Love = But Who? How?

Love has a convoluted meaning in our modern world. It often leads us to think of the closing scene in a romantic movie. It leads to perplexing questions. How can I love my neighbor who's actually a stinker? How can I love someone across the world whom I've never met? How can I love someone who has opposite views from me? How can I love someone who has hurt me bitterly? On and on it goes.

It occurs to me we need to rethink how we hold love in our hearts and minds. Sure it can be romantic love,but that's not all it is. Let's add some more words around love such as: compassion, empathy, non-judgmentalness, lifting,  kindness,  understanding, caring, hoping and praying for the best for another or oneself, seeing the Christ light in each and every person. In this way we begin to lift the idea of love into the more spiritual realm where we're called to see the spiritual truth of each and every person, each and every experience. We're called to look beyond appearances and judge righteous judgment.

By adding the cluster of these words and more to our definition of love, we experience life in a new way and we give the gift of unconditional love to others. 

We never know fully the valley that someone else is walking. We never know their inner motivation for or doing or saying something. Not everybody shares their hurts and wounds. As spiritually awakening people, we can give others the benefit of the doubt And be love to them in such a way that includes all of these words we added that expanded what we are as we,express full unconditional love.

Update

 Thank you for those who are buying my new book.

Please tell others about it, and help me get the word out.

Also please write a review on Amazon For my book. It helps promote the book.

If you purchase it in the next day or two, there might be a minor glitch, because some typos are being corrected. If so, check back the next day, and it should be there in four formats, Kindle, Audible, paperback, and hardback.  

Thank you so very much!

PS - People are saying it's inspiring them that I overcame so many things and my faith grew ever  stronger. It encourages them to move on with courage in their lives. 

It has been one astounding and incredible life for sure. 

Do You See God As You See A Cow?

 

Some people want to see God with their eyes as they see a cow, and to love Him as they love their cow—for the milk and cheese and profit it brings them. This is how it is with people who love God for the sake of outward wealth or inward comfort. They do not rightly love God, when they love Him for their own advantage. Indeed, I tell you the truth, any object you have in your mind, however good, will be a barrier  between you and the inmost Truth.                 ---Eckhart

My favorite mystic, Meister Eckhart, speaks truth in plain words. This quote strikes me as  important  to consider. 

Loving God, or another person, for what they can give us is more a transactional kind of thing than love. It's not that transactions are wrong or bad, it's that, when they are mislabeled as love, it does a great disservice to love and to our ability to understand our relationship to God and to other people, as well as to ourselves.

I recently wrote about love and all the various words you could hang on it to understand it more deeply. I urge you to reread that part. But mainly today I just like us to consider shifting out of transactional attachments and calling them love, to be honest with ourselves and endeavor to move our lives to unconditional love, which is what we are really called to do.

The "True Believer" Problem

 A long time ago in the university a series of professors Assigned us to read Eric Hoffer's book, "True Believer." I also took a profound class called "Social Control" with a very deep-thinking professor.Aldous Huxley wrote about this too, particularly in the extreme , such as the swastika waving masses at Hitler's events, the red flags of the early communist movement In Russia, 

Pretty much anytime we see people emotionally driven, in one group or the other, we see people in the sway of propaganda and tools of mind control. We see it when people get hysterical about political or news events. We can tell which channel they're watching. There are channels promoting left and right positions. Depending on which ones a person watches, they can get riled up over whatever the talking head says.

I saw a small example of that yesterday when my granddaughter went to get the mail for me. I had political mail  On one side there was a colorful large card attacking a certain candidate for this and that.  There was an equally colorful and large card on the other side expounding an absolutely opposite statement about that candidate My granddaughter held them up and said which one is true? She had a quizzical expression as she raised them.up in her hands. Obviously, both could not be true for they were 180° apart. 

 If I do not have personal direct knowledge of something, it is difficult for me to know which if either holds the truth. That applies for most things. If we take a newscaster's word for it, we forget that they're just reading a script written by someone that has an agenda, on a station that has an agenda. They're no longer just reporting news they're trying to make news and sway people's minds. The same thing with advertising, with programming, and so much of modern life.

