There is a design, an alignment, a cry

I'll start off with some lyrics from Mumford & Sons

"Love it will not betray you
Dismay or enslave you, it will set you free
Be more like the man you were made to be
There is a design, an alignment, a cry
Of my heart to see,
The beauty of love as it was made to be"


I post this because there's some drama going on around me with some friends and I've got some minor stuff on my mind as well. Lately I've seen some friends talk about "love" and "like" and since I was listening to this song yesterday in between times of drama, I figure it's appropriate. I think that a lot of the time people, myself definitely included, confuse genuine love with selfish desires for how they (we) can be pleased and get what they (we) want. True love is freedom, it is a difficult road to travel but it doesn't entangle or defeat; it builds up and gives strength. As Christians, we are called to love one another as Christ loves us, but does Christ look after his own benefit and focus on what he can gain from situations? I really hope not.
The main point I'm trying to make is that love is a good thing but can still be corrupted, misconstrued, and violated. We are all selfish, inconsiderate, corrupted(/ing) sinners in need of daily grace and love that does not change.

I realize that this is a little cliché of me to post this when talking about love because every Christian seems to go here when they talk about love, but I think this remains a steadfast view on what love is, despite all the times this is read at ceremonies of marriages that end in divorce months after the honeymoon.
"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ... And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."

And now, I'm off to attempt to take my mind off of all this and watch a great film, Braveheart.