We were made not primarily that we may love God (though we were made for that too) but that God may love us, that we may become the objects in which the Divine love may rest ‘well pleased’.
~ C.S. Lewis
I am persuaded there is no such thing after all as a perfect enjoyment of solitude; for the more delicious the solitude the more one wants a companion.
~Leigh Hunt.
As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
~ Jesus, King of the Universe, and my best Friend, in John 15
Oh beloved, it is true – and we simply cannot (usually) even begin to comprehend it: G_d desires to be our friend. And even as we read something like this we shy away.
So many things have gone wrong with the way we were supposed to be brought up. And in the brokenness of our past, we simply cannot wrap our heads around the idea that someone in total authority might also want true and real and pure and passionate intimacy with us.
And in addition to our fallen, earthly upbringing, we have been taught things about G_d that are simply not true. But, in missing the truth, we do not just miss the point, we lose sight of the Person about whom we were trying to learn. We hear that G_d is angry with us. We hear that He is distant. We hear that He is distant and alone somewhere “up there.”
So, let’s do some basic truth here. G_d is Trinity. He is three infinite Persons, who are utterly One. And while each Person is completely distinct, they are so One of mind and heart and Love and strength and purpose and service – and have reached so deeply into each Other’s lives – that any separation between Them is inconceivable. To say that this is a profound mystery, is to grossly understate the situation. But even in the mystery, there is a part of us that understands, for we have been made in this Triune One’s image. We are body (flesh) and mind (soul) and spirit (spirit).
But, the fallen version of us beings made in His image, have a tremendously difficult time seeing beyond ourselves. Our self-ishness draws us in on ourselves and makes us flat and monochromatic. We rarely comprehend that even our own lives are a shadow of the picture that would help us understand. For, if we took a moment to see, we would gain insight into the truth that the various aspects of who we are work best when they are put into service for each other.
When the mind is informed by the spirit, it becomes a processor of truth, instead of just a generator of (bad) ideas from the flesh… When the body is exercised and brought into submission, it becomes a pleasant dwelling place for the whole being… When the spirit is fully in contact with G_d, it becomes the conduit of the infinite power truly required to run a true human being. Said simply, when the parts of our tripartite being serve each other unselfishly, they all become stronger.
Can we see it? G_d already knows how to live a perfectly full and self-sacrificing life. His true Triune-ness (versus simply being three parts) is a Life of utter communion with the three aspects of His existence. The Father and The Son and The Holy Spirit already have found that infinite strength is only made stronger in the Love that was, is, and shall be between them. They already know the only rule for success in any situation is Love. And They are utterly sure that Love conquers all things (and even a few of us humans). They already know the truth that giving Love is the only way that Love is ever truly found and experienced.
In finally seeing the Love of the Trinity, it seems we come to see that our selfishness is actually just a fallen twist on the real thing. For, it is not wrong that our parts want to be known, it is that they miss the path to relationship by 180 degrees. We want friendship, just like G_d wants friendship. But we want it because of our emptiness and a desire to fill our own selves. G_d wants friends because He is full, and simply Loves to be who He is – a Lover and a friend of own His Triune self.
What if we took our eyes off ourselves for a moment, and simply looked to the Triune One Who is in charge (and knows what He is doing)? Could this fool of a writer be so bold as to suggest that we might just find the Friend we have always been looking for? And that this One we look to, would be delighted to finally get to know us as well?
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, help us believe you Love us. Help us believe you want to know us. OH, how different our lives would be if we simply believed the truth!
