So, the love of God seems to be a pretty important thing, but how do we find it?  For many people, they find their love outside of themselves, through their work or another person, or their children, and find meaning in the idea of “love” through actions in service to those ends. But we’re going to stay internal for now, because we want to find love that is independent of those things. You can always lose your job, or the one you love moves on, or your kids fail to return the love in a way that respects the effort you have put into their care. We want to find the kind of love that keeps us strong no matter what happens, like the passages this morning said- build our house on a foundation that can withstand the “changes and chances of life”. 

Some have framed this as a “spiritual search” where the first step is to start looking for that love inside of you.  But before you start looking for treasure, you have to be convinced that there is a treasure to find.  A large part of the mission of the founders of the great religions was to convince us that there was something worth looking for.  Their “job” was to unwrap for us what lies within us and make it apparent.  It’s on us though, to at least start the journey, as the other quotes said- we have to “remember” and start the process of loving or the love can’t find us. 

This idea of “remembering” is very powerful and all scriptures have a reference to us “remembering” some primordial part of ourselves, something we all know is there, but we have “forgotten”.  The Quran and the Writings of Baha’u’llah talk about “heedlessness”, this idea that you have forgotten what your goal is and lost your way.  It’s not that you don’t know it, you’ve just become immersed in other elements of yourself. You’ve forgotten.  Muhammad specifically described His mission as to be a “Reminder”, and Christ and Baha’u’llah could have said the same thing.

For the next couple days, we’re going to put aside any commentary and just post scriptural passages along these themes- passages to get us thinking and searching for that love within us, starting with these-

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened….Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Jesus, from the Gospels)

My servant serves me until I start loving him, then I become an eye from which he sees, an ear from which he hears, and a hand from which he holds. – Saying of Muhammad (Hadith)

O MY FRIENDS! Have ye forgotten that true and radiant morn, when in those hallowed and blessed surroundings ye were all gathered in My presence beneath the shade of the tree of life, which is planted in the all-glorious paradise? Awe-struck ye listened as I gave utterance to these three most holy words: O friends! Prefer not your will to Mine, never desire that which I have not desired for you, and approach Me not with lifeless hearts, defiled with worldly desires and cravings. Would ye but sanctify your souls, ye would at this present hour recall that place and those surroundings, and the truth of My utterance should be made evident unto all of you. (Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah)