First love yourself
Living the Golden Rule, Part 4 ~ Being the Love You Long to Receive
If all is either love or hate, then most people choose to receive love. Often, though, people become the hatred they claim they hate – call names, ridicule, bully, put down, criticize… If, like in Part 3, Why The Golden Rule Works, we send out hate, that is what we receive in return. If hatred is not what we want to receive, then how do we BE LOVE?
What does it 
mean to live the Golden Rule? How might it make a difference in your lif
Part 1, the question you were to ask yourself is how you want to be treated by others.
Part 2, Which quality do you choose to live?
Part 3, Divine Message, Why the Golden Rule Works
In the Bible, 1 Corinthian 13:4-7, Paul said…
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never ends.
Let’s study the ancient meaning of these words on love:
(William Barclay, Daily Study Guide of First Corinthians is source for the ancient meanings.)
- Love is patient. The Greek word makrothumein, used in the New Testament always describes patience with people and not patience with circumstances. The word is used of the person who is wronged but doesn’t seek vengeance; a person who is slow to anger, and who, no matter how unkind and hurting someone is to them, shows the same patience as God shows all of us, and is a sign of strength, not weakness. That doesn’t mean patience with circumstances, or to remain in an abusive situation. That is not love, neither to the abused or the abuser; that is enabling and only encourages abusive behavior. Get out. Stay safe.
- Love is kind. Love that is “sweet to all.” Some people are good and yet unkind. That also means being sweet and kind to yourself.
- Love does not envy. There are two kinds of envy. One covets the possessions of other people. The other begrudges that others have what they don’t have. Socialism falls into this category – taking from others so that you can have more. That is believing that God is limitation, not abundance. We don’t pull others down to try to lift ourselves up. Depend on God as your Unlimited Supplier.
- Love does not boast. Some people confer their love with the idea that they are bestowing a favor. Boasting isn’t a pure excitement about an accomplishment but a pompous or arrogant talk or manner. A cockiness.
- Love is not arrogant. This is the person who says they are not like other people, that the laws of morality, or even laws in general, do not apply to them, and who talks and acts as if they are superior.
- Love is not rude. There are those who, under the guise of love, take delight in being blunt and almost brutal – using truth as a weapon to hurt or bring down.
- Love does not insist upon its own way. This is about those who are always thinking of what life owes them, a sense of entitlement, instead of those who never forget what they owe to life, a sense of gratitude.
- Love is not irritable. Meaning it never flies into a temper, never becomes impatient and exasperated with people, which is a sign of defeat. When we lose our tempers, we lose.
- Love is not resentful; it does not store up the memory of any wrong-doing. The Greek word translated store up (logizesthai) is an accountant’s word, and used for entering up an item in a ledger so that it will not be forgotten. We too often reach into the past to remind other’s of their mistakes. A “remember when you….?”
- Love finds no pleasure in wrong-doing, which means love finds no pleasure in anything that is wrong, or the malicious pleasure when we hear something derogatory about someone else.
- Love rejoices with the truth. The TRUE Truth equals freedom. It means total connection with Source. It is rejoicing with others for their good fortune, being happy for and with them.
- Love endures all things. Love can bear any insult, any injury, any disappointment because one’s strength lies within each person, and not from anything seemingly outside oneself. Enduring can also mean deciding what is right for you and your life and making necessary changes.
- Love believes all things. It means trusting our Source, always, and believing the best about other people who are also created by/from God. It means believing you are magnificent because you are created from God-Magnificence. It means all is possible with God.
- Love hopes all things. In reality, your hope resides within the God within you. It means to trust in that power that is greater than your own. Your Higher Power. It means don’t get discouraged, don’t let circumstances and situations have power over you, but to keep asking for help, knowing in advance that you will receive it.
- Love bears all things. The verb used here (hupomenein) is one of the great Greek words. It is generally translated to bear or to endure; but what it really describes is not the spirit which can passively bear things, but the spirit which, in bearing them, can conquer and transmute them. To transform them. It’s not a passive suffering, but a proactive transfiguration.
WHY IS LOVE IMPORTANT?
