THROUGH THE EYES OF LOVE

Psalm 127 WEB

1 A Song of Ascents. By Solomon. Unless Yahweh builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless Yahweh watches over the city, the watchman guards it in vain.

I am taking some liberties with that:

If Love does not build a house, then in vain does the builder labor and in vain does the watchman stand his watch if Love is not his help.

This passage and
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 say the same thing. This is the principle upon which I build my spiritual path. It is this subject to which I devote myself. It is this gift I give myself and those who would accept it.

For Love is all there is.

Love cannot sit still but must create Itself over and over again in many forms to show Its presence and in order to see and admire Itself.

When we look in the mirror of Love everything we behold is transformed into the Father/Mother or Creator. There is no other. The Creator is One. The heartbeat is One. The mind is One. It is all Good. It is all Divine. Undivided and pure is this Love.

Behold through the eyes of Love all things are made new. All things appear as they are.

Upon the face of every human being we behold is the face of and presence of that which we call God (or do not call God) if your belief system embraces that.

The word "transfigure" means to change the appearance or form of something. To "transform" means to change in appearance or character.

When we behold Love/God as we look upon our own or other's faces, they are not changed. We are. We see with our spiritual eyes what the human eye cannot see so we see that which heretofore we could not.

If Love does not rule our hearts and minds, then whatever we do is in vain and we will behold the earth and all that is in it void of the one thing we all long for and need. We will not see what is right in front of our eyes.

May our eyes be opened to behold a new earth and a new heaven.

Amen

And so it is.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

There's no place like Home

What is home exactly?

For me "home" is a non-local place of reference that affords me a base of operations with some level of continuity, security, and comfort.

When a major life change happens no matter what it is or when it is or how old or experienced you are and no matter whether you desired it or not, your "home" gets shaken up to say the least. For a while you walk around in semi-familiar surroundings feeling and behaving more like a displaced person with semi-amnesia than the person you were before this major earth-shifting event took place.

You've been blown off course and you aren't sure where home is anymore. You aren't even sure in which direction you should set out in order to find it. Somewhere deep inside you, you realize but won't admit at first, that the home you had before no longer exists so you must set sail for distant and unfamiliar place where your new home awaits you.

At first you anguish and mourn and grieve for your home until little by little you accept that you are now writing a new chapter in your life from a different desk in a different room in a home you cannot even find. If your home was lost to you because you made deliberate choices and looked forward to the change you are ahead of the game. You have an edge on those who were thrust into the change out of a tragedy. In any case, it takes time to adjust to major changes in one’s life.

What can help in the interim? Where the loss is a physical home, a job, a marriage, a relationship, health, limb, income, youth, or other object or subject which gives one a sense of identity, security, and purpose including losing a spouse or other significant relative or friend, one needs to find purpose. We identified ourselves in many ways through our purposes. In realtionships we are given purpose. One looks for meaning and purpose now that things have changed. One looks for enough familiar things to hold onto for security until the adjustment is much further along. One thinks as much as possible of opportunities rather than what is no longer available. We also look for love - both to give and to receive. Love is connection. Love is knowing that in our aloneness we are not really alone. In our feeling of separation, we are not separate. Love is the power that creates and holds together the Universe.

Most of all an adult on his/her own must realize that the only real “home” is within. For some of us it is finding that Power within that can do all things and from which all things come. Some call that goodness names such as God/Jesus/Buddha/Allah/the Force/the Universe and others.

Some might attribute this strength and power to their own human abilities and determination. That is certainly part of it because without our intention, desire, or willingness the Power has no conduit for Its flow. I cannot say one way or another with 100% assurance; but, in any case this determination and acquired ability is probably part of the process whether or not one believes that it comes from one’s self or unseen Power or Presence.

In order to heal, the process must unfold and our cooperation is essential. A child would be blessed to have an adult around who understands this. An adult would be blessed to understand and/or to have others around who do. It is in the helping of one another that we all are healed.

THE POWER OF LOVE

One thing I have discovered is that “real” love (that is agape love, that desire for the well being of all there is without strings and without conditions ) will not for long allow you to bear grudges, fan the flame of anger, and will not be content with cutting yourself off from another person (dead or alive). It will prod and probe and make you feel totally out of sorts and uncomfortable until you let go of your nonsense and embrace love totally with abandon.

