Love: We're Already Swimming In It

These days, I don't think we can have too many reminders that we're really all connected, made of the same stuff. Which is why I appreciate our Oneness candle ritual that opens every Sunday service. This last week, Rev. Pam Ninneman again reminded us of our interconnectedness, even with so much effort in the world to divide us. It helped set the tone and grounded me for the message to come.

Closing out our April theme, The Practice of Becoming, Rev. Don Beaty brought it home with Love, in his talk, Becoming the Presence of Love. Love not as a feeling, but as a practice, something to continually choose as a way of being or as an action.

Rev. Don introduced us to Fred the Fish, a character inspired by Finding Nemo, who spent his life searching for water. Fred was convinced that what he was looking for was just over the next wave. He had no awareness that he was literally swimming in the water that gave him life, the very thing he sought.

When it comes to love and oneness, that's most of us, a lot of the time. We live in a field of ever-present love, but because we're in it, we are it, we aren't always aware of it.

That we are Love at our core is foundational to Science of Mind philosophy. But our day-to-day lives give us endless distractions and mixed messages from every direction. It makes love a thing to seek, earn, or aspire to, rather than to just be.

Rev. Don's message: it's not over the next wave. We're already in the water.

Becoming Is a Verb

Some things just happen to us. Rev. Don mentioned aging, and how he's thinking about it. Aging isn't something any of us really choose; it just is. It's what happens to all of us who are so fortunate to grow old on this mortal coil. And, we aren't often conscious of it, except when we hit the 0-mile markers, especially as the numbers get bigger.

So how can we "be" with aging? How do we do it better? With Love? Rev. Don asked, "What does it mean to be an elder? What kind of presence do we want to be as our lives change?"

When he couldn't find the support he wanted, he put together a group to bring conscious awareness to becoming an elder. That's becoming in practice: taking a stand for the experience you want, and then doing it.

He also talked about noticing a pattern he no longer wanted to repeat, a path he no longer wanted to take, and realized he needed help to make a change. I've been there. Several times throughout my life, I've realized I wanted a different result, which meant I needed to do things differently or I'd likely end up in the same place. But I needed help to see what I needed to change. It's not easy, but it's so worth it, and as Rev. Don said, it's an act of self-love, the most important kind of love we can have. (Hint: Our practitioners are available for support; just ask.)

Seven Words for Love

Rev. Don pointed out that in Greek, there are seven words for love. Eros, agape, philia, and more, each capturing something different about how love expresses. In English, we use the same word for loving your partner, loving pizza, and loving your country. No wonder it's hard to stay present to it.

Agape is the big one in this philosophy: universal, unconditional love. Neither romantic nor personal. Rev. Don noted that love and like are not the same thing, and we don't have to like something to send it love, including what's happening in the world right now. That's not being naive; it's a practice, albeit a hard one.

A Blessing Practice Is Instant Meditation

Energy expressed, energy flow

So what does this actually look like in daily life? Rev. Don shared something he recently started doing: a blessing practice. He gave two examples:

1. While traveling, flights were delayed and connections were potentially missed. Lots of unhappy, harried people. Instead of absorbing that energy, he chose to silently bless the situation and those around him.

2. Doing 60 on a freeway, a car whizzes past at 90. Rather than reacting and allowing anger to take over, he blessed them, knowing they, and the drivers around them, would arrive at their destinations safely. I always try to remember that I don't know their situation; maybe something's wrong. I aim to send them safe passage and let it go, but I can't say I'm often successful.

Small actions equal big, if often unseen, results.

Rev. Don described it as instant meditation, a way to quickly shift your energy. He reminded us that Science of Mind founder Ernest Holmes taught that you can pray for anything that hurts no one and does no harm. A blessing fits perfectly. No specific outcome requested, just safe passage, more love, more connection, more energy into the field.

His practical tip: attach it to something you already do. Journal? Write a blessing. Morning affirmations? Add, I am a loving presence. Gratitude practice? Let it include what you want to extend love toward, not just what you're receiving. Habits of love, as Rev. Don put it, shift the world.

Look for the Evidence

Rev. Don closed with something that comes down to how our mindset shapes our experience. Think of the white car effect. If you're considering buying a white car, suddenly you see them everywhere. They were always there; you just weren't looking.

This is another principle I learned when I asked for help: The Universe is neutral. I hear this a lot here. Practitioner Ann Forest Burns often says, "The universe always says yes." Yes!

So look for the good. If you're scanning for what's wrong, broken, or hateful, you'll find it. There's no shortage. But if you look for evidence of love, of good, of things that still work, you'll find that too. Whether it's something we want or don't want, what we say, think, and feel conspires with the energy field - the field of Love - to create just that.

In a time where so much is designed to keep our attention locked on the worst of everything, choosing to look for evidence of good is a quiet act of resistance. It's choosing where to focus, and by extension, where to put your energy.

That's the practice of becoming.

With gratitude,

Laura

Missed the service? You can watch it here.