Spiritual Currency

SPIRITUAL CURRENCY

I have a friend in the final stages of a divorce. We were talking the other day, and he told me that he had just gotten a new kitten, by the name of Lola. At first, I didn't think about it, but as I thought about it later other thoughts came. The joke, from myself, was that he would end up like one of those people who surround themselves with animals as they get older. Upon later contemplation, a new twist was applied. My friend has pretty much retracted from social life. Interaction with other people outside of work is surfacy. Maybe interaction is not the proper word, invest is though. I believe that he is using these animals(forgot to mention he has a boxer as well) as his companions. He can have a good relationship with them and not get hurt. His love can be poured out on them with little to no fear of rejection or criticism. They will return AFFECTION to him not LOVE. I do believe affection is a type of love, but it is not LOVE LOVE.

Funny thing, that gives me such peculiar insight into this, is I had planned it myself. Before joining the Singles group, I already had a puppy lined up. The puppy was going to be my constant companion. I was going to invest my time and love in that puppy. Blessedly, things changed. The Singles became my destination. Life has been pretty fabulous ever since thanks to all the beautiful people that I've met. Thanks to God and the people that He has put in my path, I was diverted from the stray course that I was seeking.

Heres what it comes down to: investing your spiritual currency. What is your spiritual currency? LOVE. It is not only investing but it needs to be properly invested! My problem was that I was about to improperly invest my love. I was going to squander my wealth upon animals that will or would never understand or truly value the love. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against pets--just against pets being the center of your world or love. Making them idols. An earthly compensation for a relationship with God and people. There are commandments for the use of our love!

"Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY MIND. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it, THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:36-40 God is our primary investment. I am more concerned with the second commandment as it regards to our daily lives and daily reflection of Jesus. Love is the best thing we have on this earth. Like many best things, we have a tendency to hoard it. We can gush it out on our animals, but other humans are a different matter. Humans have the ability to cut us to the bone. They instill fear and inhibit our ability to follow through on this great commandment. Each one of us keeps ourself and others from becoming Christlike. To love is to be divine. We are most like God and Jesus when we love others unconditionally.

Love will get us started on the path to Christlikeness. Faith is what Christ had when God sent him into hell. Only love can enter hell. Christ came to pay the sacrificial price to return us to God. He invested his love in us. The return we gave him was bitterness, hate, assault, and finally crucifixion. We will endure bitterness and hate sometimes, but we must continue to love. "Be stubborn as a mule; the only thing that shatters dreams is compromise." Ronald Rolheiser Do not let the bitter things of the world dictate your love being shared. Do not compromise the command your LORD gave you. Love will win out. Bitterness and hate will never hold out when staring into the eyes of a love-filled person.

The best thing that I've come to realize is that love is the greatest spiritual gift God has given us. It is not listed as a spiritual gift, but I believe by opening ourselves up and loving one another unconditionally it is the greatest spiritual gift. Love is a gift from God; it is emplaced in us with the Holy Spirit. For a long time, I did not know what my spiritual gifting was. There are many out among you that do not know. I tell you now, embrace love. Be an ambassador of love. By showing genuine care and affection to others, it opens the door in your heart and their heart for growth. Growth of the Holy Spirit and Jesus. It is a beautiful two way street that we meander along when we walk with the love of Jesus.

The basics. We always stray from the basics. To make things easier and less painful. Pain is growth as well. Pain is separation of the old self from the new man/woman of God. Do not be afraid of pain. Christ lived his whole life in it. I leave you with this to think on.

"God covered our nerves with skin, we are not so hypersensitive. He has also given us a remarkable resiliency and an incredible capacity to heal. We are tougher and more elastic than we actually think.
As human beings we are in fact gifted with an incredible resiliency. Skin, bones, psyches, hearts, when pushed to it, have a remarkable bounce. They do not break easily, and when they do they have an unbelievable capacity to heal.
We can take a fall, a hurt, a cut, a rejection. It does not kill us, we heal, there is seldom an excuse for paralysis, never one for despair. We are tougher than we think." Ronald Rolheiser

Properly invest your spiritual currency, don't be a miser.

kenny