E.C. Andercheck
It is in our moments deep in the valley of the shadows that we need to
recall our faith and reach into that spiritual reservoir to have our soul
revived. Here hope comes from the knowing that our God loves us
unconditionally; in this we can believe - that regardless of our personal situation
or our own failings God is with us. This belief can be traced to the teachings
at the very beginning of the many Abrahamic faith traditions.
How might we join in God’s unconditional love and
bring its resonance into our souls and experience the peace of amplified grace?
Moses received this message for us all! The Hebrew Scripture says, “I
am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me … (you shall) show
steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
(Deut 5:6-21) Loving the thousands, who might not love us, and whom we might
not agree with is the path that we must now consider.
Jesus
taught this to his disciples when they asked, “Teacher,
which is the great commandment in the law?” And he said to him, “You shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all
your mind. This is the great and
first commandment.
And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”
(Matthew 22:36-40) Love is amplified in the giving; just as our spirit is lifted up when
we join in songs of praise to our Father in heaven.
It
is so simple! Love God as he loves you and love your neighbor as God loves you,
do this without conditions. This central message to all the faithful of Abraham
is driven by the simplicity of a message God set in Commandments in stone for
Moses, before the times of the ministries of Jesus or Muhammad. Yet it is so
hard! Despite all of this teaching we find ourselves vulnerable in a world torn
apart by the absence of love and amongst the triumph of divisions driven by
conditionality and, yes by separations arising from religious beliefs.
God loves us unconditionally, let us join him by
loving all of His children unconditionally and then with a hope filled heart await
His loving grace and healing. This is a place of peace within love’s resonance;
a place beside still waters where the
reflection of God’s love is joined by our love opening our bodies to healing
and our hearts to being lifted up with new hope. (cf. Psalm 23)
By E.C. Andercheck
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