I have written this post a number of times since even before the beginning of this New Year…2010. I may share the other things I have spent a number of hours writing at some point…but none of them came out just exactly how I wanted them to. In fact…although they have all been incredibly important things, they just didn't seem to fit in with what it is I am wanting to share. Quite honestly…this will be one of the most important things I have ever posted on this or any of my blogs.

 

I believe I write about some incredibly important things…including talking about my family a great deal. But today, I want to see if I can reach deep into your soul and touch you at your core.

 

We live in a very hectic, chaotic, and in some ways, wildly out of control world. It is precisely like this because so many people have missed this one very important concept that I am going to talk about today.

 

I have come to see this New Year, 2010, as the Year of Reality & Truth. I started thinking about this when I watched a video made by a friend of mine who I happen to respect a great deal. I realized however, that although he is a great teacher and inspires many people to move beyond their own self-made boundaries, there is something missing in his message at its core.

 

I have written a series of posts on another blog called the Three Levels of Heaven. In those posts I talk a great deal about the physical realities of the universe we live in. Some of these physical realities are the Law of Attraction, the ability to create and draw good energy unto yourself and so forth. The ability to create new and life-changing direction in your life by understanding these physical realities is extremely important.

 

All of these physical realities, if we know and understand how to live within them, can dramatically change our lives and rock our worlds…to a point. There is something beyond all of these things that reigns supreme, however. And it is this that I really want/need to talk about today. I was up until 4:00 a.m. last night trying to put down into words exactly what I wanted to say. I  didn't even need to look at it this morning to know that there was something unfinished or not right about it.

 

However, it was a stepping stone to be able to share with you now…today!

 

You see…no matter what you believe, what you are dealing with, what type of successes you have achieved or even what type of failures you have encountered…most of this is tied to a physical reality that is slowly crumbling over time. Although we believe the universe is ever expanding and the energy in the universe is limitless…these things are still very limited relative to this one thing I want to talk about. In fact…even though these things give off the appearance of the eternal…they are still slowly falling apart. All of these things are effected by the lack of what I want to share with you today.

 

No matter how much you believe something…it only makes it true to a point. In this year that I am calling the year of Reality and Truth I want to differentiate between those things that appear real (because they work out for you for a time) and those things that are REAL and TRUE!

 

I realize that many people embrace what philosophers have been saying for centuries…in essence…you are what you believe and think. As much as I completely embrace this philosophy myself, I know it falls far short in the scope of eternity. For in eternity…the physical world will not continue in it present state. Relative to eternity…this physical world, the universe and the seemingly endless supply of energy is actually deteriorating and falling apart…dying a slow death but actually accelerating as time marches on.

 

So…what this means is that everything you work for in this physical world…all of the success you are striving for…all of the great energy you are sending out into the universe…all of it is diminishing. In reality we are not evolving, we are simply becoming more educated about the physical truths in our universe. We are gaining a better understanding of what it means to tap into the energy out there but it is ultimately going to be a losing endeavor.

 

All of this spent energy and time and effort (although highly productive for the short term) falls very much short because it is still tied to the physical realities of the universe…the physical realities that are in a state of decline.

 

What I want to open up to you is the life that is lived beyond the physical. This life exists outside of the physical essence of the universe. The seemingly endless energy present in the universe does not come close to the vastness and the timelessness and the beauty of the space that is beyond the physical realm. I am not talking about the metaphysical because what we basically believe about the metaphysical is simply the physical reality beyond what is seen, heard and touched under normal circumstances.

 

There is only one place that I am talking about…it is not the realm of the angels or spirits or any other physical reality.

 

So are you ready to know…it is the realm of LOVE.

 

Love is at the core of everything that takes place in eternity. It floods our physical reality and affects our physical reality in profound ways. The presence of love brings redemption to the physical…while the lack of love assures its destruction.

 

I am not talking about the physical love that is strictly tied to the physical realm. There are plenty of people talking about that kind of love and how we need to operate in that arena. I don't believe this is a negative aspect of humanity to operate in the realm of physical love only…it is simply lacking and like all physical based realities it eventually disintegrates over time.

 

The love I am referring to penetrates into the physical realm but it does not originate there. This love enhances all physical love and brings redemption to this area as it does to all areas of our lives.

 

Here are some differences I would like you to take a look at from modern day issues…

 

People are wanting to see a political change in the world…there are those who would like more governmental involvement in the lives of individuals and there are those who would like less.

