We are coming up on Valentine's Day, the great national celebration of love and the remembrance of love in our lives. Even as we celebrate the day of love, the question comes up, what is love and how do I define it? Even that question brings up memories of adolescent puppy love and an answer to that question, when do I really feel love?
The human spirit has learned to give credence to a personal definition of romantic love that says, my happiness is dependent on what you do for me. It can quickly change to a state of anger if you don't do something I expect you to do for me. We can define this as conditional love, or will love you as long as you keep me happy.
'A Course in Miracles' and 'A Course of Love' both define that we act out of two states of being. We act out of fear or love, and it is only these two states that exist in our being. Both of these states are products of our thinking, words and actions that make up our consciousness or story of our life. And evidently, we can only be in one state at a time.
The word love is used more than 300 times in the New Testament and is also prevalent in our current vocabulary as we go about our daily lives. So, what is a definition of love for us in the reality of our daily lives?
We are told in 1Cor.13:1, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels and have not love in my heart I am become as a sounding brass or tinkling cymbal." So, this tells us that love is from the heart, not the mind, and the heart is the domain of Spirit. When the mind talks it is like a loud brass band or a cymbal and is too noisy to listen to.
So, love is a spiritual energy that is generated in the stillness of our heart. It is a product of loving words and actions. It is a display of our inner compassion, appreciation, and love for our experiences, fellow human beings, and the divinity that we are without reservations. Unconditional love for what is.
Love is generated as we think, speak and act with words that have the energy of love like gratitude, appreciation, honor, harmony, abundance, safety, uplifting and words that add to life.
So, I love you is a word of uplifting, appreciation, honor and even joy. I love you, no matter what! And I see you as a perfect child of God. Happy Valentine's Day!!!
I Love you...
Rev. Robert