We, as God’s daughters need to know that Heavenly Father loves us. We need to know that He sees the good in us. Feeling His love encourages us to press forward, reassures us that we are His, and confirms to us that He cherishes us even when we stumble and experience temporary setbacks.[Bonnie D. Parkin, September 23 2006- General Relief Society Meeting]
Bonnie D. Parkin testifies: “I know that He loves us, sisters, as does His Son, Jesus Christ. That love will never change – it is constant. You can rely on it. We can trust it. We must believe that the love of Christ will never fail us. All that we do…should reflect the love of our Saviour and the love of our Heavenly Father. This great love should be the source of our motivation to serve others. It must be both our point of origin and our destination!”
Do we frequently reject the Lord’s love that He pours out upon us in much more abundance than we are willing to receive? Do we think that we need to be perfect in order to deserve His love? When we allow ourselves to feel “encircled about eternally in the arms of His love”, we feel safe, and we realize that we don’t need to be immediately perfect. We must acknowledge that perfection is a process..[Bonnie D. Parkin, September 23 2006- General Relief Society Meeting]
I know there may be some who have a difficult time imagining what His love feels like. Think of a mother with her newborn baby. The warmth, safety, cherishing, and peace of a mother’s embrace can help us understand what it feels like to be encircled in the arms of His love.[Bonnie D. Parkin, September 23 2006- General Relief Society Meeting]
A young adult Relief Society sister wrote, ” Only in the love of my mother do I come close to understanding the magnitude and power of the love of the Savior.”
Mothers, can you see how essential you are in teaching this truth to your children? As you encircle your children with your love, they will catch glimpses of His love. [Bonnie D. Parkin, September 23 2006- General Relief Society Meeting]
President Gorden B. Hinckley urges us to “love the Lord [our] God, and love His Son, and be ever grateful for Their love for us. Whenever other love fades, there will be that shining, transcendent, everlasting love of God for each of us and the love of His Son, who gave His life for us.
A mother who knows her relationship with God helps her children to know Him and to be encircled by His love. I was touched by the comments a daughter shared at the funeral of her 100-year-old mother: “When I was a teenager trying to plan my class schedule, I would come into the kitchen where Mother was ironing. I would present possible options for my studies…She would listen to all of them. We would discuss the possibilities…and then she would say, ‘OK, Cathy, have you prayed about it?’ That was kind of embarrassing to me, and i would hesitate and then add, ‘Do you have to pray about everything?’ She answered simply, ‘I do’. [Bonnie D. Parkin, September 23 2006- General Relief Society Meeting]
This mother listened. She shared her faith in the Lord; she set an example; she shared her expectations for her daughter to return continually to the Lord. As we approach the Lord, we feel His love draw us closer. Mothers, teach your children to always include the Lord in their lives, and help them to recognize His loving influence..[Bonnie D. Parkin, September 23 2006- General Relief Society Meeting]
The greatest evidence of our Savior’s love for us is His Atonement. His love overflows with grace, patience, long-suffering, mercy, and forgiveness. [Bonnie D. Parkin, September 23 2006- General Relief Society Meeting]
We must not allow pride or vanity, selfishness or personal agendas to displace our reaching out to others in love. Quite simply and profoundly, we must first allow ourselves to be encircled by God’s love. We do this best by embracing the Savior’s eternal Atonement. Then we can expand that circle to include our family and all others. Such a circle is indeed heaven. [Bonnie D. Parkin, September 23 2006- General Relief Society Meeting]
Naomi Botha is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and writes in accordance with the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Naomi also shares her experiences as a woman, wife and mother.
To find out more about family values and the values of womanhood, please visit http://magicwomanhood.blogspot.com or http://www.lds.org
Do you want to know how to tell if your ex still loves you? I am sure that is the one thing everybody wants to know after a break up. Although there really isn’t anyway to tell 100% (only your ex knows for sure) if your ex still cares. But these signs will give you a good indication if your ex still loves you, or not.
How to Tell if Your Ex Still Loves You – Sign One
Did your ex ask to still be friends? If so there is a great chance that he/she still loves you. I know you want to be more than friends, and there are step by step plans to teach you how to do that. But, for now be happy in knowing that your ex still loves you, and you have a chance to get your ex back.
