Last evening I was listening on my computer to a two minute talk by Br. Curtis Almquist of the Society of St. John the Evangelist. These daily talks are part of the Brother, Give us a Word Lenten series offered by SSJE over the internet.
Br. Curtis’ message was clear:
God loves you.
Nothing new here; we hear it every time we go to church, and if we’ve been church goers for a while, it is in our unconscious--which is a good thing. Could it be that since I have heard so often that God loves me, I’ve stopped paying attention to the message? Last night was a perfect example. I listened and then deleted the message; this one wasn’t going to be a keeper.
At least that’s what I thought as I continued on with my evening. But what Br. Curtis said about God’s love kept rerunning in my mind:
I think love is ultimately not a feeling it’s a decision and it’s God’s decision and God adores you.
I try so hard to feel God’s love but it doesn’t happen. No wonder, that’s not the point. It is not up to me to feel, or not feel, decide or not decide, adore, or not adore. God does all of that. It’s all about the grace of God’s love. I just have to do my best to co-operate with God.
God is operating with love in your life and your response to co-operate with the truth of it.
You can read Br. Curtis’ talk below. I strongly encourage you, however, to sign on for the daily word that the brothers offer. <[email protected]>
Transcript: God loves you and you may be, at this moment, or you may be able to remember some moments, where you felt that to the core of your being. But what happens when the weather changes and that feeling has gone away? Well, I would say two things. One, I think love is ultimately not a feeling it’s a decision and it’s God’s decision and God adores you. You make God’s day. You’re the apple of God’s eye. God loves you. That’s the truth. Some days you may get in touch with the feeling that encompasses that. But I would say number one, cling to the truth. That’s of your essence. You are loved of God and God has hopes of spending eternity with you. Second of all, especially if the feeling of love is lost on you right now, write this on a piece of paper “God loves me” and keep that piece of paper with you. I’d encourage you to cart that piece of paper with you through the day and tuck it under your pillow at night. And you might say, “And when I do that will I feel that God loves me?” I don’t know. I don’t know if you will or not. But I think the truth of that has every potential of sinking into the reality of your being because it’s a decision and its God’s decision and the invitation for you is to cooperate with that decision. God is operating with love in your life and your response to co-operate with the truth of it. You’ll catch on. You’ll catch on.
- Br. Curtis Almquist
Love Life: Living the Gospel of John
Br. Curtis’ message was clear:
God loves you.
Nothing new here; we hear it every time we go to church, and if we’ve been church goers for a while, it is in our unconscious--which is a good thing. Could it be that since I have heard so often that God loves me, I’ve stopped paying attention to the message? Last night was a perfect example. I listened and then deleted the message; this one wasn’t going to be a keeper.
At least that’s what I thought as I continued on with my evening. But what Br. Curtis said about God’s love kept rerunning in my mind:
I think love is ultimately not a feeling it’s a decision and it’s God’s decision and God adores you.
I try so hard to feel God’s love but it doesn’t happen. No wonder, that’s not the point. It is not up to me to feel, or not feel, decide or not decide, adore, or not adore. God does all of that. It’s all about the grace of God’s love. I just have to do my best to co-operate with God.
God is operating with love in your life and your response to co-operate with the truth of it.
You can read Br. Curtis’ talk below. I strongly encourage you, however, to sign on for the daily word that the brothers offer. <[email protected]>
Transcript: God loves you and you may be, at this moment, or you may be able to remember some moments, where you felt that to the core of your being. But what happens when the weather changes and that feeling has gone away? Well, I would say two things. One, I think love is ultimately not a feeling it’s a decision and it’s God’s decision and God adores you. You make God’s day. You’re the apple of God’s eye. God loves you. That’s the truth. Some days you may get in touch with the feeling that encompasses that. But I would say number one, cling to the truth. That’s of your essence. You are loved of God and God has hopes of spending eternity with you. Second of all, especially if the feeling of love is lost on you right now, write this on a piece of paper “God loves me” and keep that piece of paper with you. I’d encourage you to cart that piece of paper with you through the day and tuck it under your pillow at night. And you might say, “And when I do that will I feel that God loves me?” I don’t know. I don’t know if you will or not. But I think the truth of that has every potential of sinking into the reality of your being because it’s a decision and its God’s decision and the invitation for you is to cooperate with that decision. God is operating with love in your life and your response to co-operate with the truth of it. You’ll catch on. You’ll catch on.
- Br. Curtis Almquist
Love Life: Living the Gospel of John
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