Cultivating the Capacity to Love

by:  Sheila Keene Lund

The yearning for love is the most basic desire in a human being. Yet, to experience great depths of love, we must commit to an active and expanded understanding of its source; otherwise, we do not discover love's profound depth. This was my experience when learning how to play an instrument.

As a young teenager, my greatest desire was to play the guitar like my father. I loved the old songs he sang at social gatherings, many from his days courting my mother. In less than six months, I was playing all the songs I set out to learn and a few extra ones. Today I still play the same songs. If anyone asks me if I play guitar, I will certainly say yes; but I chose not to progress, not to find the joy of mastering the instrument. Instead, my choice was for comfortable mediocrity.

Let us look at some underpinnings of these personality dynamics.

Adults often relate to God as they did when they were children, that is, based on an immature understanding of God and the everyday needs in our lives. The years go by and, if we are attentive to spirit leading, we might think of ourselves as very spiritual and deeply connected with God. Yet promoting peace, studying scripture, talking about God, or feeling a strong connection with the divine is not an objective indicator of our understanding of God. Our capacity to love others is how a mature and holistic understanding expresses itself.

Our collective convergence with God is reflected in the health of our society. Peace confirms that we are in attunement with the spiritual realities of our universe. War, immorality, violence, and intolerance reflect a shallow and misguided understanding of God.

The mental activity of our mind forms thoughts. Some of these thoughts turn to desire. As a result of desire, choices are made. As we make choices to cultivate and harmonize our emotional and mental energies, we experience clarity of thought and develop emotional maturity. This enables us to express feelings and still remain calm under stress. Internal balance allows freedom of expression, depending on what is appropriate to the situation. We grow in self-confidence and self-control.

With the continued development of the intellect, we grow in ethical awareness and understanding of what behavior best serves our fellows. Such moral insight evolves as we make choices that take into consideration the welfare of others. As moral insight matures, we progress in social awareness and consistency of moral behavior, thereby improving the quality of our interactions with others.

When we critically examine our worldviews and expand understanding of our relation to God and the universe, we enhance spiritual insight, we progress in spiritual meanings, and human wisdom advances. Such growth does not come without conflict. "New meanings only emerge amid conflict; and conflict persists only in the face of refusal to espouse the higher values connoted in superior meanings."

As enhanced spiritual insight is infused into our intellectual, moral, and religious thinking, we develop a stereoscopic vision of higher spiritual meanings and values. As this vision comes into focus, a heightened cosmic perspective feeds our feeling of interconnectedness with each other and increases our capacity to love and develop a more selfless attitude. Making positive choices empowers us to change our lives and positively impact the lives of others, ultimately spinning a web of connective love that embraces all of humanity. Growth in this cosmic perspective is in harmony with the will of God and reflects a growing response to our Indwelling Spirit. With this inner consecration, we profess: "It is my will that your will be done." The moral qualities that we develop are further spiritualized to attain the fruits of the divine spirit, expressed in human behavior as: loving service, unselfish devotion, courageous loyalty, sincere fairness, enlightened honesty, undying hope, confiding trust, merciful ministry, unfailing goodness, forgiving tolerance, and enduring peace.

These personal habits are reflected in practical application by a harmonious and balanced person of faith attuned with the Indwelling Spirit. Such an integrated personality not only senses the presence of God but also understands the personality of God and becomes a catalyst for change—a living expression of loving kindness. Words and actions that are saturated with love create an influence that is sincere and good. We cannot observe the Indwelling Spirit at work, but by the degree of love, trust, and respect we feel toward our fellow humans, our brothers and sisters, it becomes obvious how much we have yielded to its teaching and leading.

About the Author:

Sheila Keene Lund is the author of Heaven Is Not the Last Stop. She gives presentations and workshops, nationally and internationally, on the concepts and principles discovered in her research and described in Heaven Is Not the Last Stop. To purchase her book or obtain booking information, visit http://www.heavenisnotthelaststop.com or email her at skl@sheilakeenelund.com