How to Tell if Your Ex Still Loves You – Sign Two
Does your ex contact you daily, or every other day? This is another good sign that your ex boyfriend/girlfriend still loves you. They are keeping tabs on you, and you’re on their mind. Do not get over excited and try to force things, you’ll need a good plan for that. Just enjoy the fact that there’s a very good chance to win back your ex.
How to Tell if Your Ex Still Loves You – Sign Three
Do you seem to run into your ex a lot? This is another great sign that your ex still loves you, and is looking for a way back into your life. Once again do not over react you need to know what you’re doing first…OK? Just relax knowing that your ex still cares, and you have a good chance to get your ex back.
How to Tell if Your Ex Still Loves You – Sign Four
This sign is the ultimate indication that your ex still loves, and cares for you. Whenever you’re talking face to face with your ex; do they come into your personal space? I mean do they come close into you and look in your eyes a lot? This is the mother of all signs that your ex still loves you and wants you back. Beware! Do not overact and try anything foolish. You could scare your ex away again. Get yourself a good plan with support, and follow it to get your ex back.
What to do if Your Ex Still Loves You
Now that you are almost positive that your ex still loves you, and wants you back, you need to take some action. Right now you’re excited and emotionally unbalanced you need someone or something to keep you in balance…Right? I mean, do you really think by randomly getting advice from friends, family, and co-workers, that you’re going to succeed?
You need a plan, a plan that works. If you want to get your ex back you’ll need help. If you do not have a good plan I do, and it works. I’ll be happy to help you, and to support you. Just contact me and start learning what to do next, after you find out that your ex still loves you. Do It Today! Learn from your mistakes before you make them, and win back your ex.
Until next time,
S. Williams
~I know that “love hurts” but with my help you will get strong enough to kick love’s ass~
http://www.howtogetyourexbackfast.com
S.Williams is an accomplished Relationship Adviser, who has helped many people get back together with their ex.
He has written many articles and will work one-on-one with you, to help you follow the best plan out there…to win back your ex.
You can sign up for his free videos, tips, and advice by just clicking here. Do it today, so you can have a better tomorrow. ~I know that “love hurts” but with his help you will get strong enough to kick love’s ass.~
The day before Good Friday is called “Maundy Thursday.” It is the day of Christ’s great mandate. That day, after He had washed His disciples’ feet, He said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (Jn. 13:34)
If I were to ask you who you loved, I am sure you would answer with not just one, but several someones. I wonder, would any of those names be the name of an enemy?
It is easy to love those who love you and are nice to you, but what about those who aren’t nice?
In the days of the American Revolutionary War there lived at Ephrata, Pennsylvania, a Baptist pastor by the name of Peter Miller who enjoyed the friendship of General Washington. There also lived in that town a man named Michael Wittman, an evil-minded man who did all in his power to abuse and oppose this pastor. One day Michael Wittman was involved in treason and was arrested and sentenced to death. The old preacher started out on foot and walked the whole seventy miles to Philadelphia. He was admitted into Washington’s presence and begged for the life of the traitor. Washington said, “No, Peter, I cannot grant you the life of your friend.” The preacher exclaimed, “My friend! No! He is the bitterest enemy I have!” Washington exclaimed, “What? You’ve walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in a different light! I will grant the pardon.” Peter Miller took Michael Wittman from the very shadow of death back to his own home in Ephrata, no longer as an enemy, but as a friend.
One of the prominent characters in the Old Testament is a model of God doing this. “As it is written, Jacob have I loved…” (Romans 9:13)
I’ll let you in on a secret. I don’t like Jacob; I don’t think I really ever have. “But how can you not like one of the Bible’s heroes!? Isn’t that like not liking Jesus?” No it is not. Jacob was a Hebrew patriarch, a man, not God. There is a lot not to like about him. Think about it – Even at birth he was grasping; that is why he was named Jacob (“He who grasps”). From then on he seemed to always be scheming, grasping.
It Bothered Esau. “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” (Genesis 27:36) Jacob grasped at the birthright, the blessing, Laban’s cattle….
What about his beloved Rachael? Was he nice to her? What about her sister Leah, Jacob’s first wife? God gave Leah a child because He saw that she was hated! Rachel was treated fine, but Jacob was not even satisfied with her and Leah. He took on concubines. His family life strikes a sour note. Things weren’t good. He quite obviously played favorites; so much so that Joseph’s brothers hated Joseph enough to think of killing him and then sold him into slavery in Egypt.
