“Love is not something you do. Love is what you are.”

When I first came across this reminder in the form of words of wisdom, I was thrown into the void. You know the void. That state that you instantaneously get thrust into when an insight hits you square in the heart. That all encompassing state that removes everything but the present moment and leaves you floating in the indefinable now. That place where everything disappears, including your own judgments, preferences and beliefs. That place where, when you finally return to your body, you ask yourself, ‘where did I go?’ That “all” place. That “nothing” place.

When I returned from the void, everything had changed. Or was it just my perception that had changed? Yep, that was it; my perception had changed everything. Because earlier, I had just had a disagreement with my man. “I love too much!” I had angrily proclaimed. And inwardly, I was tempted to shut off the leaky valve of my seemingly overflowing love. But even as the words left my mouth I knew it was bullshit! How can one love too much? In fact, one can never love enough. So what did I really mean then when I said “I love too much?” Well first, it was a lie. Because what I really meant was that the love I was giving, the love I felt I was doing, was not being reciprocated or returned in the ways that I expected. It was not being matched back to my standards. But if I really loved so much, would I even be seeking an even return? Would I be seeking any return at all? If I really loved so much, would I not already be compete within myself? What is that line in the bible?: “Love is not self-seeking.” “Ah yes,” I was humbled, and giggling I gulped back my embarrassment. I always did appreciate that “1:Corinthians” poem about love. But now I was realizing something else; I had always looked at it from the perspective of love as something I did; a verb, an action on my part, something that I doled out, something that I engaged in. But what if I looked at it in a new way? What if I looked at love as what I am? Then that bible passage would shift to:

I am patient.

I am kind.

I do not envy.

I do not boast.

I am not proud.

I am not rude.

I am not self-seeking.

I am not easily angered.

I keep no records of wrong.

I do not delight in evil.

I rejoice with the truth.

I always protect.

I always trust.

I always hope.

I always persevere.

I never fail!

Wow Rev! Live like this and see what happens! Live as love and see how many fights, disappointments and heart-breaks you experience. Be what you are. Be Love, and then look back upon your life in a year. Can you imagine?!

And there it is: Truth.

Love is not something I do. Love is what I am.

Love is not something we do. Love is what we are.

Love is not something you do. Love is what you are.

ReV