Some classic Amy Grant lyrics from Heart in Motion, where a big theme is the duality of all things, including love & commitment:
The same sun that melts the wax can harden clay
And the same rain that drowns the rat will grow the hay
And the mighty wind that knocks us down, if we lean into it, will drive our fears away.
~How Can We See That Far
Love can soothe what love hath burned.
~You’re Not Alone
I heard once that the Eskimos have 30 or 40 words that translate only as snow in English, because it is so fundamental to their lives. I think we ought to have as many for love, and that the word is used too vaguely in our culture, which makes it hard to know what someone really means when they say they love you. I believe love in a romantic relationship is really a series of things, including attraction, admiration, need, trust, respect, and commitment. The “I love you” I strive for includes all these things, and it can take decades to acheive. So anyway, I mentally substituted commitment for love in the following lyrics to give them more meaning (although some other aspects of love could work too):
Sometimes, we make it harder than it is
We’ll take a perfect night
And fill it up with words we don’t mean
Dark sides best unseen
And we wonder why we’re feeling this way
Sometimes, I wonder if we really feel the same
Why we can be unkind
Questioning the strongest of hearts
That’s when we must start
Believing in the one thing
That has gotten us this far
That’s what love is for
To help us through it
Nothing else can do it
Melt our defenses
Bring us back to our senses
Give us strength to try once more
Baby, that’s what love is for
Sometimes, I see you, and you don’t know I am there
And I’m washed away
By emotions I hold deep down inside
Getting stronger with time
It’s living through the fire
And holding on we find
That’s what love is for
Round off the edges
Talk us down from the ledges
Give us strength to try once more
Baby, that’s what love is for
~That’s What Love Is For