by Dan Joseph -
In our society, romantic love is considered by many people to be the key to happiness. If you can find the right partner, and develop the right type of relationship, you're going to be transported to a higher, happier life – or so the promises go.
This, unfortunately, keeps many people in a constant search. Is she the right one? He seems interesting – maybe he's the one I'm supposed to be with. This one is OK, but I'm really looking for someone with more sparks. And so on.
The search can be endless. And even upon finding an interesting mate, many people find that the initial fireworks eventually cool down. They feel the old loneliness creeping back in. Many begin to look for a new partner at this point.
Countless spiritual teachings – including A Course in Miracles – encourage us to take a new approach.
Love, they say, isn't found-and-taken from someone else. Instead, it's found-and-given from within.
We each have a wellspring of divine love within us – the "living waters" as a friend calls it. In this world, it's easy to forget this. We feel thirsty for love, and it seems reasonable to seek externally for what we're lacking.
But that search ends in disappointment. In a way, this is a good thing. For if we truly needed to search the world for a particular person and "hold on" to that person in order to get a sense of love, we'd be trapped.
Thankfully, there is a far better approach. Instead of searching externally for love, we can begin to unblock the wellspring of love within us – and let that love radiate out into the world.
As God's Love flows through us, it also flows to us. And the more of that Love we extend, the more we have for ourselves.
There are so many opportunities in this world to give – there are so many people in need. A kind word, a smile, or even a loving thought toward a stranger can lift us up. These little thoughts and acts are precious. As we practice extending the love within us, it becomes stronger in our awareness. We find that we have even more to give.
Even in romantic relationships, this is true. The most beautiful romances I have seen are those where both people focus on giving, rather than taking. They have abandoned their attempts to "get" love from the other, and have uncovered the abundance of love within. The relationship then becomes a temple of giving – a place into which they can flow forth kindness, tenderness and support. It's a blessed thing.
I invite you to seek out that love within you and begin to share it in whatever way you feel inspired.
The people around you need that living water. And as you give it to them, you will find that it grows ever-stronger within yourself.
This, unfortunately, keeps many people in a constant search. Is she the right one? He seems interesting – maybe he's the one I'm supposed to be with. This one is OK, but I'm really looking for someone with more sparks. And so on.
The search can be endless. And even upon finding an interesting mate, many people find that the initial fireworks eventually cool down. They feel the old loneliness creeping back in. Many begin to look for a new partner at this point.
Countless spiritual teachings – including A Course in Miracles – encourage us to take a new approach.
Love, they say, isn't found-and-taken from someone else. Instead, it's found-and-given from within.
We each have a wellspring of divine love within us – the "living waters" as a friend calls it. In this world, it's easy to forget this. We feel thirsty for love, and it seems reasonable to seek externally for what we're lacking.
But that search ends in disappointment. In a way, this is a good thing. For if we truly needed to search the world for a particular person and "hold on" to that person in order to get a sense of love, we'd be trapped.
Thankfully, there is a far better approach. Instead of searching externally for love, we can begin to unblock the wellspring of love within us – and let that love radiate out into the world.
As God's Love flows through us, it also flows to us. And the more of that Love we extend, the more we have for ourselves.
There are so many opportunities in this world to give – there are so many people in need. A kind word, a smile, or even a loving thought toward a stranger can lift us up. These little thoughts and acts are precious. As we practice extending the love within us, it becomes stronger in our awareness. We find that we have even more to give.
Even in romantic relationships, this is true. The most beautiful romances I have seen are those where both people focus on giving, rather than taking. They have abandoned their attempts to "get" love from the other, and have uncovered the abundance of love within. The relationship then becomes a temple of giving – a place into which they can flow forth kindness, tenderness and support. It's a blessed thing.
I invite you to seek out that love within you and begin to share it in whatever way you feel inspired.
The people around you need that living water. And as you give it to them, you will find that it grows ever-stronger within yourself.
This is so very true. When one realizes that love is about giving, and not the other way around, then receiving will be there for us.
ReplyDeleteIn relationships, love is about enriching each others lives, not filling a void. Spreading love around us, without asking anything in return, but simply because we vibrate love from every fiber of our being, will make us feel loved, and be loved by the entire Universe...