What Do You Love?

They say if you want to know what you love, look at what you’ve got going in your life.  You may think, well, I’ve got circumstances in my life that not only do I not love-I don’t even like them!  Ah-there’s the issue.  Yes, indeed we may have things in our life that we don’t like.  However, liking and loving are two different things.  Deeply understood, love is spiritual glue.  Love is the spiritual power that connects.  The question then is, what you are connecting yourself to through your belief, attention, energy, and action?  Like it or not, for all practical purposes that is what you love.  If you’d like to shift that connection to more fulfilling ideas and circumstances, try the three A’s.  They are described in the literature of Al Anon, the 12 Step program for family members and friends of those with the disease of alcoholism.  First A – Awareness– become aware of what ideas and attitudes you are connected to and the circumstances they may be generating.  Second A – Acceptance – accept that through your own beliefs, attitudes, attention, energy, and actions you are connecting yourself to these circumstances.  This second A requires a lot of self-love and compassion.  We’re not responsible for what we are connected to.  There are a lot of ways as human beings in precarious or vulnerable situations we’ve had to take on erroneous ideas in order to survive.  That seems to be the human condition.  However, as adults discovering our spiritual identity and power, we are responsible to ourselves.  Spiritual growth means we have the power and love of God within us to address and heal, enjoy, and fulfill our lives.  Third A – Action – take action to release what keeps you unfulfilled and take action to open to constructive spiritual ideas and values.  Regular prayer and meditation are a strong way to lay this foundation.  What do you love?  Now you can say with enthusiasm-I truly love my life.  And I even like it!