But these lapses will not destroy a marriage between two "decent and sensible" people. The couple whose marriage will certainly be endangered by them, and possibly ruined, are those who have idolised Eros [i.e., being in love]. They thought he had the power and truthfulness of a god. They expected that mere feeling would do for them, and permanently, all that was necessary. When this expectation is disappointed they throw the blame on Eros or, more usually, on their partners.
- C. S. Lewis
This is a further delineation of Lewis' treatment of Eros love in The Four Loves. The idea set forth is that Eros will rise and will fall over the course of any relationship between lovers. His point is that the lovers who do not place Eros on the throne of love, in place of Charity, in place of the highest ruling authority love of God, can sustain a relationship, and find a deeper and stronger love than even Eros could promise at it's highest points. I posted this one to make another veiled attempt at commentary. Once I was confronted about it, I began to realize that in my relationship, I placed Eros on the throne, and even after he was unable to rule as he promised, I went chasing after, longing for, and demanding that he give me the feelings that he originally delivered and promised me forever. I was neither "reasonable" or "sensible" much of the time, and sometimes still am not. I blamed Eros, and I blamed my partner, and I am sorry I did. I idolized Eros, instead of recognizing the true ruling authority of Charity. You see, Charity is a sacrificial love that moves beyond all the others. Charity is sustainable in the face of all else. Charity is the fuel that all the other loves run off of whether they are lacking in and of themselves, or not. Charity is what we should turn to when all else fails, because it never will: I Cor 13:4-7
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