With Love at the helm you just can not get too far off course. It won’t let you. If you get too far off course and can not find your way back then you probably have not yet fully embraced Love. But if you are aware that you are off course, then there is hope.

Once you decide to let go and let Love, you will be amazed at the peace, the joy, the feeling that all is well. You know you are in the Flow. You will know that you have not resisted the Good but have opened your heart to it. You will know that this is the peace that passes all understanding that Jesus talked about. You will know that above all the rules and laws and restrictions that religions, governments, and socialization has placed upon you, that Love reigns and that this is you one and only calling and purpose. All these laws, rules, and restrictions are subject to Love. Obedience to these laws, rules, and restrictions without love is love not given freely but is an act of fear and done begrudgingly. Its results will not yield you joy, peace, contentment and the knowledge that all is well.

Ronald Thelbert Elliott beloved husband of Brenda Andradzki Elliott passed away October 6, 2006.

PURPOSE AND MEANING

A friend called last night and she mentioned purpose.

We humans seem to have to have something to look forward to in order to move forward. We seem to have a need to find a reason or reasons why we are here having a life. We seem to want to make sense out of the things that happen. I don't know why that is but I would like to explore that a bit.

We seem to have to have something to look forward to. We seem to have a need to fulfill some purpose both long-term and short-terms purpose. We seem to need to accomplish things, to create things, to give meaning to our lives.

A plot to run airplanes into a building is creative but not many people would call that good; however, a person involved in that plot would believe that they are fulfilling a higher purpose and are willing to give their lives to see that it is carried out.

A new vaccine or treatment that prevents or cures diseases and suffering in the human race is creative and it is called good although there are some strong suspicions that when some children are vaccinated with some serums, they may become autistic. Some children benefit from the vaccine while some don't.

So the “good” or “bad” of something creative depends upon your viewpoint and it depends upon your experience of it.

What might be pushing humans to find purpose or meaning in anything?

Most Christians believe that their purpose or main one at least, is to know God and to love and serve God in this life and the next. All other purposes or meanings would be secondary to that and these should be shaped according to that primary purpose.

Other religions or philosophies might suggest there is no purpose or meaning. Some might suggest that reaching our highest potential is our purpose though they might not know what the meaning of that is.

I would like to think that meeting Ron, marrying him, being with him and in these latter days taking care of him, was my fulfilling a purpose and gave meaning to my life and his. I like to think there was a reason for it. Why I don’t know. I guess if there was no reason or purpose then I can’t make sense of what happened. And if I can’t make sense of it all then I might think that having life is senseless.

So I am back to why are there humans at all? Why is there life at all?

Creative energy flows and so here we are. That Force is with us, in us, and expresses through us as us. It can’t not. So I suppose that the Creative Force is It’s own purpose and meaning and it carries this out through us and all that exists from rocks to humans.

SUNDAY CONTEMPLATION

It is very quiet here this morning. It is Sunday.

And so the neighborhoods sleep in a little longer or they take a more leisurely time of rolling out of bed, eating breakfast, and getting dressed.

The highway is always busy but a little less crowded this early on Sunday.

In the Elliott household, I rest a bit then do some housekeeping things and husband tending things then rest again. But this is Sunday so too I will attempt church if Ron seems reasonably safe to leave for an hour or so.

In the Elliott household, Ron does little. He finally awoke, ate a bit, took something for pain and then feel asleep again in his easy chair. It is difficult for him to do anything that takes energy - everything is a great effort.

Daily changes are coped with and sadness is noted as these are played out.

But the song is not over until the last note fades so we listen to the song as intently as possible giving it our loving attention.

Snuggling beneath my covers earlier this morning unable to fall back to sleep, I just felt the softness of my bed, the warmth of the sheets, the support of the pillows, noticing my breath being taken in and released and just being present floating in that spot between thought and nothingness. Yet I was aware of being alive and having a reason to be here and that sparked gratitude within even when I have no idea of the complete fullness or implication of my overall role in the scheme of things.

Sunday. A time for contemplation in the quiet and aloneness.