No Matter the Question, Love is the Answer

In my early 20’s I thought I was in love with a man who I will call Kurt. It was a whirlwind romance filled with dancing and debates of the mind. I never even noticed when the control crept in. I did what Kurt wanted me to, because I loved him and wanted him to be happy. Kurt, a Billy Graham crusader, seemed to me to be the ideal man. I desired to be with a man who loved God and on top of that Kurt was intelligent and good-looking. For Valentine’s Day, Kurt gave me a promise ring and we made plans to marry and raise a family. Kurt didn’t like my friends, so soon I began begging off times with them to be solely with Kurt. Volunteering at Big Brother Big Sister, I eventually brought Kurt along on adventures with my little sister at his insistence. If I was out randomly walking my dog, Kurt would pop up and be there. He grew moody; I placated. Kurt grew angry when I talked with family; I quit talking with them.

One day Kurt asked me what three things I would take with me if the house caught on fire. I quickly responded my journals, my puppy Sara, and my photo albums. He grew furious and asked why I had not said I would take him. I thought that was ridiculous, because as an adult, I thought he would be able to rescue himself. Kurt berated me incessantly because of these journals that I had kept since age eleven. One morning, I boxed them all up. The garbage truck could be heard noisily coming up the street. I rushed out and handed the garbage man the box containing the journals. A piece of me was lost that day. And things grew worse …

Relationships serve as learning modules; from snares that lead one away from God to micro-experiences of Divine Love, and everything in between. Humans are interdependent. We need one another to physically survive, grow the species, and evolve spiritually. An objective of this life is both to discover and to create who one is in relation to the Eternal, and then to bring this consciously in to this physical realm, our world. Mirror God and not man. Reflect Love and not man’s love of self.

If you are in a relationship where your heart is engaged, you often do what the other wants out of love. This is the same with our relationship to the Divine – follow eternal laws out of love. Relationships with others can be a big aid in this process. Each of us is a sacred soul on a sacred journey. Choose the highest good with each interaction in thought and word and action.

Photo by Ryan Franco on Unsplash

Relationships can serve as pathways to openness or hindrances. When we do not see others as God does, we miss the mark. It is only in aligning our energy with God’s energy through prayer and service, can we even begin to live the second commandment.

The first great commandment was to love God, the second to love our neighbor. Love is the commandment. If we choose to relate to others in any aspect that is not love, we are blocking God’s energy. When we compare ourselves to others, when we judge others, gossip about others, get angry with another, succumb to rage, use another as an object for one’s own benefit, whether sexually or in any way, these are all blocks just as clouds block the sun and turn our world into hues of grey.

We are all raised in a level of dysfunction. That is a given in our insane world. The question is whether we choose to remain in dysfunction or to allow God to heal us and give our lives over to loving service. This is our choice. Through the Eternal we find joy.