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The other day I read a statement from a spiritual teacher who said that “The great teachers of humanity become streams of love.” As I believe that love is the greatest power in the universe, this statement obviously caught my attention. Of course, this echoes Jesus’ promise that those who trust in him (that is, the Way and path that he opens up into the Infinite) will flow “rivers of living water from your innermost being.” The more I reflected upon this, the better it seemed and the more it grew on me.
For one thing, this opens the door for all of us to become great teachers of humanity. Each of us, in our own ways (and within our own ‘gardens’) always has the option of being such a stream. The people who cross our paths are often in need of love – the ultimate ‘water of life’ for those parched souls not quite sure how best to find refreshment and quench their thirst.
If we carry with us the idea of being such streams, I think we’ll be surprised at how often opportunities to love present themselves. After all, when love is the solution, are not the problems requiring it everywhere before us?
As a follower of the Jesus story I can see this being the case with his life and his giving of love. There’s a verse in the gospel of John that simply states that the things Jesus did were so varied, so multiple, that ‘I suppose the world itself could not contain the books that would be written’ regarding them.
Hyperbole? Certainly. But it makes its point – the outreach of Jesus was Love personified – and therein we’re still talking about him some 2,000 years later. His life, his work, his message all serve as a conduit of the great universal power of love.
If ever there were a great teacher who embodied the idea of becoming a stream of love, for me, Jesus would be the one. And, of course, if YOU so choose, well then of course you also come to mind!
Enjoy the weekend… flow baby, flow.
6 comments to “Streams of Love”
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I’ve come to the conclusion that Jesus’ great channeling of the love of God is everything. No theology or doctrine can touch that and without it any doctrine is nothing but noise. Hearing voices, like yours, that reflect that same spirit give me cause to feel hopeful that negative distortions of Christ ultimately will not prevail as THE view of Christians.
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This brings me to the conclusion that Love is a flowing stream embodied. What some call “Love” is a embodiment of frozen, stale and cold mentality. Love is a flow, not mere theory on a canvas.
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Yes! and Amen! Your words are so complete: “Love is the greatest power in the universe”. We read in I John 4 that “God is love” and believing that truth, for me, means that Genesis 1:1 is telling us that the energy behind the creation of the heavens and the earth is “Love”. You are right…how could there be anything more powerful? Your comment: “The people who cross our paths are often in need of love” reminded me of a 60 minutes feature a few years ago (also reported by the BBC and ABC) about a woman in India “Mata Amritanandamayi” (name means Mother of absolute bliss) who had, for years, simply made herself available to dispense hugs as a blessing and therapy. Her followers call her hugging “darshan” or “seeing” – a term used by Hindus to describe an audience with a deity. They describe her embrace as an experience of unconditional love and over 20 million people have traveled miles and waited in lines to receive her embrace. There is no question that all over the world, people are starved for real love. When asked why she hugs people, she answered “that is like asking a river why it flows”. According to one report, she says it all started with a spontaneous act flowing from the compassion she felt in her heart. May we all be as 2 Cor 2 describes: “the sweet aroma of the knowledge of God (Love) in every place”. Thanks, Tim, (and each of you) for being an advocate of love!
YOU are one of those streams of LIFE in the desert that is Religion. Thanks for the water!!