 

I can see both points as it seems as when people band together they ought to be able to care for those less fortunate better. This is true in the areas of healthcare and finances both. It tends to make sense to us that we ought to all pool our resources to take care of others. However…there are reasons why this never works. The first and foremost reason is at the core no matter how much we want to help out our neighbor with this kind of "help" it is love that is rooted in this physical world and eventually all love rooted in this physical world eventually becomes deformed and deteriorates.

 

You see…the more detached people become from the people they are actually trying to help, the less important those individuals become and life becomes cheapened…first just a bit and then a whole lot. Something that may start out as a group of people helping other people quickly turns on itself.

 

For…if the collective becomes the most important part of our society and culture, then what is good for the group becomes the most important thing. If an individual does not help the group…then what?

 

Throughout history when societies have followed this type of thinking…and it is carried to its logical conclusion…people start to die. The weak are not important.

 

What starts out with the look of love becomes something that is quite the opposite of love.

 

Love for the life of an individual, love that stems from the eternal, however, keeps you grounded.

 

I have had this discussion many times with people. When a group gets too big…no matter their intention (it could be the government, a church, a service organization or whatever)…and the purpose of the group is to collect large sums of money to help the less fortunate, the people giving, although sacrificing, are not truly giving of themselves. Whenever you do not give of yourself for those less fortunate, you start to become detached just a bit.

 

The reason for this is that you feel good about giving your money. It actually gives you a false sense of service. But…giving of your money does not automatically create an emotional interaction that creates relationship. Without the building of relationship with another individual (eternal love) that you are helping (at least on occasion) you start to lose the ability to appreciate the individual who is less fortunate.

 

As you give your money time after time, it is very easy to start to get a bit irritated at those "victims" that can't ever seem to get their act together. Anyhow…things start going downhill from there.

 

It is time to start looking at what is Real and what is True. As much as we may want something to be different in the above scenario…it never turns out different. Throughout history when a government gains too much power, the people in the society being governed begin to lose.

 

When a government begins to see themselves as being able to "hand out rights"  (a so-called act of love) to people (rather than rights being given by the Creator)…then some individuals start to lose because the whole process degenerates and deforms because it is only rooted here in the physical.

 

If we truly are about love and compassion, then we ought to help out our neighbors in need…whoever those neighbors may be. It is good to give money because you cannot always go. However, it is absolutely essential to give of yourself to someone in your space that needs it. This truly keeps you grounded. After all you are practicing the very essence of love when you are personally interacting with the very people you are wanting to help.

 

Here is another example of love emanating from the physical versus the eternal:

 

The Environment and how we interact with it tends to be a massive subject that puts people on opposite ends of the spectrum. Whatever you believe about issues such as Global Warming and how we ought to go about protecting the environment you need to seek the whole truth.

 

It is a fact that the issue of global warming is not settled. There are far too many conflicting "facts" in this issue. If you decide to pursue a course of action based upon your belief system…that is perfectly great…but be honest with yourself about what it is.

 

This is true about how to treat the environment as well. If you believe, as I do, that the earth was truly created for us and it is our sacred responsibility and privilege to care for it…then it is simply a matter of weighing the priorities of life. It is a matter of operating out of love.

 

If the priority is the environment only…then people die. You cannot serve the environment as if it is god and not have people die as a result. The love that someone may have for the environment or "mother earth" although admirable at a certain level will always turn in the wrong direction. Without the eternal aspect of love being present then relationships fail to be the priority and other things tend to take center stage in the thoughts and hearts of people. If we approach it from the eternal perspective of love then people become the priority first. Then the question is rephrased…not how do we save the environment…but how do we come up with a good plan to make this place we call home as nice as we possibly can?

 

The facts are pretty clear that we have not been very good at this. I propose, however, that it is because of the waning sense of personal one on one relationships…or the continuing problem of love being cheapened in this world…that the environment is adversely affected.

 

When people (whoever they may be) wish to take advantage of others for gain, the environment suffers. This is true whether it be for money, power or even the mistaken notion of "good." Whenever love is lost in a culture…the environment suffers.

 

I have travelled through China a couple of times. It is amazing how poorly the individual is treated in most places there. The individual life is not sacred in China in most areas. The environmental conditions in China are horrible relative to what we are used to. However, there are some pockets where people have changed their perspective and began to actually love each other, where the community begins to be cleaned up.

 

This may be gross to some of you…but I will actually clean a public toilet purely because I know someone else is going to have to use it…a pure act of love. Likewise, in some of these villages in China, the trash alongside the road starts to disappear, the sewage problems begin to be solved and people's hygiene improves dramatically…as a result of love. This happens when the villagers are confronted with eternal love and it changes the way they view themselves and their neighbors. Where love flourishes, the environment gets cleaned up.

