God loved you before you were born, and God will love you after you die. In Scripture God says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love." This is a very fundamental truth of your identity. This is who you are whether you feel it or not. You belong to God from eternity to eternity. Life is just a little opportunity for you during a few years to say, "I love you too." If you dare to believe that you are beloved before you are born, you may suddenly realise that your life is very, very special... This brief lifetime is my opportunity to receive love, deepen love, grow in love and give love. - Henri Nouwen (Finding My Way Home - Pathways to Life and the Spirit)
What a beautiful and touching way to look at our relationship with God! When I stop and pause to think about my purpose in life and why God put me here on this Earth, I think it can be defined by one simple yet powerful word - Love. Reaching out and serving others springs from a desire to share this deep love of God with those around me. Acts of kindness = acts of love. We were born to be lovers of Christ!
How does one "fall in love"? Like any good relationship, I believe there needs to be a strong sense of trust, courage and faith. A degree of self-abandonment. To let go and willingly take God from our Sunday day of obligation, and to allow him to propagate our core being - our total self! Only then is He the centre of our being... our sounding board for every decision, choice and action.
For me, it occured last year during a CGC retreat where we studied the first encylical letter by Pope Benedict XVI called "Deus Caritas Est" (Latin for "God is Love"). It was a turning point for me as during a heartfelt confession, I was challenged to jump off the cliff edge and proclaim with hand on heart... "JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU!".
Trust wholeheartedly in Yahweh, put no faith in your own perception; acknowledge him in ever course you take, and he will see that your paths are smooth" (Proverbs 3:5)
Just knowing that God will be there to catch me when I fall off that cliff gives me a sense of liberation. Freedom. I used to worry and stress a lot about what others think. Of how I will be perceived. Perhaps this was because I trusted God 80% of the time, but for 20% of the time I would doubt that he wasn't listening completely.
Our fears are what limit us.
Nouwen eloquently reflects the fullness of God's love... "In this world when you are chosen, you know that somebody else is not chosen. When you are the best, you know that somebody is not the best. When you win and receive a prize, you know there is somebody who lost. But this is not so in the heart of God. If you are chosen in the heart of God, you have eyes to see the chosenness of others. If the Love of God blesses you, you have the eyes to see the blessedness of others."
Now I can loosen up and smile! :) Because I know what God wants counts most... and he is always there to help and guide me along my own journey. We are all called to shine and dance freely with God!
So I challenge you to give your heart to God!
God truly loves me more than I love myself.
God desires my happiness.
God knows best how I'll be happy.
(Fr John Powell SJ)
PRAYER TO LOVE GOD ABOVE ALL THINGS
God, my Father, may I love You in all things and above all things. May I reach the joy which You have prepared for me in Heaven. Nothing is good that is against Your Will, and all that is good comes from Your Hand. Place in my heart a desire to please You and fill my mind with thoughts of Your Love, so that I may grow in Your Wisdom and enjoy Your Peace. Amen.
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Hi Addy!
ReplyDeletethat was a very beautiful reflection!
I agree, what Nouwen said is really profound...
"In Scripture God says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love." ...Life is just a little opportunity for you during a few years to say, "I love you too."
It is great that you have been able to wholeheartedly place your trust in God - and the liberation that this faith gives you!
When we trust in God, and let him take over, then we are filled with his love, and shine his love to all those around us. in this way, our life can truly be a life of love, the love of Christ - and say, with St Paul, "It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:20)
So let us keep living and keep loving! =)
Hi Loz! I like Nouwen's thoughts on the "I love you too." I kind of imagine God with outstretched hands offering a huge embrace (or bear hug!) to us. Its up to us to recognise this "Hug from God" and return the embrace.
ReplyDelete"For we know that all things work for good to those who love God and are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)
"To believe in God - for Christians - does not mean simply to believe that God exists, nor merely to believe that He is true.
It means to believe by loving, to believe by abandoning oneself to God, uniting and conforming oneself to Him" - St Anthony of Padua
Hi Addy!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited about your blog, I totally agree with you! I also enjoy seeing your sweet smile, so keep smiling!
There's a really good song about God touching us and changing our lives - check it out at: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=IlMd9ctNRjQ
I listen to this all the time at home and kept singing this song while struggling up Cradle Mountain... hehe! It made the whole experience so much more enjoyable + liberating even though I was singing with all my energy through my breathe, but later bursted out into joy as I gained some energy while going down hill...hehe!
The lyrics are here: "HE TOUCHED ME"
He touched me, O he touched me,
And O the joy that floods my soul!
Something happened, and now I know,
He touched me and made me whole.
Shackled By a Heavy burden,
'Neath a load of guilt and shame,
Then the hand of Jesus touched me,
And now I am no longer the same.
He touched me, O he touched me,
And O the joy that floods my soul!
Something happened, and now I know,
He touched me and made me whole.
Since I met this Blessed Savior,
Since he cleansed and made me whole,
I will never cease to Praise him;
I'll shout it while eternity rolls.
He touched me, O he touched me,
And O the joy that floods my soul!
Something happened, and now I know,
He touched me and made me whole.