Love .... changes everything

The Divine Idea that is resonating with me and asking me to further delve into the possibilities is Divine Love.

Love.  We precious humans have a tendency to misuse or over use the word Love.  Or do we?  Personally I think we have a tendency to under estimate it and not understand it and all of its infinite possibilities.

I didn’t understand it.  Until recently I thought I did.  And what I thought I knew served its purpose at the time.  But then I outgrew it.  I think I’d out grown it for quite a while, long ago.  I just didn’t realize it.  I didn’t know.

Growing up I thought there were many types and kinds of Love.  I thought you Loved your child one way, Loved your parents another way, Loved your romantic partner one way, friends had another Love, animals and acquaintances had even another type of Love.  And other people, well I didn’t really think they even came into the picture of Love.  They were more on the level of like.

At church and through life I’d heard the “Love one another” and “Love your neighbor” and “Love your enemy” quotes but I’d never really been taught or never truly learned what they meant.

When I was in Jr. High this man came to the area and spoke at several venues.  I went with my then church youth group over to Conway to the Old Burroughs School auditorium.  We sat in the balcony (I remember thinking – gosh a few years ago we wouldn’t have been allowed to sit up here) and listened as David Wilkerson told his story.  During his talk one of the things he discussed was his book “The Cross and the switchblade” that had just been made into a movie in 1970.  By the time we went to listen to him I had already devoured his book.  The one thing that stood out to me was him telling Nicky Cruze the gang leader, "I Love you".  He told him over and over and through those 3 simple words – he finally reached this gang member.  And this changed both their lives.

Even after all of this (and more) I really didn’t understand Love.  Because I didn’t understand that I had to Love myself first.  No one really taught me that.  I thought that was very egocentric (and what I knew of it at that time – it probably was.)

One day someone looked at me and saw me and loved me.  They showed me how they saw me, just by looking at me.  And I looked at them, really looked at them and saw them, and with that connection I knew.  I knew what Love is.  It only took a moment but that simple act changed my life forever.  It opened a door, and as I saw myself with these eyes, I began to Love myself and with this Love I saw Love in an entirely different way.  I felt Love on a level that I had never experienced before.

Love is.  It just is.  Love is everything.  We are all Love.  I figured out what David Wilkerson was saying.  I love you – regardless.  I love you – unconditionally.  I Love you – not this body (thank goodness by then I’d already figured that one out!) – but you.  I figured out that it is nothing like what I’d been taught, Love is so much more.  Endless.  Expanding. 

My experiment began today November 1^st.  I decided that I needed to grow my Love.  Each person that I see I’m going to tell them – I love them.  Not verbally (I don’t want to be sent away) but in my mind.  I’m going to look at them and tell them I Love them and send that thought out into the universe.  I’ll get back with you on the results.  I think it will again – change everything.