Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I’ll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass the world is too full to talk about.
Rumi
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Jesus in John 15:12
We all belong. That is such a hard lesson to grasp in these upheaved times. In fact, it can’t be comprehended by our intellect, it can only be caught by our heart. Jesus reminds us that God makes the sun rise on everybody, both evil and good, and sends rain even to those we think could use a little upgrade of their personality. Our soul taps us on our shoulder revealing that paradox is the essence of spirituality.
So just how do we do it, this loving one another thing? First things first—love yourself. Sit down with a pen and paper and write down every nasty thing your head tells you about you. Now tell it to God. Let yourself feel God as love right there with you, and let it pour out. If there are tears, cry. If there is anger, pound a pillow. If there is fear, shake. Let God comfort you. When it is all out, feel God’s peace wrapping around you and relax in that quiet security. Listen within for God’s insights about you. You will be awestruck at how beautiful and worthy God knows you to be. Let yourself let that awareness in. Write down God’s thoughts about you and read them often. Let them be actual in your life. Stay on the road to greater self-awareness and self-love. It is a life journey, one on which you are not alone, and one essential to make.
Now extend this love for yourself to others. Let the Christ in you do the work. In prayer bring to mind anyone or anything you feel animosity or resentment toward. Breathe fully and detach your thoughts from upset. Feel the Christ in you as love and light. Now, with your detached attitude visualize the Christ Light in that person or situation. This is not a personal effort, it is a letting go and letting God. Let God do the heavy lifting. You are simply willing to let love flow, to see Light where before you had seen only darkness. That’s it. Keep it simple. Commit to this practice daily for at least twelve days. See what happens. Your life will be transformed, for so much weight and anxiety will be lifted. Stay on the road to greater love for everyone. It is a life journey, one on which you are not alone, and one essential to make.
Love is the way out of polarization in our country and the cycle of fear and anger it intensifies. We all want a world where everyone belongs. We get to create it. How? Through the power of love.
In the Love and Light of the Christ,
Rev. Anna