Love is part of all of there is. What is Wisdom without love? How can there be compassion without love? Power without love would be ill-used and thus no True Power at all. There can be no true relationship without love. And guidance in life to what and where? If there is no love, then you are mis-guided. Without love there is no peace, beauty, harmony or joy. Without love there is no purpose. To be of any value and to experience happiness in your life, allow God’s love to emanate in all you think, say and do. You are only happy when you are God in action which is being love.
HOW DO YOU ‘BE LOVE’?
Certainly not by yourself. What is crucial is to connect with your Source of Love, God. Ask for help in removing any blockages preventing you from being the love you long to receive. Every thought, word and action are to be loving. Ask God how to do that. Allow God’s love to flood into you, filling you with Divine love. THEN you can share that love with others. In return. you will receive love, along with peace and the joy of being alive.
In the Golden Rule, concentrate on being love, on your Oneness with God that is the Source of Love, and all else will fall in place.
Love is part of all of there is. What is Wisdom without love? How can there be compassion without love? Power without love would be ill-used and thus no True Power at all. There can be no true relationship without love. And guidance in life to what and where? If there is no love, then you are mis-guided. Without love there is no peace, beauty, harmony or joy. Without love there is no purpose. To be of any value and to experience happiness in your life, allow God’s love to emanate in all you think, say and do. You are only happy when you are God in action which is being love.
Next week: The Golden Rule, Part 5: Changing Yourself, & the World
The Golden Rule, Part 2: Which Quality do You Choose to Live?
The Golden Rule, Part 3: Why the Golden Rule Works
Photo Credit: alphabetsalad.com
Living the Golden Rule, Part 3 ~ Divine Message, Why the Golden Rule Works
The following post is a Divine Message of an inspirational example from Carolyne Cathey of how first sending out what you want to receive actually works. Carolyne receives messages from her mentor, Jesus, about everyday life situations, and how, by following the suggestions, they can transform our lives into something special.
What does it mean to live the Golden Rule? How might it make a difference in your life?
Part 1, the question you were to ask yourself is how you want to be treated by others.
Part 2, Which quality do you choose to live?
Part 3, Divine Message, Why the Golden Rule Works
Receiving and Giving are One Cord
HAVE YOU HEARD the saying that it is easier to give than receive? That saying described me. For some reason I loved giving but I had a hard time receiving. People would offer to give to me in return but I would decline. I would notice the hurt in their eyes, which made me feel guilty, and yet I felt guilty in accepting.
I wondered why it seems easier to give than receive? Pride? Ego? An “I don’t want to be a burden,” attitude? An “I can do it myself” attitude? I felt less somehow when a person would offer to help, like I was lacking something that someone else had to fill in because I was inadequate or flawed. As a result, I was unintentionally rude when I would turn down someone’s offer to help or to give me something. I didn’t mean to be rude. I meant not to be a burden or bother, or dependent. Or even more, that I didn’t need anyone’s help (can you hear the ego in that statement?) With my refusal I could see the disappointment in someone’s eyes or demeanor that showed I had rejected the generosity from their heart.
Jesus kept assuring me that giving and receiving are the same, but I couldn’t see it. To me, giving indicated strength, receiving revealed weakness.
One day, he flashed a vision into my mind that is best demonstrated by acting it out.
Exercise
To act out the vision, stand up to demonstrate this truth.
Imagine a thick nylon cord or rope threading through your solar plexus, front to back and it slides both ways. Place one hand on the imaginary cord coming out the front of your waist, and one hand on the same imaginary cord threading through you out the back of your waist. When you pull so that the rope goes outward from you, as in giving, notice that it also comes into you from the back, as in receiving. With the invisible cord in your hands, let the cable slide back and forth and you’ll see that no matter which way the cord glides, when you are giving, you are also receiving.
Jesus said:
“Everything you have is from the Divine. Everything. Including the love that fills you, love that is so freely given to you from your Creator. Everything you receive you first receive from the Divine. When others are giving to you, you are receiving what flowed through them from the Divine. So, whether giving or receiving, it is all from your Source, your Unlimited Supplier.