Here is what strikes me when God brings “Jacob have I loved” to mind. I don’t like Jacob, but God loves him. Even with all the sour, God loves Him. God loves the people I don’t like. This is where the rubber meets the road. We all have people we don’t like. God loves them and tells us to love them in response to Jesus’ love for us.
Do you have anybody you don’t like (Maybe not hate – just don’t like)? They are loud, smell bad, are foolish, hurtful, critical, nasty, and foul, someone who has hurt you, someone who doesn’t like you. You say, “They don’t like me and I don’t like them!”
God loves them. God wants to help you to love them like He does.
Matthew 5:43-48 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the (sinners) doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” God loves them – God wants me to love them just like He does.
How does He love them? A counselee told me about the lousy family she grew up in – how badly she was still being treated. She said, “I have forgiven them, but I don’t owe them anything! They never built a relationship with me. If they are sick or hurt, it is no different than if it were a stranger. I stay away from them!” Aren’t you glad God didn’t forgive you that way?
His love is very practical. “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:20). “There is no love which does not become help.” (Paul Tillich).
“But they don’t deserve it!” That is the point of love. “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). “Most men need more love than they deserve.” (Marie Von Ebner – Eschenbach). That is me, you, the people you like, the people you don’t like. Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)
This principle not just about outsiders. This principle hits us right where we live. It probably has to be used more in your home than out of your home. “Love is the thing that enables a woman to sing while she mops up the floor after her husband has walked across it in his barn boots.” (From the Hoosier Farmer)
Chew on this for a little while. God loves the people you don’t like. Do you? He is ready to give you the power to love them too.
I was born in Canada, grew up on the Amazon in Peru,went to high school in Iowa, College in Pennsylvania, served as a pastor in central Ontario, and in Indiana. Now I am a medical interpreter at the St. Vincent Pimary Care Clinic in Indianapolis, and the pastor of a Spanish Church at First Baptist Church in Carmel, Indiana. One of the hobbies I enjoy is writing, and knowing that people are reading what I have written online. It is my hope that my articles will be of a help to you, and especially that they will introduce you to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Our Father loves you.
Rom 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Do you get that if you know Jesus as your Saviour and have the Holy Spirit residing within you God wants to pour out His love in our hearts? He, the Creator of the Universe and all things wants to immerse you and little old me with His love. Isn’t that just wonderful? He wants to pour out the oil of His Spirit all over us, how amazing is that?
love, agape (ag-ah-pay); Strong’s #26: A word to which Christianity gave new meaning. Outside of the NT, it rarely occurs in existing Greek manuscripts of the period. Agape denotes an undefeatable benevolence and unconquerable goodwill that always seeks the highest good of the other person, no matter what he does. It is the self-giving love that gives freely without asking anything in return, and does not consider the worth of its object. Agape is more a love by choice than philos, which is love by chance; and it refers to the will rather than the emotion. Agape describes the unconditional love God has for the world.
Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
We can be confident that our hope of great future blessings will come to pass, because the Holy Spirit gives evidence deep in our hearts of God’s love for us bas we open up to receive from Him.
We didn’t have to make ourselves righteous before God our Father for God sent Jesus His one and only Son to die for us, to shed His blood for us that our sins might be washed away and we might be saved and reconciled to Father, for He is the Father who cares for you and wants a deep relationship with you. .
God’s covenant love reaches beyond our justification but the shedding of Christ’s blood was for our reconciliation into a real living relationship with Him and faith in His blood and the power of the blood of Jesus should lead to victorious triumphant living for us, triumphing over sin and all that comes against us.
1Jn 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
We should recognise the love that God has for us, for God is love and He is our Father. Abiding in love is stated here to be abiding in God, so we should flee from sin, including harbouring any ill feeling towards our brothers and sisters, for God expects us to walk in love and harmony with one another.
1Jn 3:1 SEE WHAT [ an incredible] quality of love the Father has given (shown, bestowed on) us, that we should [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! The reason that the world does not know (recognize, acknowledge) us is that it does not know (recognize, acknowledge) Him. (AMPLIFIED)
My sentiments go along with John’s here, isn’t it truly amazing the love that the father has for you and I, that we should be permitted to come into His presence, that we should be adopted into His family , made heirs of the Kingdom (see Jas2:5)
Rom 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba Father.”
