What would love do now

INSPIRATIONS ~ AFFIRMATIONS

Text Box: “What would Love do now”? “What would Love do now”? The answers may surprise you. “Let all those who have ears to hear – Listen. For I tell you this: At the critical juncture in all human relations, there is only one question: “What would Love do now”? No other question is relevant. No other question is meaningful. No other question has any importance to your soul.” Neale Donald Walsch from “The Journey” cd “What would Love do now”? We hear it so much that it is becoming overused. Some will toss those words out as a way of avoiding the real issue at hand – a way of substantiating the choice they made – I looked within and asked “What would Love do now”, they will say. Some will use it as a way of not truly looking at the situations that surround their lives and say “Enough. That is enough”. It is “easier” to say that you are coming from a place of love when you continue to allow stress to be a prevalent part of your life. How many of us have situations in our lives that we are really not truly at peace with? What situations exist that we continue to allow to be part of our lives because to do differently would mean that we think that we are not coming from a place of love? There are those that are physically, emotionally, mentally and even spiritually abused that can not find the strength to make changes. They might tell you that they asked themselves “What would Love do now” and heard that love would stay in the situation because to not do so, is to not love is their belief. There are those that choose to keep their lives rooted into the past way of being – such as the parent that believes they must that only “right” choice is to live their life based solely on the needs of their children regardless of age. From their perspective Love says they must always put the perceived needs of the children over their own personal joy. There are those that stay in a job or career choice believing that if they were to make a change then they could not provide for their families or loved ones. Their perspective may say that Love says they must continue the way they are in order to provide happiness for others – even at the cost of their own joy. There are those that are unable to clearly speak their beliefs for fear of another’s reaction – this I know very well. They will ask “What would Love do now” and the answer they hear is that if you are coming from a place of love you sacrifice your joy and allow others opinions to define who you are. The strongest deterrent to truly embracing the end answer to “What would Love do now” is fear. We accept behaviors into our lives that we would consider to be unacceptable under other circumstances. That is coming from a place of fear – not Love. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what someone may think. Fear of what someone may do. Fear of aloneness. Fear of not being in control. Fear of success. It is easy for us to tell our selves that we can not do something. We can not accomplish that goal. What if we do make a change? What will happen to us? What if we do speak up for our selves? Would people not like us? Not respect us? Would we end up alone? What if we say no to a request? Is it really better to fill our lives with people and situations that do not contribute joy for us because we thought the answer to “What would Love do now” is that love stays and acquiesces regardless of how it affects our inner well being? Coming from a place of love is about finding inner strength for our selves and for others. When we come from fear we may do things that are very hurtful to our selves as well as others. Our lives are meant to be lived in joy, happiness and tranquility. That is the choice that Love makes. It is time to live life based on Who We Really Are. We are able to accomplish so many things within our selves. In doing so, we emanate Love out to others. It is their choice to accept or reject that which comes from our soul. It is our choice to determine that which we radiate to others. Are you light and bubbly on the surface and yet, deep inside at your deepest core, are you really angry, lonely, frightened or filled with doubt about self? “What would Love do now?” Love would suggest honestly looking at that those emotions and face them head on so that what you do radiate is positive. Is your life filled with endless activity that may bring you a temporary happiness and yet you still feel alone and perhaps unworthy of more? Busy does not equate to joy. “What would Love do now?” Perhaps the answer is to spend time with your self, learn who you are and experience that wonderful Spirit of self. Are you continually saying “yes” to every request that comes your way when you really want to say “no” for fear of the reactions that another may have at the cost to your joy? “What would Love do now?” Love says to embrace your joy first. In a negative situation we are inclined to pinpoint the blame rather than attempt to pinpoint the cause. Love looks at the entire situation honestly. Look at the circumstances involved. Be accountable for your contributions. The cause could be you or, then again, it may not. Choose to change only if it is the answer for you. Come from a place of Love and be sure about that. When you live in a place of love it is not necessary to defend your position. Look at the CAUSE of your experiences or you will continue to create the same experiences. What can YOU change – not what can another change. Do you want to continue to exist based on others rather than live based on who you are? It is the same in a positive situation just better. The answer was not what some one else did. It was what you did as an individual. YOU make your happiness and Love – not someone else. It comes from within. You are the one in control of what continues to flow into your life. Do not direct your reactions to the experience. Direct your reactions to the reasons the experience exists. Love would bless those reasons and release them in order to choose inner joy. To truly listen to God you must choose Love. Love of your self is even more important than Love of others. For in loving the self, loving others follows. Choose to have your own conversation with God. You will receive a depth of understanding and truth about the situation. Choose to be the cause of joy and happiness. Love is about reaching a decision based on deep spiritual goals and the answer can be very different based on the situation. Consider a couple with two major decisions to make. One is whether or not to place a beloved aging parent that has been living with them in a nursing home or make a change in life style. The second is deciding if they should bar their son, whom they also love, from their home since his behaviors and life choices bring so much strife to their lives. In the first situation they chose to liquidate timeshare holdings and postpone retirement plans in order provide at home nursing care for the parent. Is this giving up their joy? No. This decision was not made out of obligation. This decision was made with love. They did not do it because it was the “right” thing to do. They did not base it on what others might think. They decided that love would welcome the opportunity for continued mutual growth and fulfillment that this situation could provide. They loved themselves and the parent enough to take this opportunity to give and thus receive more love. Now there is the decision about their son. They decided that loving their son did not mean letting him do whatever he wished. They chose instead to draw boundaries and make those boundaries clear and hold to them. They chose to allow their son to be accountable for the choices he made and gave him the opportunity to learn about cause and effect. Loving themselves as well as him meant they would not allow themselves to be walked on or permit their boundaries to be violated any longer. As Spirits we are all one. Yes, we CAN love everyone on a spiritual level. Loving Spirit does not mean that you have to like the actions around you. Loving Spirit means that you love your self. Loving Spirit means that you take care of your self first – not another. This does not mean that we are separate from each other. It means that we come from a place of inner Love that does not cause us to inflict all manners of injury upon others in all forms – from the most extreme forms of abuse to the subtler forms of pettiness or meanness. Those injuries cause harm in others. “What would Love do now”? The answer is not about turning the other proverbial cheek. The answer is not about continuing to accept circumstances that bring you sadness, loneliness, pain, sorrow or the like. The answer is about seeking, finding and choosing inner joy and happiness. “What would Love do now?” Look within. The answer may surprise you. Reverend Dr. Annie Peyton February 7, 2007