Love, and the way

[JPalmer]

2. 454
Love inspires, illumines, designates, and leads the way.

Four abridged definitions from the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary:

Inspire:
To breathe into.
To infuse into the mind; as, to inspire with new life.

Illumine:
To enlighten, as the mind; to cause to understand.

Designate:
To mark out or show, so as to make known; … to designate the limits of a country;
To appoint; to select or distinguish for a particular purpose;

Lead:
To guide by the hand; as, to lead a child.
To precede; to introduce by going first.

Then this from John 14: 6 about “the way”:

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Taking these definitions, I see that Love breathes into me the life and desire to seek the way; the light to understand each successive step of the way; the clear lines to stay within along the way, and Love guides me forward in the way.

Combining this with what I have learned here about the way being Christ’s Christianity, Christian Science, it becomes clear that God has created me and everything in His creation with a purpose and a rationality that blesses all.

What more could I hope from Love than to have meaning and a place? What more from Truth but to have the joy of knowing everything makes sense? What more from Life than the inspiration and vitality to be God’s idea?

I am so grateful to Christian Science and this church for showing me what reality truly is. What a blessing! Thank you!

[Colleen Mostika]

Thank you so much for this posting, Jeremy! It is beyond beautiful and I love the way you tie Life, Truth and Love together, relating it to our own journey, reflecting Love in our own special way which blesses all.

[MaryBeth]

Thank you, Jeremy and Colleen. Years ago, I wrote those definitions of the words “inspires,” “Illumines,” and “designates,” in the margins of my textbook and still refer to them to this day. Another definition of “inspires” I had written down which I have found especially helpful is “to be informed by the Holy Spirit; to communicate Divine instructions to the mind.” Isn’t it true, when you feel “inspired” you feel something wondrous going on – you feel joyful and enlivened and enabled? How wonderful to know you are receiving direct communications from God! And if I am ever feeling uninspired I think about these definitions and pray to feel God’s Love taking hold. It is always the Love of God that brightens our path and points out the way and leads us joyfully on.

[Susanne]

Wow, this is all so inspiring! I think Mrs. Eddy’s beautiful words, “Love inspires, illumines, designates, and leads the way” should go at the top of my “To do” list every day. Yes, I want to be “informed by the Holy Spirit” and “communicated Divine instructions to my mind” before I launch into my tasks for the day!

Thank you all for sharing these beautiful definitions, thoughts and ideas.

[Gary]

And this is why divine Love is the only true incentive in both healing and teaching. When someone is struggling, the divine Love that you express to them is the only thing that can open their heart to receive whatever they need to be lifted out of their misery or ignorance. No matter what the problem, divine Love “is a mighty spiritual force,” as Mrs. Eddy once wrote to a student. That is why the only remedy for a difficult situation is to love more – divinely, not humanly. I have seen the most unhealable diseases healed by an outpouring of divine Love. I have seen the most impossible human conflicts resolved by the outpouring of divine Love. I have seen extreme hatred and anger dissolved by the outpouring of divine Love.

It is the most potent of powers (actually, the only power). Wield it like a sword in the face of all opposition and you will be amazed at the results. Nothing is impossible to God (Love)!

[Author]

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