1Jn 4:18 There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
We belong to a Father who has adopted us into His family. The Holy Spirit assures us that we are indeed children of God. Abba is the Aramaic word for Father or really an affectionate term Daddy.
Jer 32:38 They will be my people, I will be their God.
Jer 32:39 I’ll make them of one mind and heart, always honoring me, so that they can live good and whole lives, they and their children after them.
Jer 32:40 What’s more, I’ll make a covenant with them that will last forever, a covenant to stick with them no matter what, and work for their good. I’ll fill their hearts with a deep respect for me so they’ll not even think of turning away from me.
Jer 32:41 “‘Oh how I’ll rejoice in them! Oh how I’ll delight in doing good things for them! Heart and soul, I’ll plant them in this country and keep them here!’ (MSG)
Yes this was directed at the restoration of Israel but look here at those verses.
Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed, who is Christ.
Gal 3:29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
So that includes you and I, we are Abraham’s seed, the promises are ours too, God wants to establish you and I with all His heart and soul. Wow!
Jer 33:3 “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
When we cry out to Him he hears us, He desires to show us great and marvellous things.
Psa 37:4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.
Father God wants to give us the desires of our hearts, when we seek Him and amazingly He is the one who gave us those desires in the first place. (See Phil 2:13).
Let’s take a look at how Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus.
Eph 3:14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Eph 3:15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
Eph 3:16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
Eph 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
Eph 3:18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height–
Eph 3:19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Eph 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
Eph 3:21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
He was a man who knew the Father’s heart of God and He prayed for them as he would pray for us to be granted according to the riches of his glory to be mightily strengthened through the Spirit indwelling them and that they might conceive the fullness of God’s love which passes knowledge and be full of the Spirit.
Jesus Himself prayed for us in John chapter 17.
Joh 17:20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
Joh 17:21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
Joh 17:22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
Joh 17:23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
Joh 17:24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
Joh 17:25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.
Joh 17:26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
Jesus states that He has given us His glory, do you get a grip of that? He prayed that we His bride might be united in Him, that we might be as one , that the world of onlookers might believe that He is the Messiah sent by God when they see the love of Christ in us and the unity. Oh, that Jesus might be seen in us in such a way that people around us will see Jesus in us and come to a knowledge of our Lord. Jesus desires that we might be with Him where He is, that we might behold His glory, which the Father has given to Him.
Abba Father wants us to truly know Him as our Heavenly Father, not just know of Him, He wants us to seek after Him, to know how much He loves us and that He is really rooting for us. He wants us to know His Father’s heart and in turn show His love to others and to walk in close relationship with Him.
I am one half of Disciples of Jesus Mimistry.
Love is the order of the universe and we are its atoms.
It is the ocean and we are its drops…
Through love the heavens are brilliant;
Without love even suns and moons are eclipsed
Wherever and whenever people meet, it is never long before love and relationships – their problems and confusions, their bliss and beauty – is discussed.
Love is as essential to us as air; a force that drives us all. It determines who we are, who we become, what we can achieve and, through this, how the world will evolve. It may even determine how long we live. Policy advisors to government now claim that the single strongest predictor of whether an individual will be alive in 10 years time is his answer now to the question: “Does somebody love you?”
Psychologists have found links between love and self-esteem, mental, emotional, and physical well-being, and freedom from stress and anxiety. By sad contrast, those working with Romanian orphans have also found that children who are denied love can develop a “virtual black hole” where the emotional centres of their brains should be. Because of this, they can never grow up to be “fully human”.
Studies like these show us the importance of love. And yet, so many questions remain unanswered. How many of us can say, for example, what love really is, or how to find it, nurture it, and learn from it so it can feed and enrich our souls? How do we make our relationships work so that they – and we – are healthy, happy, and whole?
These are questions which scientists cannot answer. For that we need a Master who can teach us love’s simple truths and guide us onto the path of the heart.
RUMI: THE MASTER OF LOVE’S SIMPLE TRUTHS
This year marks the 800th anniversary of one such Master. Sufi mystic, Jalaluddin Rumi was born on September 29 1207 in Eastern Persia. As a child he gained a reputation as a gifted spiritual teacher, and went on to establish the Sufi order of whirling dervishes known as The Path of the Master.
