The Right Places

The film Urban Cowboy came out In 1980. Part of the soundtrack was a song, Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places. Written by Wanda Mallette, Bob Morrison, and Patti Ryan, it was recorded by Johnny Lee—which is probably the same Ear Worm that is now playing in your head. Sadly—especially in the realm of love—Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places happens too often. We human beings are social beings, and seek companionship, of which the most intimate is love.

In the Greek language there are eight words for love;  Eros: Sexual passion, Philia: Deep friendship,  Ludus: Playful love, Agape: Selfless, undemanding love, Pragma: Long-standing love, Philautia: Love of the self, Storge (not storage): Familial love, Mania: Obsessive love. You can see how the need, nay, the desire for love permeates every cell of our being. The desire for love is so strong that often some choose to remain in abusive, or inhumane relationships. As a result an ersatz kind of love evolves as we are Looking For Love in All the Wrong Places.

Why do we human beings drink from a sewer while pure, crystal springs flow well within our reach? I do not know the answer. I suspect that a variety of shiny attractions entice us in our less virtuous inclinations. The Siren call entices, and is often destructively consuming. There is a fable of a ravenous wolf finding a frozen chunk of meat; a razor blade was embedded in it. The wolf began licking the meat. The razor-blade cut. Tasting blood, he licked more vigorously—-draining his own blood—his very life.

Looking for love in the right places leads to life on a higher plain. The way Jesus describes it is with a metaphor of a house builder. One built a house on sand; when storms and floods came the house was destroyed. But the one built on a strong foundation withstood all assaults. When we are worn down, that sinking feeling can cause us to reach for the nearest twig of hope or joy without weighing its merits.

Joy and hope can be found in the right places. Six of the eight Greek delineations of love offer excellent “right places” for looking for love. None of us should ever need to wander into All The Wrong Places. We have Jesus’ example of looking for love; In difficult times as well as in joyous times, he sought out his family for respite. for celebration.The Apostle Paul went to some length outlining the crucial role love plays in healthy relationships and a good life. After completing a superb treatise on love, he concluded by pointing out that the greatest of all is Love—which underscores how important it is to Look for Love in All the Right Places!

© Copyright Willis H. Moore 2023