I remember when I first heard the song, "The Greatest Love of All" sung by one of the most gifted singers of all time, the late Whitney Houston. I embraced the words of that song like it was a personal anthem. The song was written by Philadelphia native Linda Creed in 1977. It talks about strength and courage in the face of struggle. At the time she wrote it, Creed was battling breast cancer that eventually took her life. She was 36. In all the recent tributes and talk about Houston's musical legacy, this song is often mentioned among her greatest. But I wonder if it really deserves the praise it receives.
Every body's searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone to fulfill my needs
A lonely place to be
So I learned to depend on me
I decided long ago never to walk in any one's shadow
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I'll live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity
The song ends with this refrain,
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
Is the greatest love of all
Technically speaking, it's a beautifully crafted song. However, my problem is with the message that it conveys. This song encourages you to think more highly of yourself than you should, and also, only of yourself. It invites you to be selfish and self-centered to the exclusion of all others. Isn't that what's wrong with the culture today? We have become more selfish and self-centered. Whitney Houston lived these lyrics to the hilt and it killed her. I, too, took those lyrics to heart 35 years ago and it nearly killed me. The difference is, in the midst of my madness I found Jesus, the greatest lover of them all, who died for my sins to save my soul. God's love pulled me back from the brink of destruction. His love is the greatest love of all.
Nowhere is love illustrated, demonstrated and celebrated more than in the holy Bible. There we read about God's love for the world, for mankind, for us individually, and for the church. And we learn what true, genuine, unconditional love is. This kind of love is lacking in the world, and in so much of our lives today. You won't find it in a Valentine card, flowers or a box of candy. These things are nice to give and to get. Romantic love is temporary (here today, gone tomorrow), but God's love is eternal (everlasting). So sad that in her brief, tumultuous life, Whitney Houston never found anyone or anything to fulfill her needs ---not Bobby Brown, not drugs, not alcohol, not fame, not fortune. That empty place in our hearts can only be filled by Jesus Christ. Salvation is a process whereby your life changes over time as you allow the Holy Spirit to produce his fruit in you. None of us is perfected yet. We all have flaws that we wish we didn't have. And some of us still sin even after accepting Christ. But our God, by His grace, mercy and love, still offers us the opportunity to be reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ. Now if that isn't the greatest love of all, I don't know what is.
Note: Read this article on love based on Rom 12:9-13. Go to http://bible.org/seriespage/what-thing-called-love-romans-129-13
