Dear People Whom God Loves,
We now turn to the reign of God is among.
I see the word among emphasizing the relationship we have with each other. This of course means that our relationships are gradually becoming more loving. This transformation is greatly influenced by the transformation of truly loving ourselves that we covered last time. Also the transformation into more loving relationships greatly influences our transformation into truly loving ourselves.
There are various ways to grow into more loving relationships. I will treat only one. That is listening. I mean listening, not only with our mind but also our heart. Listening with the desire to understand and to feel with what is going on inside the other person. It means not listening not in order to judge but to understand. As a relationship grows we may be able to offer suggestions. But for the most part it is better to keep our mouth shut and our mind and heart focused on understanding and empathy. I also am not talking about enabling a person in addictive behavior. We must be wise as serpents and gentle as doves.
Also if the relationship is to grow more loving, we must also be listened to in the same way. When the other is talking we listen. When we are talking the other is listening. When we notice our tendency to break in when the other is talking, be aware that we are not really listening. Rather we want to make our point, we are interested in our self.
I want to apply this to personal relationships, to religious relationships and to political relationships.
More next time.
Smile, God Loves You,
Father Clay