leaves sin unaddressed,
Is weak to temptations and dies from our lust,
Cannot be relied on, unworthy of trust,
The only solution to our need for love?
Agape, the love from our Father above,
Consistent, infallible, selfless, and true,
Eternal, devoted; our souls, it pursues,
Although our Creator foresaw all our sin,
His love for mankind, He refused to suspend,
Although He foreknew we'd obey not His Law,
Salvation He planned through His Son who'd give all,
Agape made Jesus come dwell with mankind,
All heaven’s perfection, He chose to deny,
To earn our redemption, no matter the cost,
His life He was willing to give at the Cross,
His love did not falter when Judas betrayed,
Endured through the scourging and hatred displayed,
Permitted His blood to be poured for our sins,
Then prayed for the soldiers who ravaged His skin,
This blessed agape Christ Jesus displayed,
Received when we come in repentance and faith,
When Christ is our Savior, His love will not pass,
Humanity’s love, it will surely outlast,
Where romances falter, agape remains,
Where parents lose patience, its own stays unchanged,
Where friendships dissolve, still agape will live,
Our sins, when confessed, it will always forgive,
No demon, no power, not even our death,
Can hinder God’s love and its infinite depth,
No matter the circumstance, trouble, or storm,
His love is forever our strength and our song.