What’s Forever For? – Rafe Van Hoy’s Message of Love, Life and Eternity

One of the most heartfelt, poignant songs I’ve ever heard is “What’s Forever For,” a song written by Rafe Van Hoy.

Listen to the beautiful tune here and note the lyrics.

What's Forever For - Underlying Message

Here is my interpretation of the lyrics:

What's Forever For is written from the perspective of a curious, bewildered person who sees people breaking up with one another and wonders why they keep doing that when love is a rare and precious commodity.

He's not sure if he's missing something in this regard, or if it's just the world that has gone crazy where folks are acting without reason (and love).

He feels confused from what he's observing and seems to be trying to make sense of it all.

He doesn't want to be led by what he hears other people say, but at the same time, he wants to believe that love can last forever.

He notes that despite people saying love is the key to happiness and fulfillment, there are a lot of unhappy people out there who are struggling in life.

He believes this is because they're letting their romances die while they're not even putting any effort into saving them.

He asks a few rhetorical questions about all the breakups he sees happening around him, wondering what the point of life is if we're all just going to hurt each other and break up in the end anyway.

The following are important wise takeaways from Rafe Van Hoy's musical message:

What's Forever for Without Love?

I’ve thought about this question, “What’s forever for?” and the answer seems clear to me.

It is to embrace the loving persona that lives within our very being. Without that, there is no point in forever.

I believe that love is a universal language which transcends all boundaries.

Whether it be the love you have for yourself, your significant other, your children or friends, the Higher Power, nature, and/or humanity itself ... these are all beautiful expressions of love.

But I also believe that love is a state of mind and once we tap into that loving consciousness, we are able to truly appreciate the beauty and humanity in all things.

We become more compassionate toward others and more tolerant of beliefs, which may differ from our own.

We come to understand that anything less than love only perpetuates pain, anger, and suffering.

When love is not present, what is the point of forever?

But with romantic love, we have to maintain a certain level of emotional control, or we could get hurt. Why should we allow ourselves to fall in love if love will just break our hearts?

The emotions that come with falling in love are wonderful and worth the risk of getting hurt. But they are only temporary.

The feeling of being in love can be everlasting, but the intense feeling comes and goes with infatuation, excitement and intensity. This can be disappointing when one truly believes that it would last forever.

However, there is something deeper than the initial emotions which come with being in love.

Love is an eternal feeling that has been described as a soft, warm blanket on a snowy day or a glorious sunset on a beautiful day at the beach. It is always there to comfort us, as long as we are open to receiving it.

Love that fills our existence provides universal connection and purpose.

However, love is not only for lovers, but for ourselves, too. We need to love ourselves before we can experience this eternal feeling from others. 

We need to have self-esteem to know our worth and value before we expect someone else to accept us for who we are.

Love can be shared between parents and children, between friends, or between strangers.

And life becomes worth living (in a context of a timeless forever) when you can express love, even if love seems unrequited.   

Keep Love Alive 

If your loving relationship has dissipated in strength and intensity, you need to do everything in your power to resuscitate it.

Love is too indispensable to let die.   

Love is a choice.
Love is a decision.
Love is something you can develop.

You practice love through loving actions that bring joy and happiness to others.

Here’s how to keep your love strong:

Be present. Don’t get distracted by the past or the future. Be with your partner in the moment.

Be a good listener. Don’t judge or interrupt; instead, really listen when the other person speaks -- and think about any underlying messages.  

Be supportive. Give them your attention and encouragement when they need it most.

Be affectionate. Express your feelings without being asked -- with hugs and kisses, both in private and in public.

Be forgiving. If you have a fight, don’t let it linger for days or weeks on end! Say you’re sorry -- then make up and move on.

Be flexible and willing to change for the sake of the relationship.

So, if you have love anywhere, hold on to it. No matter what shape it comes in (unless it’s potentially harmful, which means it should not be identified as “love”).

Love might not be perfect or look like what you expected, but then again, neither do diamonds or sapphires or rubies.

They come in all shapes and sizes and colors, but we still obsess over them because they’re beautiful in their own right, even if they’re not exactly what we had in mind.

Love is like finding a diamond in the rough: it might be chipped or cracked or dirty or dusty, but it’s still worth more than anything else on earth because it has a value beyond compare. 

Find Your Own Glory in Living

The glory of living lies in the seeking of all sources of love, light, and inspiration.

It’s not through the destination but through experiences that we find happiness.

Also, give yourself a chance to live, to experience, and to love.

Glory consists of four things: 1. God 2. Nature 3. Other people 4. Yourself, all with an undercurrent, ever-flowing love.

1. God can be found everywhere, in all things and in all people, if you only look hard enough. Ask yourself: where is the glory of God in this situation? This can be a good way to find out what you should do next in life.

2. Nature is also full of glory and all the little things that happen every day are part of this glorious universe, so take some time to stop and smell the flowers or appreciate a beautiful sunset or sunrise and allow yourself to feel awe at the wonders of our world.

3. Other people are also full of glory. We are all one and we should care for each other as such, but unfortunately this is not always the case.

If you want to find glory in other people, try volunteering or helping out with something bigger than yourself - this will help you realize that we are all connected, and everyone deserves love and respect no matter how different they may seem at first glance!

4. Last, you need to find the glory within yourself before anything else can make sense or come together properly.

What makes your heart sing with joy? What makes life worth living?

Finding the glory in living means finding your place in this world by realizing that you deserve to be here and that you are important beyond measure.

You are a person of immeasurable worth, worthy of love and capable of loving.

The Meaning of What's Forever For - Final Words

When I think of "forever," I imagine a huge amount of time stretching out into the distance, like an endless road ahead of me.

Some days it feels like I'm making great progress on that road; other days I feel like I'm barely moving at all.

And at times, it feels like there are so many obstacles in my way that I'm regressing where I'll never make it to my destination. 

But no matter how daunting that road appears at any given moment, no matter how far off my ultimate goal may seem, there's one thing that keeps me going -- love.

And when I feel that love is in short supply, I need to look within and just manifest love.

At the same time, I can listen to Rafe Van Hoy's "What's Forever For," and remind myself that forever's ultimate purpose and value lies within the grasp of love. 

Indeed, in the absence of love, what's forever for?