Last week, I was blessed to listen to a lecture given by an amazing woman named Megan Almon. In her lecture, she talked about a wide range of topics in the hopes that we would further pursue these topics and gain truth to fight against the lies of culture.
One of the first topics Mrs. Almon elaborated on was love. What stuck out to me was the definition she gave. She defined love as, “The commitment of the will to the true good of that person.” This definition was new to me, especially concerning the idea that love that is extended to all is a commitment. Furthermore, I wrestled with the part of the definition that stated: “for the true good of others.” Mrs. Almon mentioned that the word “love” was overused and had turned into tolerance. I have felt these errors in our culture, and I am very skeptical of what our culture has decided what true good is. At Summit, I am learning about the One who authors the “true good,” and I will continue to learn about Him and His Word.
With this newly worded definition of love came its opposite: apathy, which means choosing to ignore. When Mrs. Almon asked what was the opposite of love, I immediately thought, “hate,” but then one of the other students shot from the back of the room, “apathy.” Mrs. Almon agreed. A couple of minutes later, a student asked about hate, and Mrs. Almon replied that if love was just deep feelings of affection, then hate would be love’s opposite. Love is action. As I am learning about the true good, I am learning to not be apathetic.
Another topic Mrs. Almon talked about was freedom. Her definition of freedom was the pursuit of the things you ought to do to flourish in this world. Through this, I saw freedom in a new light. True freedom is not freedom to do whatever you want, but freedom to do as you ought; it is not to pursue appetite, but to pursue good.
In her lectures, I was able to grasp a deeper understanding of love and freedom and to pursue truth. I will continue to learn about these and apply these to my life.
Stephanie Cepeda-Pena is a high school graduate from Central Florida. She is currently working as a childcare worker. She wants to continually learn about God and His will for her life, and she wants to find what career she should pursue. She is enjoying the staff and students at Summit Semester, and her favorite part of Summit Semester is spending time with her small group.