Love vs. Lust

Earlier this morning, I woke up thinking about the difference between love and lust. I knew there was a difference in my heart, but was having a hard time verbalizing it. My first thought was that lust was primarily physical. However, after much thought, I realized that you can have an emotional lust for someone that you have never seen.

So, if it was not always physically driven or emotionally driven, what was the difference between love and lust. After working out and spending time with God, a very simple sentence came to mind. The difference between love and lust is, “love has an outward focus on the needs of others and lust has an inward focus on the pleasures of self.”

Love and lust can be easily confused, the fluttering in the heart, the desires that turn into actions and the overwhelming thoughts throughout the day. Yet, a key difference is the motive of the actions or thoughts.

Lust is satisfied when you are the recipient. The moment after you receive what you have been lusting for, you become satisfied, bored, or looking for the next fulfillment.
Conversely, love is satisfied when you give. The moment after giving you feel a sense of joy, accomplishment, or inner peace. This feeling carries you for sometime and you dream of ways to give more love again.

I believe that if I would have realized this difference in early 20s, my life and relationships would have been much different. I believe I could have been a greater blessing to those in my life and connected to me. However, I hope that by sharing this that those who may not have ever thought about the difference, can realize the difference and be a greater blessing to those in your life.

C.