STORGE LOVE

This past Sunday, Storge was the emphasis of our four-week series, focusing on the quartet of
Greek types of love in the bible. It is an uncommon word in our daily vocabulary. Storge is
innate affection, a natural family love. This type of love resembles the instinctive love between
mother and child, intuitive and unforced. Pastor Andriel discussed the phenomenon of fetal
microchimerism, where cells from the baby persist in the mother’s tissues after the baby is born.
It’s an extreme example of a blood attachment. There are many sayings in our colloquialisms
that we’re familiar with, like “blood is thicker than water,” “it’s in our blood,” and “my own flesh
and blood.” All demonstrate the essential nature of family ties and the importance of being
related through blood, especially the effortless prevailing love accompanying it. This is where
Storge is the most like Agape. “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you.” (Isaiah
66:13) Storge is the ability to love without the expectation of reciprocation.

Pastor Andriel shared that Storge is a command from God to us. “Be devoted to one another in
brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” (Romans 12:10) Step outside our comfort
zones, habits, and normalities and love our entire church family, not just those who look and act
like us. Change our perception of who our family is. Storge is an act of obedience from us to
God. We’re called to love others as a family unilaterally. “And you know we treated each of you
as a father treats his own children.” (1 Thessalonians 2:11)

We all share the same blood, the blood of Christ. We all have the same Father, all brothers and
sisters through Christ. “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, and all were made
to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13). We’re all bound by blood and called to love each
other accordingly, as a family because Christ’s love is inside each of us.