Jessie and the Truth about Love

I got an email from a fellow blogger in Redmond WA, her name is Jessie. We exchanged a couple messages last week as she struggled understanding her role in this journey we call life. Jessie, in her words, expressed much discord with the direction her heart was attempting to take her. She said that she had prayed for direction, yet felt nothing, sought wisdom from her past experiences and still confusion ensued. After much discussion she asked if I would write a blog strictly from my own heart, soul, and life experience about the connection between life, God, love, and truth. As you all know, I am not a professional, nor do I claim to be, I simply allow my thoughts to flow, Jessie this one's for you. 

Most of our lives, for those raised in religious homes, we are taught that God is love. Usually the only way that love comes alive in our lives is to follow the proforma that the so called religious doctrine has put forth. For many, not all, that love rings hollow. It is merely words, with no depth. It is easy speak, yet no content. It is a target, with no bulls-eye. Otherwise, there has always been something missing. Most feel ashamed, embarrassed, or afraid to share their religious confusion out of fear of retribution or ostracizing.   

If there has ever been a mightier weapon on the face of the earth than the misuse of God, I haven't seen it. Just the term God can bring out the best and worst in people, sometimes in the same conversation. If God is love, what are we missing? We have all heard over the years, possibly from our own mouths, that this or that religion is the TRUTH. I'm sure you have had people share Bible verses that solidify that fact in their own hearts, which is admirable and not for me to admonish. 

Is there an answer to Jessie's questions? No, there is only opinions, however, I do believe with all my heart I can connect the dots between life, love, God, and truth. 

It's no secret that each of us is facing some type of issue in life that we feel keeps us from meeting our potential. You know, as well as I do, that we all have skeletons in the closet, we all have bones buried in the backyard, we all have dents and dings in our halo, yet for some odd reason we strive so hard to place blame on everyone else but ourselves. We are imperfect beings living in an imperfect world surrounded by imperfect people. That combination is a recipe for amazing, awesome, fantastic things. WHY? Because the God of love that created us, gave us the ability to grow, learn, fail, get up, scream, cry, laugh, excel, and be a light for others. If God were not LOVE we would all be the same, act the same, look the same, and life as we know it would not exist. There would be no hope, no love, no emotion, there would just be life. God's greatest love for us was trusting us to grow into our potential, to be the best versions of ourselves possible. It is our job to embrace that love and live it to the fullest. 

Now, let's take this journey farther and deeper and see what we get. Life is meant to be lived, sure there are inherent rules we must allow to guide us. With that being said, what is the truth of living life to the fullest. That statement has no definitive answer, no matter what someone may say. This life, is your one and only chance to make something wonderful happen. It is never too late as long as there is a breath in your body. Never ever ever allow someone's negative opinion of you or the world to become your reality. It is up to you to choose what life has to offer. God gave you the freedom of choice, not out of hate, but out of love. That is an example of love we should strive to share with everyone. 

I know it is easy to get down, depressed, angry, sad, and feel hopeless at times. That is called being human. We are all sinful creatures seeking to find our way in this wild and crazy world. We were not born to be robots we were born to rise up and be the shining face of love to others with all the feelings and emotions that go with it. Will it be easy, hell no, it will be the toughest battle you will ever face, yet the most rewarding, if you embrace it fully. 

Jessie, had emotions for someone that she felt were not fully reciprocated. She was hurt and confused because in her heart these feelings were as strong and as deep as it could possibly be. If a God of love put those feelings so strong in her heart, why wasn't it the same for the person she claimed to love. This is where the truth of life can hurt so bad. The same God that gave Jessie free will to feel and choose also gave the person she claimed to love the same freedoms. If life happened any other way the God we serve would be one of control not love.

Life will always be a complex series of events that challenge every human emotion we have. But when it comes to love and truth let me share some final thoughts that I have gained from my own life over the years. Love as defined in romance novels isn't the human love that pushes us to be the best version of ourselves possible. Love is a feeling that grows when we cultivate it. It isn't about erotica or giddy puppy love that is so superficial that it can fade as fast as the tide. The truth about love, in it's complex simplicity is this, we absolutely must fully embrace who we are. We cannot embrace ourselves partially or in shallow waters, we are all in or all out. We must understand that the body we have been entrusted with is to be loved and cherished at all times. When we do that with a humble heart a warmth will grow in us and the ember we have for those around us will spark into a flame. A new love will grow, one like we have never felt. We will forgive others, take responsibility for lives, stop blaming others, and take the leaps of faith necessary to push us to the limits. Life is all about living, not dying. 

Is there a such thing as truth? I say this, the only absolute truth we can say for certain is, at this very moment we are alive. With that comes the ability to choose, that's the truth. Love is a subjective truth with an objective nature, God is an objective truth with a subjective nature. If the only real truth is life let's make sure we LOVE what GOD has given us. 

My short synopsis for Jessie, thanks for writing. 

Peace and love

Dale