Jesus said this which adds to this ethos: "19 Lay not up for yourselves treasuresupon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break throughand steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:19-21
So what we grow to love is based on what we treasure and what we give to. Give of our time, give of our money and give of our French fries will dictate what or who we grow to love.
If we love a person, a spouse or family member we can continue that in the next life but if we treasure wealth and possessions we love what we cannot take with us. We love what can be stolen, we love what can be lost and we love what we cannot take with us into the next life.
And in that case we wasted our love that could have built many relationships and friendships on something that's temporary instead of eternal.
There are experiences that one can only have in this life but if we treasure wealth and possessions then we waste our life here.
Times have changed since scripture was written, the addictive drugs, the clothes, the cleanliness, the technology all have changed. But the human condition has not. People are still people and we still make the same mistakes, we still hurt each other as badly and in the same ways.
People were created to be loved and objects were created to be used but the world has been upside down because people are being used and objects are being loved.
I've lived in 8 states and in serval cities in the Salt Lake valley. I was in the Army. I lived in Hawaii for 4 years. And in all my travels, having lost many possessions and pictures, what I treasure most are the friendships I formed with so many people.
That is all I have left of my travels. I lost my books, my pictures, my clothes and much of my writings. I don't remember much of what was said but I remember how they made me feel and how I made them feel. I remember each of their laughs. And all I have left are my memories as skewed as they may be.
And I imagine that that is how it will be when we move from this life into the next. If we've built up our treasures in Heaven, those we can take with us, we will have our love preserved.
The root of the Hebrew word for love, ahavah, is hav which means giving. Giving is a symptom of underlying love. Because the root of charity is love. But one could say the root of love is giving.
We grow our love by giving. Giving is an act of love. When we show others our love it multiplies. And we can choose who to love in a sense by giving. Chose wisely.