Beloved
Today’s Daily Word is “Beloved.”
Denial & Affirmation: I forgive myself and those that I deem to need my forgiveness; I let go of anger, resentment, and frustration. And as I free myself from any obstacles standing in my way to experience true Love, I recognize and acknowledge that as God is Love I AM Love as well. I treasure this realization and I know it to be the Truth. I love me, I love you, I love all.
Scripture: Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. —1 John 4:7–8
When we read today’s scripture, we get a sense of the powerful meaning of being the Beloved. As we reflect on this 2000 year-old passage we may recognize the sense of God’s Love as being separate from us. As such we would believe that only a few of us deserve to be given that love: the ones whose love is born of God and the ones that know God.
But what does it actually mean to know God? And how do we access the Love that is born of God. The answer is at the very end of this passage: God is Love. That is our starting point. God is Love in a way that we understand God to be: a field of infinite Potential and Possibilities. Thus, true Love inherits the same quality. Love is also infinite in Potential and Possibility. The love we experience in our realm of fluctuations and ups and downs is a reflection of that Potential, one that is influenced by our very own understanding of God. If we see God as limited, we see Love as limited. If we see God as judging and punishing, we see Love as judging and punishing. Whatever we see God to be, Love is and vice-versa.
Another important aspect to consider is our relationship with God. If we see our relationship as separate, we experience true Love to be separate also. If we limit unconditional Love to be deserving only to a select few, we limit God equally, possibly excluding ourselves from the fold. However, if we come from a place of pure Oneness with God, we acknowledge our own Divinity and as such see ourselves as infinite Potential and Possibility. Then, true Love will not be limited, and we are blessed with its infinite Treasures.
Once we understand our personal and everyone’s relationship with God and that it is neither separate nor that it can ever be severed, we realize that to be Beloved is to love ourselves equally to one another. We practice unconditional Love by moving into a place of non-judgment and let us and everyone take refuge in that kind of sanctity. That is also how we get to know God, through us and others. That is how we get to experience true Love that is already reality in our lives and that of everyone else.
So, in order to be Beloved, we must learn to recognize God as Love in us and everything, see its infinite Potential and move it into creation in its purest possible form. That is how we bring heaven on earth right now and forever. That is how we have Love rule the world.
Maybe today you find true Love in your life. Recognize those moments that are clearly special and precious as they show a resonance beyond the good and bad of our lives. Then let yourself dwell in your recognition of the God within you and bring forth its Power and Goodness as you go about your day. That is the purpose of being alive. That is the purpose of being who you are: a wonderful and beloved expression of your Divine Self.
And so it is. Amen.
Jean-Marie
Rev. Jean-Marie Schweizer
Senior Minister Unity Fort Worth