Sometimes I see television commercials where one candidate talks extremely negatively about his or her opponent's point of view. He or she believes this or that. I want to tell them that don't want your assessment of the other person. I want to hear from the other person what they actually believe and say. It really irritates me when they're trying to speak for someone else. Perhaps that's born in my experience, when other people try to speak for me and say the opposite of what I mean.

If we got caught up so that we are exceptionally emotional about a "cause", we need to look carefully at what's going on in us. Our emotions lead us away from our higher brain functions and our abilities to think logically. 

For me, it's important to be as control of my own mind as I can be. It is important for me to not be controlled by others, but to use my intelligence, logic, and God-given wisdom to make decisions, and to act from a deep place. 

I recommend,  before jumping off the deep end for any cause, take time to meditate and contemplate, read something from the other side's point of view, and balance everything in yourself. Ask for guidance. Weigh everything. Stay calm. And participate in life fully when you know that you considered everything and have a deeper understanding, not just slogans.

Announcement

 I am excited to announce that my book, "The Book of My Life, I Wouldn't Believe It Either If I Hadn't Lived It" is now available on Kindle, Paperback, Hardback, and also Audible. You can also read a sample before you decide.

Please review it on Amazon, if you read it. I cannot afford to publicize it, and reviews will help. I would also love to hear your feedback.

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You Are Beloved

 I am rereading Henri Nouwen's  book, Life of the Beloved.  His beginning premise is that we are all God's beloved, but we get so busy with the outer things of life that we forget. We forget where we came from and where we're going, and that in every step of the way we are God's beloved.

He goes on to say that remembering or learning that we are God's beloved isn't all there is, it's just the beginning. There is another step. We must become the beloved. That is we must think, say and do what God would have us think, say, and, do. We must act like the beloved, believe we are beloved, and give that sense of being loved to others, even strangers. Sometimes we give it with a smile, sometimes we give it with a hug, sometimes with deep and abiding friendship, , sometimes with wise and loving counsel, sometimes with a sweet note. There are a myriad of ways that we can give that love to others and show that they are beloved, remind them that they are beloved, and remind ourselves at the same time.

We can trust in God's love. Notice in the scriptures people are always messing up, sometimes huge mistakes. God loves them anyway and calls them back to waiting arms so to speak. Interestingly, we have responsibility to share that love on earth.

When we get comfortable realizing God loves us, it becomes easier and easier to love others, nd and to give them the gift of knowing they are beloved. By our actions, even our tone of voice, we convey love or rejection, acceptance or judgement, sarcasm or sincerity. Let's ask ourselves, what are we broadcasting with the energy of our lives? Let's get on the wavelength of the beloved.

Hubris to Nemesis

 The Greeks believed that hubris was always followed by nemesis, that if you went too far you would get a knock on the head to remind you that the gods will not tolerate insolence on the part of mortal men. --- from Perennial Philosophy

This morning I read that part of Perennial Philosophy, and I had a quick thought I want to share. It seems to me there's an awful lot of hubris being flung around this earth right now. Quite a few people seem to need a knock on their head, as the Greeks called it 

It seems to me that today's hubris is a little more dangerous and far-reaching than in the ancient world. We now have incredibly horrid weapons that could wipe out all life on earth. We have the lack of understanding of the sacredness of this earth and of all life, and so treat it with little respect. We have the decline of spirituality and the turn to the shallow, mind-numbing games, Soul soaking up violent movies and programs, all manner of dark things. We have huge paedophile rings, human trafficking, ever more dangerous drugs with more and more people who are using them, seemingly trying to escape real life and responsibilities. 

Our leaders all over seem to have gone mad in the pit of hubris.

 I never thought I would ever say anything like this, but God maybe it's time you give a few select people a good knock on the head and wake them up - particularly in the leadership in this world. Please help us save ourselves and our world. I pray that the door opens in many hearts to turn to God, to decency, to developing their spiritual muscle,  to be everything good and wonderful they are capable of bein.g In a moment's notice, if that happens, all of this mess could turn around. Help me, help us all,, be part of the turnaround.