The Only Question to ask yourself in any situation or circumstance that arises is, “WHAT WOULD LOVE DO?”
Love truly is the answer. I mean agape love. I don’t know about you, but I’m going with Love’s response these days. We live in an increasingly difficult world and this question of “what would love do?” is really simple and can snap us back into right thinking and action. Agape love is no easy endeavor; it’s a rather high calling and worth the price of admission. And when we really tune into our hearts, we can feel its tugging and calling us to truly demonstrate Christ’s love in the world. Through the demonstration of this love, it mends us to God’s side through our every thought and action in the world.
What does Agape Love really mean?
Agape love is God’s kind of love. I love Kevin Weaver’s definition of this in his book Re_Orient. He describes it as this,
“The kind of love that is always contending for the highest possible good in every situation and relentlessly contends until it’s a present-tense reality.” “Agape love is also the kind of love God says we are to have for all people, whether they are friends or enemies.”
Tall order. YES. Possible. YES. The willingness of your own heart to dive right in is the first step. Step two, never give up; strive to be an example of unwavering steadfast love in the world. The world is so desperately seeking a true love, Christ-like love. As you all know, we need real world demonstration of this, our hearts hunger to experience this. Deep fulfillment is the end result if we make it a daily practice in our lives. Moment to moment practice is essential, let’s face it a lot happens in each of our days. Present-tense awareness of our thoughts and actions is the tall order of the day.
God who is love, is present in you, love is the fruit of HIS residence in YOU.
You love others because He first loved you and lives in you to love through you. Be blessed with holy, powerful, unfailing love in you. There is no limit or measure to this love. We stay mended to God’s side as we extend this love to everyone around you. And my friends, I assure you it will be uncomfortable, and there will be times you really just don’t feel like it. Remember, there is great fulfillment of your soul in begging the question of, “What would love do?”
INSPIRATION FROM THE WORDS OF FATHER THOMAS KEATING
I’d like to quote him from the amazing book “ Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit.”
A PASSAGE ON THE SPIRIT OF GENTLENESS.
“Gentleness is a participation in God’s way of doing things that is at once gentle and firm, sustaining all creation with its enormous diversity, yet without effort. We labor in service to God more than ever, and yet there is a sense of stepping back and watching God make things happen according to His will both in ourselves and in others. Like God we labor and we rest at the same time. We work hard but we know by experience, that our efforts are not going to go anywhere except insofar as God makes them fruitful. …leaving immense freedom just to be who we are and to serve the special needs of those around us.”
A PASSAGE ON THE SPIRIT OF GOODNESS.
“Goodness is the affirmation of creation as good, together with a sense of oneness with the universe and with everything created. It is the disposition that perceives events, even the tragic things in life, as manifestations of God’s love. It recognizes the beauty of all creation in spite of the damage that human selfishness has imposed upon it. As a result, gratitude to God abounds in our hearts and a positive attitude characterizes our relationship with others and with the normal wear and tear of daily life.”
