“Beloved, let us love
one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and
knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
~1 John 4:7-8
According
to the dictionary the meaning of “beloved” is being cherished, treasured and
dearly-loved. It takes a relationship to
be the ‘beloved.’
From
the moment we are born on this earth we have the need to be loved. It is hard-wired into our human existence to
be loved. Babies who are not experiencing
being cared for beyond their physical needs such as being cuddled and touched often
grow into uncaring and selfish adults.
As humans we find ourselves challenged to find the balance between our
physical (external) and spiritual (internal) needs. We are very much aware of our five physical
senses but only claim the “6th sense” as a tool for intuition. We know now that there are equally spiritual
senses corresponding to the five physical senses. More and more people have ESP (extra sensory
perception) experiences. And that is
nothing to laugh about because even science has recognized the “other” invisible
world as real and measureable.
In
a book called “Doorway to the Soul” Ron Scolastico
discusses the deep hunger for love, connection, and spiritual experience we may
feel at a certain time in our life. Some people may get restless, frustrated,
or even depressed because they cannot find fulfillment in their physical
activities only.
“Our greatest
fulfillment lies in giving ourselves to others.”
~Henri
J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World
All
other creatures just have to grow, taking in the sun, water, food, etc. and
they fulfill their given purpose.
As
humans we have one added (often overlooked) aim and that can only be achieved
when we use our free will. To become
fully aware of this faculty of our mind we have to discover our true
identity. We were created in the image
of God, our heavenly parent. To learn
that we are children of the all-powerful, all-knowing, and eternal Creator of
this infinite universe is a lot to digest.
For many of us we cannot fathom that we have infinite beauty, goodness,
and love hidden inside of us. It may be
a tremendous challenge to take off the many filters of our own perspective,
taught beliefs, and adapted opinions. It
takes a lot of effort and good intentions to find the deeper realities. Could changing our attitude about our true
identity be the missing link to internal peace?
“It is easy to hate and
it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good
things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.”
~
Confucius
It
takes humility to discover that blessedness and being the “beloved.” One place to start is to be grateful for life
itself, for what we have, where we live and whom we come in contact with. Becoming aware of God’s presence takes
practice; the rewards are infinite.
Practicing consideration and kindness to others takes the focus away
from ourselves. Paying attention to those
connections we discover infinite power, power to change and to grow ourselves
spiritually. With the right intention
comes even greater fulfillment.
