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Gifts of the Soul
A Quarterly Column
Winter 2006-'07 |
by Laura Grace |
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Gifts of the Soul
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Life’s Deepest Meaning: Teach Only Love
Teach only love, for that is what you are. --A Course in Miracles
One single loving thought that you experience has the capacity to spark hope in someone who's feeling hopeless, someone who may, perhaps, be giving up on life. One single loving thought you hold today has the ability to invoke a sense of oneness in someone who's feeling
alone and lonely. One single loving thought has the magnitude to affect another in ways you’ve never dreamed of, for your love transcends space and time. What could be more important than realizing that this is what we’re here for? This is truly life’s deepest meaning.
A Course in Miracles teaches us that we are joined through our thoughts and that those thoughts increase by being given away. Therefore, times that you felt a sense of purpose or hope when previously there was none, came to you as a blessing from someone else--perhaps someone
you'll never meet. So, if you're feeling a need to be loved, try giving love with no conditions and no strings attached. Extending love produces immediate results; where earlier you felt empty, now you feel fulfilled. Where before you felt lonely and incomplete, now you feel
connected and whole. “Teach” means to “demonstrate.” It is our deepest function in life to remember that despite our mistakes, our true essence is love, and that our function is fulfilled as we teach only love.
I have a friend who lives his life extending love to others. Where his life used to consist of working long hours and accumulating money, he now spends his time building homes for people who are destitute. He purchases the materials for the homes and builds them,
side-by-side, with the families in need. When I asked him, "How do you decide which families you're going to build a home for?" He replied, "I go to a local church and ask the minister about the families most in need. Then I drive around the area and use my intuition to
select which family it will be." As I write this article, my friend is adding the last window to an adobe he built for a large family in Tecate, Mexico. He has sent pictures of the family--at least three generations in this particular family!--and the love that is being
experienced by everyone emanates from their beaming faces. The true gift that has been given is not the home, but the extension of love. My friend experiences great joy from being of service and expects nothing in return; the love he feels from the people he reaches out to is
the greatest gift he could ever desire. When he’s in the process of giving, he feels complete, at peace, and purposeful, for he’s doing what is inherent to his being.
Let us remember life’s deeper meaning by recognizing that love’s presence is omniscient. Anywhere you look, you will observe it if you truly desire. It’s easy to focus on the negative and to see what’s not working, what’s not good, what’s not of love and light. It takes
courage to witness love and to extend it to, and receive it, from others. Genuine love is our essence; it’s the foundation of who we truly are. Once we’ve experienced this truth, there’s no going back. Who wants to settle for mediocre, superficial encounters after we’ve known
meaningful, authentic relationships that are real?
Below is a list of loving principles that will increase the amount of genuine love you experience in your relationships as you learn to teach only love:
~~I desire to join with you from the love in my heart. I commit to releasing the selfish needs I have had in the past and to give to you without conditions.
~~I care about you enough to be honest with you and to express my truth from my heart with compassion.
~~I accept that we are both going to make mistakes, so I ask that you be patient with me and forgive me, as I am willing to be patient and forgive you.
~~Out of my love for you, I am willing to listen from my heart and to listen to what is in yours. I commit to suspending judgment so that we may experience connection, not separation.
~~I’m willing to support you in your growth and accept you as you are.
© Copyright 2006
Laura Grace. All Rights Reserved.
Laura's Books:
Read Laura's Past Columns:
Summer-Autumn 2006- "The Courage to Be Happy"
Jan-Apr 2006- "Turning Mistakes into Lessons"
Oct-Dec 2005- "Be Still"
July-Sept 2005 - "Balancing Your Wheel of Life"
April-June 2005
- "Imaginary Borders"
January-March
2005 - "Witnessing the Truth About Your Life"
October-December
2004 - "Letting Go"
August-September
2004 - "Progressing with Passion"
June-July
2004 - "Deepening Your Spiritual Practice"
April-May
2004 - "Life's Crossroads: Love-vs-Fear"
January-February 2004 - "Faith the Foundation for Every
Dream"
December
2003 Column - "Touching the Heart of Others"
November
2003 Column - "Knowing How to Care for Yourself"
October
2003 Column - "Dreaming a Happy Life"
May
2003 Column - "Living the Authentic Life"
April
2003 Column - "Rising Above the Battleground"
March
2003 Column - "Healing Through Your
Relationships"
February
2003 Column - "Are You Going with the Flow?"
January
2003 Column - "Living the Soulful Life"
December
2002 Column - "The Power to Change"
November
2002 Column - "Peace Begins at Home"
October 2002
Column - "Spiraling to Higher Ground"
September 2002 Column - "Cradled in Nature's
Arms"
August 2002 Column - "Recovering
Your Soul"
Laura Grace is the Spiritual Leader of the Circle of Spiritual Enlightenment in Central Coast California, and a national author and speaker. Laura provides spiritual counseling and offers numerous workshops and retreats for awakening the heart
and spirit. She is also the author of the books Gifts of the Soul and The Intimate Soul and a syndicated columnist for more than twenty publications. Laura is the host of the show "Relationship Wisdom" on Public Access Television. Please visit Laura at:
www.LauraGrace.net.
As a spiritual counselor, Laura provides assistance in person and by phone. You may contact her for a free brochure at:
laura@lauragrace.net.
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