Journal of Sacred Work

When we live Love, not fear, we always succeed.

   Why does it seem so easy for some people to live Love, not fear? I think the truth is that some people make it look easy when it’s truly difficult – for any one of us.
    Consider the recently released letters and journal writing of Mother Theresa. In almost every image we see of her, she is moving among the poor with the grace and elegance of a natural lover. But it turns out her saintly behavior was the result of a remarkable mix of deep and constant prayer, persistent immersion into an environment of crushing need, heart-breaking questioning of her faith, and a passion to spread Love’s light into dark corners of the world.
   Is there a formula we can follow that will bring us closer to Love? …

   I’m not certain if it’s a formula. We know that living Love involves serving others. We know that to do this in the purest sense, we need to let our ego’s disappear so that God (Love) may appear.
   We  also know that Jesus lived Love without the need
of any training. He did use his knowledge of the Bible of the time and articulated the great new commandment that we love one another.
Beyond that, we can only imagine the inspiration of God’s Love that
passed through him. Jesus was able to perform miracles because of his
exquisite alignment with Love. His ability to heal people physically
was not nearly so important as his efforts to heal our souls with his
eternal gifts.
   Jesus provides the ultimate example. We, too, can live Love. For us, living out of Love, not out of fear, requires a set of practices that can help to align us with the most powerful energy that exists. These practices are as crucial for hospitals and charities as they are for individuals.

   Here are the Seven Practices of Living Love, described only in summary. They are practices we have also referred to as seeds, powers and ways of living. I seek your help in both committing to these principles and exploring what these practices may mean for your and others.
1) Purpose – This practice is exemplified not only by Victor Frankl during his concentration camp experience, but by individual caregivers you and I both know. The deeper our commitment to a high purpose, the clearer and stronger our energy will be.
2) Passion – My favorite example of passion is the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Commitment to high purpose is likely to awaken our passion. On way we know if our purpose is truly our calling is by noticing whether our life work truly is eliciting passion from us. If not, is it the work or are we simply holding back, afraid to make the kind of life commitment that will turn lose the energy of Love? How can you nurture the seed of passion in your life?    
3) Potential – Consider Helen Keller, blind and deaf since infancy. Her life tells us that potential is both a concept and a practice. The concept is simple enough. What are your gifts? if you’re unsure of the answer, than it is important to engage in the kind of inner work that will yield results. Think of yourself as mining for gold. And know that the gold is definitely there. Consider these lines from Matthew Arnold:
But often, in the din of strife,
there rises an unspeakable
desire
After the knowledge of our buried life.
   So many people die with their gifts still wrapped because they have never been willing to do the probing and testing of their skills to find out where their light may truly shine best in this world.
4) Presence – Mother Theresa is a beautiful example of this. This is a particularly crucial practice. Ways to engage this practice include a serious study of the arts, daily prayer and meditation, taking "special breaths" across the day to remind yourself of the quality of your presence, and focusing on the needs and interests of others.
5) Power of Humor – I like Lincoln as an example of the power of humor. It may be this gift that aided him, as much as anything, in winning the White House. There is a persistent risk, in this work, of taking ourselves seriously as well as our work. Lincoln himself was plagued with melancholy. The work of caregiving is naturally grim and challenging. Lighten this load with laughter as often as you can. Whenever I remind myself to "have fun" I almost always live closer to Love. Consider the photo of Mother Theresa, above. The baby she is holding has no arms. Yet Mother Theresa is laughing.
6) Positive thinking – The phrase, positive thinking, was popularized by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. I had the chance to meet Dr. Peale when he was 90 years old. It was easy to see why he had lived so long.
   How does positive thinking work in hard times? On the morning of September 11, 2001, I happened to be meeting with my minister at the time, Rev. Dan Kuhn. His comment on the tragedy? "I think this will bring us all closer together," he said. In America, he was right, for awhile. Most people pull together in an emergency when threatened by a common enemy. Perhaps if we had we taken a more constructive view internationally, it might have been possible to bring the world closer together also.
   Inform your life with a steady stream of positive thoughts. By this, I don’t mean the silliness of Hallmark card thinking, pat phrases, pretty paintings, and a Pollyanna view of the world. It doesn’t always work to say, "things will turn out for the best" in the middle of a major tragedy. Instead, I mean making a conscious effort to find hope and strength, even in the midst of major tragedies. Sometimes, the notion of positive thinking can create a guilt trip. If you or I are unable to find a positive thought in the middle of grief, perhaps we need to cut ourselves a break. Grieving is, of course, a critical stage in life. And grieving is also not meant to defeat us.
7) Persistence – This sounds like a grim idea, but it doesn’t need to be. My model of persistence is Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi conducted his peaceful crusade to free India over not just years but decades. All successful people understand the enormous importance of persistence. Those who fail are those who have given up. None of the above practices can succeed without persistence.

   Always remember that when we live Love, not fear, we are always successful, no matter what else occurs.

   Do lists like these offer any help in your life? I’m going to see if they help both you and me as we explore these ideas further in an effort to find out. Sometimes, just the attempt can move us closer to Love. I have a tendency to rearrange some of the practices on this list, but the essential seeds are constant. The ideas above are time tested but all the wise people that have ever lived. But they are just ideas. This is the year in which we find out how well we can engage these powers as we seek to Live Love.
  It’s three days into 2008. How are you doing?

-Erie Chapman