I was reminded tonight – over dinner with a friend – to live in love rather than fear. I’ve got the living in fear down pat. Or rather living in the scenarios I create in my mind. What might happen. What I can do to control the outcome. But there is a certain freedom in letting go, in bathing each and every action in the notion of living in love.
So tomorrow morning, when the inevitable happens and my children are running late for the bus, I can force them to hurry, perhaps yelling to get their attention. Or I can gently help them get ready in time. And when I’m in a meeting at work trying to engage others and bring them around to my point of view, I can do this in a spirit of antagonism or compromise. And tomorrow night, I can spend time with my husband supporting him rather than choosing my own way.
And isn’t that what Jesus meant when asked what the greatest commandment was? His response: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”
A friend of ours gave birth to a baby girl a few days ago and named her Selah. The literal translation is something like, “pause and listen”. Pause and listen: “Love God. Love neighbor.”
So simple. So clear. And yet so difficult when reality hits me in the face. I’m learning, however, that choosing surrender rather than reacting negatively to external challenges affords many options. Somehow, I’m able to find that elusive path – that peace – when I refuse to struggle but instead choose to engage in the moment.
So today, I will be living in love. And I expect those closest to me will notice the difference. Love has a way of transforming us, surprising us. And we’re left to bask in the miracle of it all.