During his life Rumi composed thousands of verses of mystical love poetry, the messages of which concern the notion of tahweed (unity), where, through love itself, we become one with “the Beloved”: the divine spirit of love within all of us. For Rumi, we are all divine and there is no problem we can face which does not have a solution, no question we can ask which does not have an answer, as long as we remember who and what we are. What, after all, is impossible to God? And the essence of God is love.
To love well, therefore, may be our most important task as spiritual human beings, because only by this can we overcome our difficulties and distractions, and reconnect with our true selves. Through love we can make miracles.
To find love, however, we must surrender to love, knowing that our partners are reflections of ourselves and that we are both capable of the deepest, most soulful, and intoxicating of loves – if we choose to see things this way. But let us start at the beginning…
WHAT IS LOVE ANYWAY?
The word ‘love’ is nowadays poorly defined. It stands for so much yet can mean so little. Other ages and cultures were clearer, suggesting that they were more thoughtful about and respectful of it. The ancient Greeks, for example, had many different words for love, describing its various forms and how each feels, including eros (sensuality and passion), philo (the love between friends), and agape (the love of God, or, more generally, the kindness and compassion we show to all people when we recognise them as divine and special beings, just like us).
For Rumi, any (and all) of these forms of love is a gateway through which we can step to meet God. When we are loving and loved by another, our perceptions change and things become brighter, clearer, and more meaningful. We see the world as it really is: alive, intelligent, and benign. Even a gesture from our lovers can leave us swooning in sacred meaning. We wake up to the world and, through this awakening, we realise that everyone and all things are part of a single consciousness: We are One – and, more remarkable still: We are all God.
The problem for modern relationships is the pace of life. We do not have time to reflect on love, to experience it fully, or even to be in the company of our lovers as much as we would like. We are always wanted somewhere else. On top of this, in the modern age, we are all consumers and consumed. As consumers of a fast-food lifestyle, we have grown to expect instant answers and gratification; to simply be ‘in love’ and our lovers to feel the same.
Love’s confusions arise from this because love, despite the spin which makes it look so easy, is never really that simple. It requires that we look more deeply at ourselves and our lovers, who have been gifted to us by God for our mutual spiritual advancement, and not approach them just with expectations to be met.
If we accept love in this way, we will learn from it and grow; if we have demands and expectations, however, we will be disappointed and experience rejection and hurt when love does not go our way. These feelings click into our deepest wounds and lead to defensiveness and conflict – the opposite of love in any form.
To avoid this, we must be clear on what ‘love’ means to us, because when we know what we want there is less room for misunderstanding. We must also be willing to explore and release our feelings of rejection if and when they arise. By doing so, we free ourselves from hurt so that in future – and in Rumi’s words – we “Do not revisit the past” because “This fleeting moment must not be wasted”.
HOW CAN WE BE MORE LOVING?
Intimate relationships are our universities of the heart. In them we will find challenges and blessings, ecstasy and sorrows, and come to realise that our lovers are our mirrors and we are reflected in their eyes. If there is conflict in our relationships it is because we ourselves are in conflict; if there is joy and fulfilment it is because we have found peace within ourselves.
Love seeks balance, stability, and a subtle deepening. For it to evolve in a positive way, it is not necessary, therefore, to force things in our relationships or to worry that we are not doing enough or being as loving as we could; it is only necessary, as a first step, to Do No Harm. This is the first principle of love and Rumi urges us to use it to find our equilibrium:
If you are like the wind: sometimes hot, sometimes cold,
Find the place within you where heat and cold are no more
Then love can evolve naturally towards its perfection.
In Sufi tradition, life is a mystery and we cannot know its secrets, but there is a logic to the universe beyond our understanding and things are unfolding as they should to help us learn, heal, and to love. We are all as perfect as we can be in this special moment.
The relationship you have now, therefore, is perfect for who you are at this given time because you still have more to learn from it. But that doesn’t mean that you or your lover cannot become more perfect still! Each passing second brings change, the possibility of healing, new insights, and new ways of being. Perfection is not an absolute, but a process of evolution. “In aiming for perfection”, Rumi reminds us, “it is God that we become”. As we become more loving, we attract more love to us.
