evol part II

...so, a definition is the exact meaning of a word, right? so, what is the exact meaning of love? well, like most words there are multiple definitions:


LOVE
–noun
1. a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2. a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
3. sexual passion or desire.
4. a person toward whom love is felt; beloved person; sweetheart.
5. (used in direct address as a term of endearment, affection, or the like): Would you like to see a movie, love?
6. a love affair; an intensely amorous incident; amour.
7. sexual intercourse; copulation.
8. (initial capital letter) a personification of sexual affection, as Eros or Cupid.
9. affectionate concern for the well-being of others: the love of one's neighbor.
10. strong predilection, enthusiasm, or liking for anything: her love of books.
11. the object or thing so liked: The theater was her great love.
12. the benevolent affection of G-d for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to G-d.
13. Chiefly Tennis. a score of zero; nothing.


some quick thoughts: how can love mean zero or nothing (13) and also double as meaning everything (5, 12)? should i have a love for love (10,12)- or would that be considered lust?


those questions aside, this evening i came to a bit of a revelation (if you believe in the concept of having a revelation of something that is unknown, ie: G-d). that maybe looking at love as a definition, as something i could tie my finger around and write down on paper is 1) impossible and 2) completely destroying the beauty of love.


G-d says that He is love. I can in no way shape or form completely figure out or define G-d (which is frustrating and beautiful at the same time)- nor do i believe it possible to do so. so, in G-d saying that He is love is giving love an undefinable form. G-d describes himself as love. love is G-d's essence. so, for me to try to figure out what love really is, is like saying i'm trying figured out G-d.


now, how can i "love my neighbor" and all those other lovey commands and desires if love is an undefinable figure? that is like saying, "how can i follow a god that i can't understand?" there is a certain beauty in the mystery and the head-aching philosophies of theologies of this omnipotent being that somehow exists inside and out of this once beautiful world created by the fingertips of this thing that doesn't even have fingertips. it's mind boggling. but the world's religions live day to day believing in this inexplicable presence. and perhaps love can be as real as G-d is to these religions. love, this thing that i am told to give to others. this thing that the evolution of everything hinges on. this thing that my creator is.


how do i live in something that is inexplicable. i suppose the best i can do is to do my best to follow what few depictions we have of J-sus (who is claimed to be love in human form). i can do my best to live a life of service and humility. to build relationships with those whom don't have everything. to not be attracted to fame and fashion, but to have a desire to serve without expecting anything in return, etc, etc. this J-sus is G-d. and this G-d is love. so, it makes sense that when J-sus tells me to "love", he means "do as i do."


one of my favorite quotes is from somewhere in the Mishna: "may you be covered in the dust of your rabbi." picture J-sus as your rabbi, your job is to follow him around all day learning and doing as he does...may you be completely plastered with the dust he has kicked up because you were following so close. we can now look at this as, may you be covered with love. and everyone you see, all they can see is love (dust), and when you hug people, or shake there hand, or even walk by them, they get dirty (loved). that's how we are called to live. i'm not getting every person dirty (loved) when i get near them...but i desire to get to a place where i can get people dirty not just to get them dirty, but because i believe that this dirt is special and life-changing.


i'm trying to live a life of love. i'm continually discovering what that looks like. and i believe i'll be discovering new ways to love, and new faces of love until the day my body lies limp. but until then, may you be covered in the dust of your rabbi.

evol

recently i rediscovered something i came up with a few years ago: the concept of evol.


evol is simply love spelled backwards. now, what is the significance of that you may ask? well, evol is the prefix (or whatever) to words such as: evolution, evolve, revolution, etc. each of these words have something in common- each involves the progress (positive) and process into an eventual change (ie, theory of evolution). the significance i found in the discovery of the disguised noun was the inherent need for love in our lives.


that may sound kind of dumb, but it's true. we as a people (individually and communally) are in a constant state of evolution (try you hardest to tear your mind away from whatever ignorant sciency definition of this word you may have); be it in your spiritual odyssey, vocational goals, terrestrial relationships, or whatever. i came to the conclusion that love is placed ever-so-abstrusely within a word that has become quite a taboo and heated topic, and has chosen to conceal its power and beauty and life-changing attributes to tell us something that will give love a new face for a very important reason (or not, and this is just a bunch of thoughts that have branched from it...but it sounds better to say it was placed there for a reason).


love is essential for growth (evolution). for our relationships (with G-d and people) to grow, love is needed. for our bodies and minds to physically grow, love and care is needed. love from the sun to plants. love from the stars to dreamers. get as fancy as you want- but love is always a necessary ingredient for positive growth. this is so key to understanding what J-sus wanted when he told his followers to do as he does!


you can't throw pamphlets as people expecting them to grow into a relationship with J-sus. you have to love in order to grow and to facilitate growth within those you have relationships with. love isn't an optional part of a relationship with G-d...you can't use some sort of supplement like you can with sugar, it has to be real. a real love for others, not just for G-d, or for the environment, or for yourself, but for others as well- this can be difficult, painful and frustrating, but the more i come to an understanding of what this love thing really is, and what it is all about, it becomes easier; and i'm not (trying) loving just for the sake of loving, but to grow, with J-sus, others, within myself, and to ultimately further His Kingdom (not in a "convert the masses" way...that is a conversation for a later post). it's hard to explain, but there has definitely been a shift in the way i view...life. it's an opportunity to love, to grow, to help others grow, to help others feel okay in a world that isn't okay...that excites me.


for the past year or so, i've been on this epic search for the "true definition of what love really is." and it's been head-aching to say the least (mainly because i've come to the conclusion that there isn't one clear definition, but i still keep an eye out for it...and don't give me that corinthians verse..i've heard it). but, tonight, as i'm writing all of this i'm forced to not necessarily look at love at a different angle (although i am), but look at the word definition more carefully.


this is a really long post and i'm heading into a sub topic of my original one...so i'm splitting it up.


