It's All About Love
Today
9-30-23
Yesterday I was doing the mindless task of sewing curtains. As I was measuring and cutting and sewing for hours a thought came to me that “it is all about love.” No, not the romantic "in love" that human society treasures so much. The real love that we are to have for God, our neighbors and OURSELVES. I didn't ponder what that love really is because I had to get the damn curtains done! So I shoved that thought aside.
Well this morning I woke up to God's earworm in my head: Today by Iona.
🎶 Today, the grass is greener than I have ever seen. Today, the sky is bluer than it has ever been. And today, my heart is beating like I've never felt it beat. And today, the flowers are growing from the ground beneath my feet.
Today, my hope is stronger and the vision's clearer. To walk in love eternal, the path that takes me nearer. And to You, the music's playing like it has never done. And to You, my feet are dancing underneath the sun.
In You, I live. In You, I live. In You, I live and breathe.
And to You, the music's playing like it has never done. And to You, my feet are dancing underneath the sun.
In You, I live. In You, I live. In You, I live and breathe. (2X) 🎶
Because I was hemming and hawing about whether to write a post about this love revelation,
I guess God said write this post TODAY. So here it goes:
So Much Hate Today
There is so much hate in the world, and almost all of it is toward God. The hate God must feel from humans is immeasurable. The ridicule and snark from humans who spit out derogatory terms for the God who made them, such as "sky fairy," "sky daddy," "ghost in the sky," "fascist dictator," "doG," and on and on. It hurts my soul to hear those terms bandied around, I can only imagine how God feels. The God haters (believers and nonbelievers alike) are so, so smug with their hate and ridicule, and one thing also I notice about all the God haters - they also hate other people and especially THEMSELVES.
I know this is true because I was a God hater for a long time, and the hate oozes into all areas of your life until you also hate other humans and especially yourself. Why wouldn't this occur? Of course if you hate the Creator of mankind, you would also hate mankind, of which you are a part of. It all makes perfect sense.
So why is there so much God hate in the world now? From what I can see (and lived), it is because God haters:
were hurt by some person in a religious capacity;
felt abandoned by God;
see all religions as hypocritical nonsense;
feel that only they can control their lives;
don't want to be constrained by made-up morals;
see sinners have much more fun:
and the most common reason - who cares about a made-up God?
That's fine, God is made-up. If that is the case, why such hate? Hate is an emotion saved for real entities. Nobody is out there hating on their make-believe friend. If that was the case, they would be called a make-believe enemy, and nobody makes those people up (I think). No, to have hate requires a need for that entity to be real. If the God haters were true atheists, they would never, ever even talk about God, let alone bandy about derogatory terms about Him. No, God haters know He exists and hate Him for it:
They hate that God made everything, including themselves;
They hate that God will judge them for their thoughts, deeds and actions - who is God to judge! (uhm, God);
They hate that God wants continual praise and reverence - who is God to demand I love Him! (uhm, God, who allows you to freely reject Him);
They hate any Church that worships God;
They hate all the people in the Church who worship God;
They hate themselves for even thinking about God and how much they hate Him.
So much hate to go around, which is why human society is disintegrating. As it should. Hate destroys.
So Much Love Today
† Jesus said to him: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets. † (Math 22:37-40)
That's it. Love. Jesus said so, and He meant it. Be a God lover. Love God with your whole heart, soul and mind. All of it. Not only with my heart when my life is going good. Not only with my soul when I feel His presence. Not only with my mind when reality shows the existence of Him. Nope. With all three, all the time.
Ouch, Jesus, that is so very hard to do! For me I don't do it, and I know I don't do it, which makes it even sadder. There are times when I'm still a God hater, especially when things are going bad and He seems to have abandoned me. This may explain why I still cannot seem to do the second part of Jesus' command - loving my neighbor as myself. I don't love most other people. In fact, I don't even like them. This misanthropy on my part is exactly why God put me on this earth. If a misanthrope can learn to love others and herself, through the love of God, just think what other non-misanthropes can do!
So, today. As the earworm song says 🎶 "Today, my hope is stronger and the vision's clearer. To walk in love eternal, the path that takes me nearer." 🎶 The ONLY way to learn to love one's neighbor and ONESELF, is to love God totally first.
He will then let that love seep through the rest of your life. Love builds.
If a person doesn't love God first and totally, it is impossible to love oneself and other people. Jesus said †"This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you." † (John 15:12). A commandment, not a suggestion, or a "pretty please?" I know I break that commandment every day. Sad. I'm sorry Jesus, I suck, I truly do. But I still have time (God willing) to learn this love of neighbor. I have finally learned to not hate myself, so I am maybe two-thirds of the way there in learning to love as God commands. Anything is possible with God!
It's All About Love
When we die, we all will be judged by God. Yes, Virginia, there is a God and there is an eternal afterlife. The only question God will ask is if you loved Him, your neighbor and yourself. What will be our answers? Nothing else matters in this world. No money, no politics, no job, no house, nothing. It's all about love. This is why we are here in the first place.
The Beatles got it partly wrong, "All You Need is Love" should have been titled "All You Need to Give is Love." If that is all humans did, to God first, love would come to our neighbors and ourselves as well. This continual and increasing God hate doesn’t seem to be helping society or any of us, does it?
So, can we just start with loving God first? Pretty please?
A couple of days ago I was just thinking about how I don't praise God enough. I am lazy and it is easier for me to do nothing than to take the time to pray and praise God for the good things he has given me in my life. As Charlotte said "love is a deep subject matter" that is rarely spoken about. Sure people speak about being "in love" or "loving someone/something" but love for oneself/neighbors/God is pretty much a dead topic for humankind.
I too have always been a misanthrope, and *that* is probably not a good thing in God's eyes. I have been trying to learn empathy as it relates to other humans, thinking maybe that will help me to "love thy neighbor." Hard, hard, hard in today's narcissistic, evil world. I have lots of excuses for why I cannot love my neighbor, but that is just me taking the easy way out and being lazy.
Love is deep subject matter and I think you have described it very well. I have been struggling with love all my life too. I felt so unloved as a child that I kept an old suitcase under my bed in case I needed to escape to the woods that was very close to our farm. Then when I grew up I got married to a man that never loved or wanted me and our three sons. I was only able to hang on because of the love of God and that belief that I was indeed his child. The older I get the more I understand that our experience on this earth is to learn to love God, ourselves and others. It's a daunting process and I have heard that it will be worth the struggle.