I shared the following earlier today on Facebook.
“I have been deep in thought today more so than usual. Lots of things going on in life. I believe my Heavenly Father asked the following questions. ‘What drives you? Where are you getting your motivation, passion, and strength? What is that passion?’
I have an answer to the questions but to see it I’d like you to participate and give you…”
This is My Answer
I have come to believe my life is about love. The expression and acceptance of it is as diverse as are the people on the planet earth.
I will say this there are a lot of people, including me, that express love but it is not true love. It may be for the most part well intended but it really doesn’t meet the test of true love. I can say this because I live it and understand that I can only express love to the depth that I know of it.
I believe the beginning of understanding true love is to accept Gods love for us. It is pure, unselfish, giving, and without any conditions what so ever at all. Think about this. When you were a teenager, you saw someone that piqued your interest and you began a relationship with them. Days and weeks passed. You came to know that person for who portrayed as a whole and the emotional feeling of what we call love invaded your life. You began to love that person mostly because they accepted you for who you portrayed to them. Later that love is tested. He or she does something and it does meet the criteria for loving them. The acceptance is short lived and so is the love that existed. The expression of love is a only a temporary acceptance of each other laden with conditions which need to be met.
Later in life, we find the special person. The conditions for continued love are met and we get married. The honeymoon for some lasts a lifetime, yet there are some that don’t experience a honeymoon at all. Conditions change and so does the love. You can see a pattern developing.
This is what we will continue to experience throughout our lives. We will always experience conditional love unless we find someone who loves us without any conditions what so ever at all attached to their love. I have to say that person found me! I met God back in 1983. I knew him just like you know me. We spoke to each other from a distance. I had read about him and heard others speak about him. Our relationship was really one sided. There was a period where he wanted to hang out but I didn’t. I always said I was too busy or I was tired. I was working and getting things done. When the end of the day would come, I would be exhausted mentally and physically. I just pushed on through life.
I really didn’t understand my relationship with God. It was about nine years ago, I was doing a word study. I wanted to see what words were used most in the Bible. I put post- y- notes on the pages near the text that stood out to me. I continued through six or seven books in the old testament. The one pattern that stood out is that love was used a lot. A LOT! It is used more than any other word from what I can remember. I stopped the project and I began to research about the quality of God love and why.
The short and the long of it is this. Through my life’s journey I found that God loves me and you no matter what. There are no conditions to His love. I should be quite apparent of the unconditional love he expresses and exhibits every day. He died on the cross for us. Who among us is willing to give his life for all people. I am willing to give up my life for my wife. I was also willing to do so for my country. I am not willing however to give up my life for all people. Yet God did! I began to find His love growing inside of me. My attitudes and prejudices are changing, (I have never been racially prejudice by the way), and how I see my life is changing too. I began to understand how much God loves us and what he wants us to do.
Today, as best I can, I love God back. I am thankful for the abilities that I have, the artistic vision, even though my eye sight isn’t 20/20. I am who I am because of Gods’ love for me. I found my energy and strength and passion all come from him. I don’t have it without him. The depth of unconditional love I have for my wife and loved one’s is something God has given me. I have learned to receive it by having an intimate relationship with Him. I don’t think there is any other way, otherwise this change in my life knowing Him would have come a long time ago.
Last but not least is the knowledge my relationships do affect the creativity and passion and ultimately what I do with my life. If affect what I see and how I see it. God Bless You!