The message that “God loves you” has been said so often that Its meaning has almost been lost in that we all seem to have different ideas about what of how this love works.In my own faith tradition I was told this so often- and it was usually followed up with HOW I could qualify for it- that I no longer heard the words. I came to associate all sorts of wrong conclusions with the RIGHT message. I now see that this may have come about in that; it’s those things that are IMPLIED that are heard more than those things that are stated. Its our OWN inner convictions-what we really believe -that come through much louder than the words I say. In truth I think they had deep suspicions about ”God’s love” and that at some level it was very much conditional.
We may subscribe to all manner of theological truth- at an intellectual level-if this does not resonate as being true-no matter how WELL we try to conceal it-this is the REAL message that we communicate.
I came to the conclusion that “God-loving me” was 2 tiered. If I NEVER became a Christian this “God-loving me” produced a distant, disappointed God who stood on the sidelines saying “Oh! well things could have been so different” it’s almost as if God was waiting for me to change- become a Christian- before his REAL love could come into play. I now see that this is entirely untrue. Even though a message of ”unconditional love” was preached what was, really, communicated was very much the opposite. God loves you, no MATTER what you do or don’t do.The following reflection, from Following the Mystics through the narrow Gate captures this much better than I ever can;
“God always entices us through love. Most of us were taught that God would love us if and when we change. In fact, God loves you so that you can change. What empowers change, what makes you desirous of change is the experience of love. It is that inherent experience of love that becomes the engine of change. If the mystics say that one way, they say it a thousand ways. But because most of our common religion has not been at the mystical level, we’ve been given an inferior message—that God loves me when I change (moralism).
What that does is put it back on you. You’re back to “navel-gazing,” and you never succeed at that level. You are never holy enough, pure enough, refined enough, or loving enough. Whereas, when you fall into God’s mercy, when you fall into God’s great generosity, you find, seemingly from nowhere, this capacity to change. No one is more surprised than you are. You know it is a gift”.
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