SEE PART II for the rest of this.

Does G-d love Satan?

even i, the proposer of this question hesitate in asking it. is it even okay to ask a question like this? i mean, it's pretty strange to think about. Satan, an angel that turned its back on his king and brought pain, suffering, and sin into the world that our loving creator designed for us- could such an awful and sinful being (or whatever Satan can be categorized as) really be a recipient of G-d's love?


throughout the Bible, we are told to love. love our friends, love our family, love the loveless, love the homeless, love those in pain and suffering, love those that are loved and even love our enemies. Jesus spends quite a bit of energy conveying the importance of loving our enemies. does this apply to G-d Himself? Jesus says love as He as loved. He is in reality G-d (and the Holy Spirit). G-d is loving, i believe that, but are we called to love as G-d has loved Satan- by promising a hellish captivity and death?


but perhaps G-d, who is all love, and can not be with sin, and Satan who is, as i understand it, purely sin cannot be together is any way shape or form. G-d merely cannot love Satan because He is pure sin. in the New Testament, Jesus is in conversation with Satan (being tempted in the desert). maybe by merely talking to Satan, the exchange of words is His way of showing love towards Satan. maybe that is all that He can do- speak a few words, even if it is in defending His Father.


this paints a deeper layer of love than i have ever imagined. love is no longer limited to giving socks, a sandwich and some time to a homeless man, or encouraging others, or being kind hearted, if G-d, a being that physically cannot be in the presence of sin, talks to Sin himself, that blows giving someone a kind word out of the water! He exchanges words, thoughts and arguments (in a loving, yet forceful fashion) with the one who turned his back and destroyed mankind's harmonious living in the world. that is love! i can't imagine what kind of love it would take for Jesus to this. when i really think about it..when i really try to wrap my mind around what really went down there in the desert, it blows my mind and creates this new, radical image of love. do i have that kind of love?


G-d may not clothe and hug Satan, but the exchange of a few words and glances is, when you really think about it, so powerful and i believe is a beautiful representation of just how loving G-d is, and sets a new model of how we are to love.

clouds participate in a liturgy unknown

i sat on our porch last night (circa 2am) and watched the clouds swirl in a quick motion around the moon; it was really quite beautiful. i have yet to compile a coherent reflection on my first quarter in this new place. for now i'll just talk about some thoughts that have come into my mind.


i have been reading on some old Jewish traditions and such and came across a familiar pen: the expression of our creator as G-d. the dash used as to make it unspeakable, or to refrain from using the reverend name of YHWH in our vacuous writings and to mainly keep from His holy name to be destroyed or defaced. but the idea of giving Him that much reverence and honor stirred my thoughts.


for the Jewish people (and supposedly for Christians as well), God's title as "God" is not to be taken lightly and is seen as a very real and fitting title. as i understand, the Jewish people had many names for God and seldom referred to Him as "God." from what i've gathered this is mainly done in keeping with the third commandment. YHWH is popular one (i have trouble taking this one seriously because i can only here bono's voice yelling it), and textually many would just remove a letter and replace it with a dash (J-sus, G-d, etc). now, you may be thinking why does this matter, isn't it basically the same thing to say "YHWH" and "God?" regardless of the answer to this question i found relevance in this in a different way (but not really differently).


my (little) research in all of this i came to a fearful revelation within myself. i had lost so much respect for this God that i have claimed to be following that He has been reduced greatly from his kingly status. i have emerged myself with this idea that He is my abba, this omnipotent being that i have an intimate relationship with- just one of my homies. and in this mindset i lost a certain reverence for my creator. i had reduced Him into nothing but a close friend, or my daddy. this old Jewish way to respecting the name of our L-rd no longer seemed pointless and silly but brought about a great reminder to who G-d really is.


G-d is truly all powerful (beyond our comprehension), and i tend to forget this by getting lost in loving theologies and self-absorbed prayers. this conscience effort to rethink the way i place His name into my everyday speech and writings has brought Him into situations and thoughts that otherwise i would fail to acknowledge His presence.


my G-d is powerful and encourages humility. He is harsh and merciful. this balance is an age-old conundrum that will probably never be truly cracked- but i have revitalized (of course always in a state of journey and growth) my recognition and respect for his authority.


a summary: using G-d (or L-rd or J-sus or YHWH) rather than God is a way of expressing respect and acknowledgment of His holiness, power, authority, etc. by using this alternative spelling/pronunciation i have been able to consciencely bring reverence to G-d not only as my Abba, but as G-d, creator of all that is beautiful and good. this may sound strange or useless, but this has really turned my thoughts around into a beneficial direction.