Spiritual insight

I posted this on my blog yesterday, but I always miss the comments and conversations that arise in the discussions, so I am posting it here, as well:

I had such a powerful spiritual insight today, that it almost brought me to my knees and I wanted to share it.

For the past ten + years, I've been helping my elderly mother with the medicial and legal problems that have been associated with this stage of her life. During that whole period, I've been trying to get my siblings more involved in the whole thing. Throughout the whole process, I couldn't understand why they haven't extended more love and more support and more care not only to my mother, but to me as I am going through the additional stress from the situation.

Yesterday, another situation arose and I approached my sister about it. Again, her response seemed to show a complete lack of love. And it was then that this line by Khalil Gibran flashed through my mind:

“Think not that you can direct the course of love. For love, if it finds you worthy, will direct your course.”

In my mind, God and Love have always been interchangeable. God is Love. Love is God. and I realized how incredibly, inCREDIBLY lucky I am that God has decided to direct my course in this entire situation.

I have been trying to direct Love's course by wanting and expecting my siblings to act differently. And of course, I can't direct Love's course. Only God can.

As stressful and heart-breaking as this entire ordeal with my mother has been, it also has taught me an entire new level of love. And certainly anything that teaches us more about love or lets us feel deeper love is truly a blessing.

Re: Spiritual insight

This is really true… hey, I think you'd love the God Pod!

Love,

Nicole

Re: Spiritual insight

I probably would. Where is the God pod?

Re: Spiritual insight

Betsy,

You certainly would love Nicole's God Pod, and have so very much to offer. 

http://pods.gaia.com/is_there_a_god

It is wonderful that you have attained such perfect wisdom, about love and God.  It is the source of all freedom, to know that the love inside of us, the love we share with others, is being God's vessel of love in everything that we do.

It's funny, but when I discovered that God is Love and Love is God, I too fell to my knees and thanked God for the mos joyous revelation I could ever receive.  It truly changed my life forever.

Pope Benedict recently wrote a wonderful book called “God is Love”… as brilliant an intellectual that he is…  his words flow with incredibly love and hope…. you must read it, if you haven't already done so.

Much love,

Dave

Re: Spiritual insight

This is so coincidental– I just blogged about “God is love” today, and I'll repost it here because you have all given me some answers to the questions I have posed.

The Post:
One pillar of Lutheran hermeneutics, having to do with the Real Presence in the Lord's Supper, is “is means is”. When Jesus said, “This is my body… this is my blood…” we take him at his word. The bread is literally the body of Christ. The wine is literally the blood of Christ.

But a question I've had about this has to do with how far we go with this. I'm thinking specifically of 1 John 4:8– Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

There it is– God is love.

Does the hermeneutic “is means is” apply here? If not, why not, and what is John talking about here? But if so, can we say “love is God”?

Also, look at verse 16b– God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Whoever abides in love abides in God.

Hmmm…

Re: Spiritual insight

Doug,

I love what you have said about ‘is means is’. Sometimes we humans can try to make things much more complex than they are (‘are means are’).

When I chose to be love… my love of God went from the uncertainty of worship, to a fully mutual and living relationship with God. God is love… and love is God. When we love others, we give them God’s love through us. When we love others, God blesses us with more love.

It really is as simple as ‘is’.

Thank you for you…

Re: Spiritual insight

Thank you for your kind words, Dave.

I teach a Biblical survey course called Crossways.  In it, God is pictorially depicted as a circle with four protruding arrows North, South, East, West.  The arrows represent love which come from a circle that has no beginning and no end.

The author of the course, Dr. Harry Wendt, writes that God is like a big tank full of love, whose spigot is always on and whose tank never runs out.  We are always on the receiving end.

That might help some people, but I rather think of God as an all-emcompassing and surrounding love, kind of like an atmosphere of love and forgiveness.

Re: Spiritual insight

Hi Doug. I like to think of God (Love) as a great big ocean. Since we are all created in God's image, we are each a drop in that sea. And what we do with our drop can really change the essence of the entire sea. If too many people think polluted thoughts or act in polluted ways, then we can pollute the whole sea – the overall feeling in the world will be less than it could be.

On another note, I noticed in your profile that people always tell you you are too nice. My mother used to always tell me that. I think she just thought that if people are too nice, that others will take advantage of them. But it is possible to be nice and still take care of one's self.

Re: Spiritual insight

Hello Betsy (now that I know your name from your profile),

I like your image of God as an ocean.  It seems more flowing and rhythmic, as opposed to my gaseous atmosphere (cough, cough).

People sometimes do take advantage of me or have a laugh at my expense.  But I do take time to take care of myself and my family.

Thanks for your post!