To Know is to Love

I want to be loved.

I hear the quiet whispers of those who judge, and I see the disapproving leers of those who stand away from me and condemn me.

I hate this; I hate them.

Yet, I am no different from them. I judge and condemn as well.

I condemn not only them, but also myself. And I do it with the same intensity and censure as them…maybe worse.

It’s like a wicked merry-go-round. It continues to turn and return. Little changes; the cycle repeats; and it will, as long as I allow it to.

Oh, God help me to love myself; help me to see me as you do. Help me to better understand.

Oh, God help me to love my enemies; help me to see them as you do. Help me to understand.

But then…

…when I come to my quiet place, I feel neither condemnation nor any judgment upon me. It is here that I feel loved.

There is only love here in this place with you.

I want to stay here with you; I don’t want to be put back out there where I am destroyed by myself and others. I want to be cared for; accepted; loved.

But once again you remind me. You remind me that my focus has been unclear.

My focus is to remain on you, and on who I am when found in you.

As you continue to speak truth to me, I begin to understand that I am loved. I am loved no matter where I am…..because you are there. You are there with me. Because of this I can always be confident in feeling loved and accepted.

I can always be confident that as I get to know… to really know… myself and others…I will love. I will love myself and I will love them. I will love because I will know both myself and them better.

I will see beyond who they appear to be. I will come to see their hopes, their fears, their hurts, and their dreams. I will come to understand who they are; why they are.

Then I will love. Once I know, I will love.

Lord, I pray you would help us to know one another. I ask that you help us to see each other as you see us. Help us to better understand Lord. Help us to be kind; help us to love.
Amen.