Boldly Love Where Your Love Has Never Gone Before
By Beca Lewis
“You
don’t know what love is.” That’s what Ginny said to Forrest in
the movie “Forrest Gump”. At the end of the movie when he told
her, “I do know what love is Ginny,” we all knew that he did.
“Love always shows up.” That’s what someone said to me years ago when I was questioning another’s love for me. That person didn’t show up for me, but Forrest did for Ginny. He consistently loved without the question “what’s in it for me”. Instead, he boldly loved, without guilt or need, because he knew himself and was clear about his intent and purpose.
We disguise ourselves in many more ways than just as a human. We disguise ourselves in much more basic ways. We disguise ourselves as our jobs, our past, our family, our race, and our sex: the list is endless, and every one of these disguises keeps us from completely showing up for those we love, beginning with ourselves. When we show up for other people as part of our disguise it is not love, it is escape.
Life gives us moments that we can seize to learn more about boldly loving instead of escaping to “good deeds”. Once I had to move very slowly and even sit down all day and let Del take care of me. It was hard. I am used to getting up, doing things, keeping busy, helping out, seeing what others need, and in general escaping in my disguise as efficient and caringLetting Del take care of me revealed my disguise to myself —I am sure he already knew.
When I was in my early 20’s I read a quote by Dag Hammarskjold, the Secretary General of the United Nations that I have never forgotten, but often forget to apply. MrHammarskjold was awarded the Noble Peace Prize posthumously in 1961. I tell you this so there can be no misunderstanding about his meaning. He said, “It is more noble to give yourself completely to one individual than to labor diligently for the salvation of the masses.”
We make love much more complicated. We escape from this kind of bold love through our disguises and in our “duties” to mankind and others. We mistake big events as something important and miss out on the small events that mean so much moreLoving boldly is about loving consistently in everyday life.
Mr Hammarskjold also said, “The ‘great commitment’ is so much easier than the ordinary, everyday one--and we can all too easily shut our hearts to the latter. A willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice can be associated with, and even produce, a great hardness of heart”.
It is oh so easy to hide in the excitement of a big plan, and it is oh so dangerous to forget that real love is simple, powerful, effective, consistent, and ultimately the victor over every circumstance that would claim otherwise.
Look into your life. Is it what you meant it to be? Do you know who loves you? Do you love boldly and consistently in the little things? Are you making choices based on success measured by money, fame, or guilt?
As we face situations, both large and small, it is a focus on the boldness of love that will heal any situation. Boldness that stems from the principle of Love does not begin in fear. It flows from an unshakable awareness of its ultimate power over all that does not appear as love. If we are not afraid for ourselves, we are not afraid for others.
Showing up as Love is what we will do naturally. Focusing on what is true Love, we can easily see what is not. We will demand that it be corrected within ourselves first and as a result, we will not accept anything less than true bold love in others. We will stop making decisions that are based on fear, greed, or personal need.
Forrest may have said, “life is like a box of chocolates” but his love held no surprises; he lived boldly and consistently and acting from love he always “showed up”
As an author and guide Beca Lewis is dedicated to bringing Universal Spiritual Principles and Laws into clear focus, and to shift material perception to spiritual perception, which following the law “what you perceive to be reality magnifies™”, adjusts lives with practical and measurable results.