One Is The Loneliest Number
(by the way, this book has each entry/chapter broken up into VERY SMALL portions, so if you like the idea of picking up the book and following along with us here like a virtual book club but feel like it's too late now that we are on chapter 4 -- don't feel that way. Tell yourself: "Self, those feelings are invalid," and get the book. It'll take you maybe 5-10 minutes to read 5 or more chapters. Chapter 4 here was one and a half pages long -- real easy.)
This entry/chapter asks the question: "Have you ever come face-to-face with the vacuum of love that exists within your soul?" McManus talks about those times where you can feel alone -- even in the middle of a big crowd. And, conversely, how you can feel completely at peace and fulfilled -- even when all alone. Sometimes loneliness eats away at us, making us feel unlovable.
I want my kids to grow up learning to love the so-called "unlovable" and reach out to lonely people. That will be risky at times, but more so when they reach adulthood. Odds are that most lonely people their age will not have the "wounded dog syndrome," where they'll snap at anyone that gets too near. Some people get rejection thrown on them and they have a hard time shaking it off. Sometimes it might even be healthiest to tell yourself a lie and ignore the rejection, not giving it any attention. At other times, though, real criticism can help us immensely -- even though it might hurt to see our weaknesses and faults honestly.
"We are created to know God and to know love. It is love that moves God toward us and love that pulls us toward him. Follow love and it will guide you to God. Love is the beginning of all things. From the very beginning you were made for love. It may be hard to accept, but you are the object of God's love."
Wow. I love that. I think it's true that God is really madly in love with us. All those gooey and mushy romantic feelings -- Who created those? Might the Creator that made them know something about love? True love? Jesus was revolutionary when He -- being a Jewish man in the middle of a Jewish tribe and people with Mosaic thoughts on Who God was -- told people that God was a Father. He consistently refered to Him as Father. We should do the same. One little change that each of us should make (in my humble, little opinion) is to start praying to "Father" or "Our Father" (instead of "God," "Jesus" or even "Lord."). See if that little tweak in your prayer life yields any changes in your relationship with Him and/or your perspective of the Father. Anyway, Jesus told story after story that underlined the value God has in us. We worry about earning a living and providing clothes for us and our families. Jesus reminded us how His Father cared for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, and He made a strong point that WE were much more VALUABLE than birds or flowers.
God really does care for us. While a doubter might think that to be so much psycho-babble self-talk, it's true. And the truth of that is transforming. When we realize that God values us and loves us, we start to allow God to love us (what a concept) and in turn we start to see other people around us as valuable too, and that even changes our behavior and increases our ability to love others.
"Without love there is no life. To love is to be fully human."
Right on.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at August 6, 2007 10:37 AM