Love As Answer

JULY 3, 1980, 6:26 AM
W. WILLOW, STUDY

Every now and again, o son, I need to remind you of the power and importance of love. As I have told you, love is both an emotion and the chief emanation of spirit. My Spirit, through its love, give you the capacity to love as an aspect of spirit. And this is “an answer” to many actual and would-be problems of life. It seems rather simple… and it is… but some of life’s best aspects are simple.

Love of children is so vital to their growth as human persons. You love your little granddaughters, and you see them being loved well by their parents. But what if that love were not present? Would it be a part of their experiences if they were not rather perfect little creatures? That is one of the distinguishing characteristics of love from the spirit – the capacity and desire to love those less than perfect and to love an individual at all times, from beautiful to nasty.

It works in two interestingly different ways. You can love Rivanna when she is happy, smiling, and cooperative, but can you love her when she is sulky, contrary, and whiny? When love truly can be felt and manifested, even to the unloveable, it is a product of the spirit. The other way: you could love Russ when he needed you, was vulnerable and weak; can your feelings be comparable when he is sober, in control and in no apparent need? The paradox is there. Sometimes it is more difficult to love the one who is weak and in need, and sometimes it is harder to love the one who no longer needs you.

Love is an emanation of spirit, so the development of spirit is that which fuels the capacity to love. You don’t “try harder” to love, but you exercise your spirit, and it responds through love. Worship is an interesting example. When you approach worship as a true, inviting experience with Me… through liturgy, hymns, prayers, sermon, Scripture reading… your spirit grows and therefore loves more. The very act of reading My Word, no matter what the context, is spirit-filling. These times of communion with Me are a special exercise, one, certainly, that can give you greater spiritual capacities than you could ever develop without these times.