Every relationship – even the most unsatisfactory – is part of this evolutionary process, giving us the opportunity to practice our love, to open our hearts, and create perfection in the moment. If we are wise to love we will learn from it and this will allow us to better understand ourselves and move forward.
To do so, we need to look at ourselves, at what motivates us or holds us back, and at where we must place more of our attention so we are balanced and whole. When we are perfect beings, perfection cannot help but flow towards us. Rumi’s advice, then, is simple:
Keep company with Saints
And you will become a Saint!
AND WHEN PERFECTION SEEMS HARD TO COME BY?
It is difficult, when our hearts are broken or we are sad at the world, to feel that such perfection exists or can be found, or that we can trust enough to give ourselves completely to another. It is our challenge to do so. We must be the “Spiritual Warriors” Rumi implores us to become, and not give in to despair at our ‘failures’, for they are opportunities, too, for learning and growth.
Come, come, whoever you are!
Wanderer, idolater, worshipper of fire,
Come even though you have been broken a hundred times!
Come, and come again,
Ours is not a caravan of despair!
Relationships work because of openness, vulnerability, and a desire to love, no matter what. When we approach our lovers with a bitter heart or with sadness and fear in our souls, that is what we bring to them and what our relationship becomes: “I have run to you because I am afraid of myself. Please don’t give me back to myself!”
No relationship can ‘save’ us from the problems we bring to it. Instead, it will magnify them so we see what needs to be healed and are given an opportunity to do so. If we find it hard to give love, for example, then it will be equally hard for love to find us, and this will be central to every relationship we have until we decide to heal it. Our relationships reveal these truths and this is our lover’s gift.
It is clinging to hope and expectations – the ‘what could have beens’ – that cause us pain when we absorb ourselves with relationships that have failed. When we learn from them and let go, however, our pain is released and we can greet new lovers with wisdom, dignity, and respect for ourselves and for them.
There is a simple law of the universe that embraces us in times of sorrow: Love seeks balance, and our pain now is equal in measure to the joy that will come. Trust that it will and allow yourself to be blessed for, as the Master of Love remind us, “Peace always keeps company with troubles”.
The important thing, then, is to know the unresolved issues in our hearts. In this we find freedom, not shame. By understanding our pains and fears we and our lovers can find creative solutions so that love can flow once more. Knowing our answers, we can navigate our relationships so that, one step at a time, we give more of ourselves and open our hearts to love.
The person we are learning to love is always ourselves. When we understand this, our lover becomes our ally in helping us reconnect with our souls so that what is hidden becomes visible to us.
The mirror of my soul is your face, my love;
You reflect my perfect being
WHAT, THEN, ARE OUR BLOCKS TO LOVE?
There is a conflict within all human beings between what our souls know to be true and what we are taught is true. What every newborn child knows in his bliss-state of being is the reality of love; what he is taught by life is to fear. We will all have far more training in the latter than in how to love and to recognise it in others! Through our conditioning, we become experts in withholding trust.
Fear closes us down and, since the world we create is the one we perceive, once we shut ourselves off from love, fear is all we know because it is all we see. To change this we must be courageous in love so that, through our example, those around us can also wake up to the truth. By acting from love – no matter what – we create a more loving world, free of the limitations we have known.
“Leap into the fires of love”, writes Rumi.
When you know ecstasy
You cannot live without the flames
We must embrace love and allow it to flow – fearlessly, passionately, uncompromisingly – as the route to freedom for our souls. The path of the heart is one we must walk now.
The time for staying home is over.
It is time we entered the garden,
For the sun has risen on a new day of happiness:
Our day of vision and unity
About the Author
Ross Heaven is the author of Love’s Simple Truths: Meditations on Rumi and The Path of The Heart, which is available at www.amazon.co.uk and www.amazon.com, and The Way of The Lover: Rumi and the Spiritual Art of Love. He is a therapist, healer, and counsellor, and runs workshops on the themes of his books. His website is www.thefourgates.com.
Ross Heaven is a therapist, workshop leader, and the author of several books on shamanism and healing, including Darkness Visible, the best-selling Plant Spirit Shamanism, and Love?s Simple Truths. His website is http://www.thefourgates.com where you can also read how to join his sacred journeys to the shamans and healers of the Amazon.
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