Too Much Love

Is it possible to love something too much?

Answer: Yes. In fact, loving something too much could be the source of all our problems.

“Now hold on, just a minute! How can too much love cause our problems?”

Last week I found the answer to that question in an unexpected place. I was reading the “Confessions” of St. Augustine and discovered he had amazing insight into our human nature.

“St. Augustine? Didn’t he live 1,500 years ago? So he’s old and dry—right?”

Well, you’re half right. He did live more than 1,500 years ago, but he’s as relevant as today’s newspaper. Why? Because, while clothing styles and technology have changed, people have not.

Before he was a “saint” Augustine was a rebel. He loved beautiful things—beautiful women and beautiful, delicious food. But in his pursuit of beauty, he found that he was never satisfied. Plus he kept doing things he despised and his relationships constantly broke up.

He tried to figure out what was wrong with him and he came up with a theory. His theory was that all of our problems come from what he called “disordered loves.”

Love is disordered when we love something of a lower order more than what is of greater worth. For instance, a good steak dinner is a wonderful thing. But it is not worthy of greater love than a person. Nor is a person worthy of greater love than God.

In his “Confessions,” St. Augustine makes a startling observation: “A man has murdered another man—what was his motive? Either he desired his wife or his property; or else he was afraid of losing something to him; or else, having been injured, he was burning to be revenged.”

Augustine said that a murderer kills because he loves something too much. He loves romance, wealth, his reputation--or something else--more than God. That’s why he kills.

It happens because our thinking is distorted by “disordered loves.” We love, we rest in and we look to things or people to give us the joy and meaning only God can give us. And when we look to something other than God to make our lives worthwhile—that thing has become our god.

“So what’s the solution? To love less?”

Not exactly. Near the end of his “Confessions” Augustine finally tells us how his soul was healed. And it’s fascinating! It has to do with the way we’re attracted to beauty.

When you see beauty you’re drawn to it. If a beautiful person goes by, you can’t help being attracted. You want to talk to him or her.

Augustine said that the solution to all of our problems and disordered loves is for us to see God as beautiful. To adore him. Not just to believe in him in some impersonal way.

There is nothing more beautiful than the reality of an absolutely perfect and happy being, leaving the delight of heaven and sacrificing everything for the sake of undeserving, ungrateful rebels like us. But that’s exactly what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross!

Grasping the truth of such a God, Augustine is moved to say, “Rightly then is my hope fixed strong on him and this will heal all the diseases of my soul.”

Like Augustine, if we get just a glimpse of the beauty of what Christ has done for us, it will heal all the diseases of our souls. Jesus Christ will capture our hearts and we will love him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

Here’s the bottom line: The solution to all of our problems is to love Christ more than anything else. It is impossible to love him too much.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!