“This image demonstrates that receiving and giving are the same. Your problem is that you allow ego and pride to get in your way, that when you decline a generous offer, you not only hurt the other person, you also hurt yourself. When you refuse to receive, you are blocking the natural flow. You are trying to separate the inseparable.
“Notice that when you slide the cord back and forth, that the giving comes from inside you at the same time that the receiving slips inside you, so you cannot possibly give without also giving to yourself.
“You can name the cord. If you name the cord ‘hate’, then when you give hate, that is what you receive. If you name the cord ‘love’, then when you give love, you receive love in return. Which means that if you want to receive love, then you must give love—in remembrance that you are giving from the love you’ve already received. You are created from love. You are love. Give what you truly are—love.”
Now the vision shifts: Jesus said…
“Imagine that the cord that runs through you also runs through a person in front of you and a person behind you, and the people on the other side of each of them. See the connection?” he said. “For someone to give there must be someone else to receive that gift, and of course, the reverse is true. For someone else to give, then another must receive.
“As with the cord, receiving isn’t always from the same person to whom you give. You will often receive back from unexpected sources.
“Also notice that when you give there is no lack because as you are giving, what you receive slips in continuously, allowing continual giving. That is the natural flow. The natural flow of giving and receiving is always going on —there is no life without it.”
Meaning: This message applies to all of creation—people, animals and the planet. Again, you might ‘receive’ from varying forms. Animals love in return, just like people, and sometimes better than people. Contributing in your own loving way fosters a more loving, healthy community, which benefits you and everyone.
Action:
Today, practice giving and receiving love with a smile and with gratitude.
“Everything you have is from the Divine. Everything. Including the love that fills you, love that is so freely given to you from your Creator. Everything you receive you first receive from the Divine. When others are giving to you, you are receiving what flowed through them from the Divine. So, whether giving or receiving, it is all from your Source, your Unlimited Supplier.” ~ Jesus. Divine Messages from Jesus. p. 365. 2015. Cathey, Carolyne.
Next week: The Golden Rule, Part 4: Being Love
The Golden Rule, Part 2: Which Quality do You Choose to Live?
Photo Credit: alphabetsalad.com
Living the Golden Rule, Part 2 ~ Which quality do you choose to live?
What does it mean to live the Golden Rule? How might it make a difference in your life? Part 2 is about becoming what you say what you want to receive.
In Part 1, the question you were to ask yourself is how you want to be treated by others.
Did you come up with a dream list?
As an example of options, do you want love? Respect? Understanding? Compassion? Patience? Friends? Fun times?
Unless you want to share YOUR list as a comment, I’ll go with the ones above as to the next steps.
The Golden Rule states that first you must treat others as you want to be treated. You’ve probably also heard of the Law of Attraction. What both are saying is that you first send out what you want to receive in return.
Do you want more love in your life? Then you must first be more loving.
The same with respect, understanding, compassion, patience and friendship.
First be the quality you want reflected back to you. Respect others differing viewpoints. Be understanding of other’s situations. Compassion means caring for others and their struggles. Patience means not to get triggered by what people say, or road rage, or standing in line, or your children, or spouse… You want more friends? Then be a friend.
The challenge is becoming what we want to receive.
Where do we start? Inside our own hearts and minds. For everything, we always start within.
But more than that, we reconnect with the Divine within us. We are never meant to do anything without our spiritual team. Anything other than true surrender is believing in the lie of separation, which is impossible. Surrender is coming home. Ask God to help you become what you want to receive even when it seems impossible. Nothing is impossible with God.
For this post I challenge you to take at least one quality you choose to receive – for example, love. With Divine help, become the love you wish to receive. In reality love is what you are, how you were created. During your day/s, consider how to respond with love in all situations and at all times.
How to do this might be difficult and confusing, especially when other’s are not loving, or even abusive! Love doesn’t mean being a doormat. Love sometimes means saying no. You come first. What do you want?
For now, choose one quality, then practice being that. Let me know how you are doing. I’d love going through this with you.
Next week we’ll discuss more about how to be love, or tolerance, or patient, when we are surrounded with the opposite, like in politics.
Photo Credit: alphabetsalad.com
