Power-filled Positive Thinking—Chapter 5A—TO LOVE AND BE LOVED
It was sharper than any knife, cutting deep within my heart that day. “What makes you think any man could ever love you?” my mother said. She continued on, “Look in the mirror, look at your past, look at all the health problems that you have had, and face the reality that there is no way anyone could ever love you.” The part that was even worse, her words only echoed what my own heart had come to believe. I who had searched for love, believed in love, fought for love, sacrificed for love, and bled for love was about to finally lay down my sword.
original photograph used courtesy of Jim Peregoy
Broken, wounded and tired, I laid down my dream of finding someone to love me. At first I mourned the loss of the dream. Then the most miraculous thing happened, I suddenly awoke one morning and realized love was in me. When I quit searching to find someone to love me, I found that perfect love had been there with me the whole time
. All the love I had ever needed was there residing in my own heart. It had been there ever since that little 5 year old had asked perfect love to come into her heart. Like the awakening of the dawn, bright and beautiful—light shone into the crevices of my heart and I knew that I was God’s Beloved. Greater love than I had ever longed for was there and had been there all along. That same love became an overflowing fountain of joy. That joy became a brilliant light of Grace which allowed me to see that not only did love fill me, it surrounded me. When I no longer needed love, love found me. It is there in the bewitching smile of a grandbaby, the hugs of my children and their families, the phone calls and text message. It is there in the kindness of a stranger passing by. Love is there in the heart of friend who is willing to trust me with their friendship and take my hand to show me clearly who I am. In fact, once I realized that love was in me and I need not search for it; I realized it had always been there. I could look back over all the memories and see its golden threads woven throughout the tapestry of my entire life.
In Christ, I am God’s Beloved Child and Christ’s Beloved Betrothed. My position of being a saint in Christ, as we saw before is not dependent upon me—it is dependent upon Christ. The same is true of God’s love for me. He has loved me since before creation. Look at these scripture.
Romans 1:7 beloved of God, called to be saints:
I John 3: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Christ prayed: John 17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
If all of this is true, why did it take so long for me to realize it? How does knowing this truth change my life? Love, what does it look like when it comes from inside instead of outside of one’s self? Those are the questions that we will explore on Friday’s post because time does not permit us here, so I urge you to come back Friday.
I can tell you that knowing that I am God’s Beloved has transformed me. It has transformed how I love as well. No longer does my love come from “needing love”, so no longer is it built upon another’s ability to fulfill my needs. Love no longer has fears or expectations. Without fears and expectations, love can no longer disappoint either. Love is not dependent upon the response of the beloved—it remains constant, steady because whatever the response love sees the beauty within the beloved (even when they are incapable or don’t return that love, even if they are never yours to embrace). That kind of love frees the beloved as well as it frees me to love.
Listen to every word of this beautiful song and let it fill your heart with all the love you need today. O the Deep, Deep Love
©2015 Effie Darlene Barba
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.