HOW TO LOVE MORE: Foremost on my mind this morning is how one increases in love for Father and for every other person on this earth–none excepted. I have yet to open my scriptures or to do my daily searching of the Book of Mormon, but I’m going to write this thought first that has been percolating for some a time without having been written down until this morning:
Before asking to be free of a trial, a painful or challenging experience or feeling, soak it up. Let it in. Experience it to its fullest within you. Then, in the very midst of that experience, write about it–what it feels like, the emotions, the physical sensations of the body, etc. Write it all in as detailed a manner as is necessary for you to be able to read and remember what it was actually like later. Perhaps you can even make a video of the experience to see yourself in the moment. And while you’re doing all this, have as your motive that you do it so that you might understand others better–what they’re going through, what they feel, that you might know, as the Savior does, what it’s like to be them (Alma 7:11-12).
…off to the Book of Mormon to search for how to love God more and how to love everyone else more. Be back soon…
Wait… another thought comes in, and I’ll follow it for a moment, as it feels like inspiration, a path of thinking to pay attention to and follow:
HOW TO MAKE A LIVING SHARING THE GOSPEL WITHOUT FALLING INTO PRIESTCRAFT: I want to be able to spend all day every day sharing the gospel, being one medium that Father uses to help others receive according to the desires of their hearts. One challenge that I face in that, personally, is the desire for the honor and applause of men–writing that song or book or blog post or whatever it is so that other people think I’m awesome, look up to me… in a sense, worship me. I don’t want that to be part of it at all. One thought that comes to mind is to make sure that anything that I offer adds to what is already available or improves it. Otherwise, why not simply just use what is already available and point others to it? That’s one somewhat external identifier I can use for my choices. Of course, there’s also the internal digging–why are you doing this, Stephen? Too often, in fact, most often at this point, there is at least some desire for the honor and praise of men tainting the motive.
On to the Book of Mormon now :).
Back to increasing in love for Father and everyone else…
HOW TO LOVE FATHER AND EVERYONE ELSE MORE: Moroni 8:17 calls charity “everlasting love.” This means that in order to increase in love for people, I must strive to love all people, all the time, no matter what they do to me. I must exert effort in that area–“I can lift my arm. I can do that much. You supply the feeling.” (Ten Boom)
WHAT LOVE IS: This of course begs the question, what exactly is love? Father loves all beings equally, but I can’t imagine that He wants to “hang out” with Satan very much. Love, therefore, does not equate preference. It must be something else. There must be able to be preference, independent of love. What does love look like in a celestial being? What is this grand quality to which we aspire?
If I were to venture a start, it would be this: To love someone celestially, to have pure charity for them, is to want their deepest happiness, for them to be able to have all of the very best–including sharing in what you yourself has, no desire to be ahead of, on top of, lording over, but on the same plain.
HOW TO LOVE MORE: Alma 38:12 is really the first scripture I’ve come across that explicitly gives one recipe for increasing in love–“…bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love.” So… what are the passions that are to be bridled? Certainly those of lust and anger. What else? More thinking to be done here…
Moroni 7:48 is also very helpful for increasing in love: “Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart” (that’s part one) “which He hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of His Son Jesus Christ.” (that’s part two–be a true follower of Christ).
It also says in verse 45 that charity suffereth long. What does long-suffering mean? I’ll come back to that. Charity is kind, so as I practice kindness and pray for charity, I’ll increase in it. Envieth not. As I replace any envy I might have with a desire for them to receive all that is possible, all the good things available, accompanying that with a prayer for charity exercised with all the energy of heart, I will increase in love/charity. Is not puffed up. As I seek to work on my pride killers, to choose to do the things that will allow God to strip me of pride, and do that in conjunction with praying with all my heart to be filled with charity, I will have more. If I cease to seek after my own, after what will only bless me and instead seek for that which will bless the whole human race and beyond, in conjunction with that prayer with all the energy of heart, I will be filled with charity. As I am not easily provoked, choose patience and understanding in stead of impatience, irritation, annoyance, frustration, anger, etc. As I choose the former in action and pray for charity with all the energy of heart, I will be given it. Thinketh no evil. I’m not sure exactly what this one means, but I think it probably can mean both thinking no ill of or for others, nor thinking any unChristlike thought. So, as I am compassionate and free of judgment of others and as I eliminate from my mind and heart any thoughts that entertain evil in any form, I will be filled with charity. Rejoice not in iniquity. Put out of my mind and heart any rejoicing in evil. No doing wrong and reveling in it, or seeing wrongdoing and being happy it has happened. Rejoicing in truth. Deliberately choosing to give thanks for truth, whatever the nature and no matter how it affects us, and committing to embrace it, no matter how it affects us. Beareth all things. Willing to embrace any trial called to pass through, for the Lord’s sake–no matter how hard it might be. Believeth all things. Willing to trust all things that come from the Spirit, from the prophets, from inspired leaders–all truth and sources of truth, etc. Hopeth all things. Willing to look forward with an eye of faith to the promises yet to be received, rejoicing as though they already have been. Endureth all things. Willing to see it to the end–whether the end be the end of the trial or the end of life, seeing it to the end, and seeing it through gratefully and joyfully, giving praise, honor, and glory to Father and Jesus.
Perhaps the overall means of increasing in love is to become like Father and Jesus–follow them. “do the things that we have seen them do.” As we walk in their footsteps, following every commandment and example they set, praying for charity with all the energy of heart, we will be granted that gift.
Book to write: “The Greatest of All”
Further homework:
- Begin the outline for a book called “The Greatest of All.” It will be a workbook, like the others, helping people to increase in love. It is important to note that true love, starts from the inside and works out. It is misguided, for example, when we seek to bless the whole human race but still have trouble doing our hometeaching or magnifying our callings, etc.
- Do a word study on Love and on Charity, and study love vs preference, etc.
- Make a journal or codify in a journal entries that detail how x feels (including the light and the love).
- Priestcraft. Begin the make a list of what I can do and what attitude I need to have to be able to do it to be able to earn a living sharing the gospel without falling into priestcraft.
- How to rewire the neural pathways to love in all things. Ponder, write, create neural pathway training resources.
Onward :). Loves and hugs to you :).
Lift the World 