where is the love?

Note: I just wrote this whole post, and realized how awesome the timing is. Happy early Valentine's day, people! LOVE!!!!

Lovelessness.

LOVE! Image here.

It is everywhere.

It rears its ugly head in many ways. Right now a great place to look for it is the vaccine debate. The CDC admits that only around 1.8% of the population is unvaccinated--and yet the amount of vitriol spewed at so-called "anti-vaxxers," who in reality, I would guess, are mostly just concerned with vaccine safety, is incredible. Even among members of the Church. There is so much judgment and so little love.

But another place to look is in the family. I see so many people--even in the Church--whose spouses offend them, who then just give up on being kind. They use their spouse's bad decisions as a reason to justify any loveless action or reaction on their part. Then they wonder why their marriages are falling apart. Someone has to be the one that loves, that turns the other cheek. Waiting for an apology just doesn't work all the time. Sometimes you have to take the insult and respond with love anyway.

Someone has to love.

Look at the whole modesty debate in the Church. Women freak out over the implication that they should be modest in order to help men control their thoughts. I used to freak out over that myself: men
are human! Can't they just control their own thoughts already??

Image here.

But where is the love in that? If we love the men in our lives, wouldn't we want to make their battle against lust a little easier? Is it charitable, is it loving, if when we dress modestly, it is specifically not to help others, but only to help ourselves? What kind of Christianity is that? Is that really putting others first?

Really, the same argument could be reframed in the context of kindness. Why are we asked to speak kind things to others, and to not speak unkind things to others? One half of the reason is because of what sort of people we become when we are kind versus unkind, and the other half of the reason is because of how we affect others when are kind versus unkind. But what sort of person says that they will only be kind in order to make themselves a better person, and other people be darned? What sort of kindness is that, anyway? You know?

Anyway. The point is, lovelessness is rampant. You can find it in nearly any place. Scroll down your Facebook feed for ten minutes and see the lovelessness there. Or spare yourself. You won't be missing out. Facebook has become one giant selfishness fest. That's what it was always designed to be, but I feel it's gotten more and more out of control with every passing month.

It's time to love.

God's people are called to love.

We are called to turn the other cheek.

As it is put so beautifully in Philippians 2:3, we are called to esteem others as better than ourselves.

Do our comments reflect that?

Are we sufficiently humble?

This has been on my mind because I personally believe in vaccine safety, and I believe that there are a lot of unanswered questions and a lot of propaganda surrounding the vaccine issue. I believe that the reality of vaccine injury is too often marginalized and ignored, I believe that people concerned about vaccine safety are too often ridiculed and vilified, and I particularly believe that the overall conversation about vaccination right now is toxic. I feel it is important to stand up for parents and citizens who have legitimate, unresolved medical and religious concerns over vaccines and the vaccine schedule.

Image here.

Earlier this week, I got a comment on my Facebook wall stating that while the writer "loved" me, she thought I was a narcissistic psychopath for publicly stating concerns about the safety of vaccines and the US vaccination schedule.

Fortunately, a number of people realized how ridiculous this comment was, and people started sending me private messages: I can't believe that lady! She says she loves you and in the same breath accuses you of being a psychopath?! What?!

But that is how it is today. Fear takes its root in the hearts of men and love and reason flee. Pride takes its root in the hearts of men and love and reason flee.

What do we do?

In the past, things like the vaccine debate on my Facebook wall would have gotten me very upset, but this time around, I am not. I feel very calm and pretty happy about it, actually, even though it's me "against" all these people who feel it is important to squelch any discussion about vaccine safety. I don't take their comments personally. I don't feel judged, even though I know I am being judged. I've been praying for an energetic shield against their judgements for me and my children, and it's been working. I can sense the negative energy of their thoughts, but it just bounces right off. I don't have trouble sleeping at night over this (in the past I would have). So I'd say, praying for a shield against other people's lovelessness is a good place to start.

But the most important thing is to proactively love. It is to start looking at the content of our own hearts and uprooting the darkness there. Easier said than done--particularly without the help of energy work. I really recommend the Emotion Code to get started with this. In the past few weeks I felt a bunch of blocks in my own heart against love, and I ended up having to release a number of trapped emotions that were prohibiting charity in my heart. What is blocking your heart from love?

And when you've uprooted the blocks to love, it's time to start actively loving others. When we protect ourselves from others' lovelessness, uproot our own lovelessness, and begin filling our own hearts with charity, the pure love of Christ, good things start to follow.

Conclusion

Image here.

It really is time to start keeping the commandments. And the commandments are all about love. Loving God, and loving yourself and others. The time for fear and pride is past. Now is the time for uprooting that stuff and letting charity take its place.

If love does not come easily to you, or if you sense things in your life blocking your ability to love, reach out. I'm currently working by donation and there is nothing like energy work to clear walls around the heart.

It's time to love, people.

Love.