The Spirit Pages

[LejaOMG]

Last night, I was inspired by a good friend and true man of God to start this thread. I'll be using this thread to discuss certain principles of spirituality (not religion, necessarily). I encourage you all to post whatever comes to you. Because I believe that God is in everything we do, I want to use everyday concepts to help us all come to an understanding of the truth about God in bite-sized pieces. I won't be trying to convert anyone to any particular belief system; I won't be attempting to exclude anyone's perspective. There are no right or wrong answers, this is all about an interchange of encouragement, and my hope is that it will inspire all of us to dig further into the "deep things of God."

[LejaOMG]

Let's talk about LOVE. What comes to your mind when you think of it? Are there different types? Where does it come from? How do you recognize it? Is everyone capable of it? Have a story to share? Let's hear from you.

LOVE.

[Chal™]

i've wanted to post here all day, but at the present time, my spirit is feeling somewhat tormented and i've depended on other threads to make me forget about it for a while. Didn't really work. I just feel lost. I'll leave it there as I don't want to get super personal here.

[nsync]

I think that English should have different words for love like other languages.

That one word does not encompass everything it's used to describe. So yes I do believe there are different types of LOVE. I believe only God can love unconditional and therefore it should only be reserved for Him.

I think to try to love humans unconditionally without boundries is a set up for abuse.

This is where my spiritual path has taken me. Once I would love people(in general) even when they were hurting me---thinking I was doing what God wanted me to do.

[Julie Art]

In a case like that, Outtie, you have to love yourself more. You can't expect others to treat or do for you what you aren't willing to do for yourself. The best example to show people how to treat you is you. So when there is a situation like that, care for the person because we are all human beings, but care for them from afar. That's my MO.

[LejaOMG]

I know how to love myself: making decisions that are in my own best interest, feeding and cherishing myself, caring for my own spiritual, physical and emotional needs, arranging my affairs so that I will leave a decent legacy, etc.

So the command to "love your neighbor as yourself" means what, exactly? I think it means behaving in a way that not only "fails to hurt" other people, but actually "helps" them whereever possible. Being considerate in your decision-making so that it takes into account the best interests of others; contributing what you have to help provide physical support for those who otherwise would not be able to provide it for themselves, and perhaps most importantly: helping others to achieve spiritual enlightenment.

I feel obligated to "love" all people (even those whom I don't know). I figure that I would meet that obligation if I pay taxes and contribute to the welfare system, occasionally volunteer my time, talent and resources to help those in need and attempt to reach every single person possible to help them attain spiritual enlightenment (by sharing my own journey, and what I understand to be Universal Truth).

In this way I think it is fully possible to "love" your fellow man.

[DamieQue™]

What comes to mind when I think of love? A feeling of knowing and understanding something that's never actually been taught (for me this makes sense because I actually believe Love to be one of the many tangible manifestations of God, and I think we are aware of God (even if we don't know the particulars) without ever having been taught via social meme). I think there are many aspects to it, but that there is one love. That should answer where I think love comes from and also how we recognize it - we just do. Not by training or pedigree, but by spirit. Logically it is difficult for me to reconcile, that one could know something that they hadn't learned, but nonetheless that's the reality I'm left with. I believe everyone is capable of having an experience that involves some aspect of love...yes.

[Gee-Are]

Love is...

[LejaOMG]

What about peace? Like the "world peace," that the Miss America finalists ask for. Why is it so illusive? I read a statistic that there hasn't been a period of peace (in the entire)lasting longer than a week in the past thousand years, or something like that. There are, however, some societies that have not ever been at war. What do you make of this?

[DamieQue™]

Some say that war is just an extension of politics. In the same way I can't imagine a day without politics - it makes sense that there might not be days without war.

[LejaOMG]

So the communities who don't have war, probably also don't have politics? That kinda makes sense. Are they better or worse off than us?

[thatque]

"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you." John 15:7 (KJV)

"He that Loveth not knoweth not GOD; for GOD is Love." 1 John 4:8 (KJV)

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of Peace, and not evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV)


GOD is Love, & we are made in his image; Therefore we are Love also & GOD also have thoughts of Peace for us all so we should have thoughts of Peace also! This is the words of GOD & I want to abide by & in them!

[ReignMan19]

*Religious Random Thought* (I didn't know where else to put it)

If you ever feel like you are becoming too materialistic read Ecclesiastes and it will get you right in check.....