 

When an outside entity dictates to people what they need to do and not do…the end result always works out poorly for most individuals. So…the environmental issues, in my opinion can only be solved through the spreading of true love.

 

As we begin to love other individuals and begin truly relating to them (yes starting with your own family and friends but moving on from there) the world becomes a much different place. You start to see and appreciate the fact that the oceans are affected by people's indifference and you start to interact with your entire environment in a different manner.

 

You see…one of the primary reasons I respect the environment is because I adore the one who created it. Again…it is a personal love for another individual that has created my honor and respect for such a beautiful place. Plus, I know that when I take extra care of things…I pass on a beautiful place to my children's generation…another act of love.

 

This is the only powerful form of environmentalism there is. Any time behavior is mandated from a more powerful group to a less powerful group, there is always an aspect of gaining power associated with it. Whenever you take love out of the equation…people start to suffer. Whenever people start to suffer, the environment suffers.

 

You may not believe me…but I ask you to at least seriously consider what I have to say.

 

There are so many examples of this that I could share but I cannot possibly take the time. However, I will share one more example of where the absence or presence of love becomes very obvious…religion vs. relationship or the life of the religious vs. the life of faith.

 

These are not the same thing by any stretch and within this issue there are many different sides trying to vie for power in the struggle.

 

First…there is the side of religion trying to control people's lives. This is no different than what I said above. Whenever there is a lack of love and another has the ability to gain in some way…whether it be power or money…then people suffer and die.

 

However…there is another side to this and that is the non-religious, religious people. These are those who claim not to be religious and yet their practical activities mimic those of the very people they scorn. These people claim  to have complete freedom of expression and yet do not have an innate love for others. The result…the freedom that they embrace operates out of a sense of selfishness and not love. For they will quickly try to squelch the freedom of others, or, just as serious, use their so-called freedom to harm others.

 

Then there are the powerful people of faith who walk in love and actually seek no power. They may become successful and "powerful" in other people's eyes but they are seeking only to walk out a life of love and being loved.

 

These people are scorned by the religious people on either side. The only law these people live by is the law of love. They are walking out an extraordinary life where they see Reality and Truth in ways that are foreign to most people in the world.

 

These are the truly free people on this earth. However, these people are highly polarizing because they do not conform with "the norm" and are a massive threat to the people in power (because of their non-conformity)…whether they be the religious people or the political people in power.

 

These people actually walk out all or at least most of the things everyone else is talking about. But they do it in anonymity and complete freedom from the expectations of anyone else because they are not trying to make astatement or impress anyone else.They are simply living their lives out in the only true freedom there is.

 

They do not want others dictating to them how to live because they have already figured it out. They are concerned with a picture that their child has drawn. They are also concerned about their freedom and the state the planet will be in when their children grow up. No matter how minute or how large something may be…these people walk it out in a sense of love for others.

 

I am calling this year the year of "Reality and Truth" because I want to continue to share with as many people as I can the true essence of these concepts. It does not boil down to healthcare, or the environment, or which church you attend, or which political party you are affiliated with, or if you are safe, or if your life is comfortable or not…it comes down to walking this life out in such a way as to reflect an amazing love that is available to us to not only shape us but consume us and radically shift who we are.

 

The Reality and Truth of the matter is…you may not want this…but I am here to say…you do not know what you do not know. And if you knew what I know…you would want everything I am talking about as much as you could possibly consume.

 

I would be amiss if I neglected the eternal source of this love I am talking about. It emanates from the very relationship of God Himself. It is why the concept of the triune God is so vitally important to our understanding of True Love. The Love that is shared between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is eternal, pure, always giving, always forgiving, always kind and always looking out for the needs of others.

 

All other love (the physical love) ends up in deterioration and destruction because it strictly emanates from the physical realm where all things are falling apart. This love is has the form of eternal love but none of the substance.The eternal love of God invades this physical world and brings redemption and regeneration to everything it touches…including physical love.

 

That is why even though the video I mentioned in the beginning talks about love…it is not the redeeming eternal love that will truly change this world. As you go about this new year and operate out of the true eternal love of God…everything that you do will bring people renewal and regeneration.

 

We can be in an environment (such as internet marketing) where love is talked about all of the time. However, it is not the love that truly changes people's lives in most cases. It is not the type of love that causes someone to leave their homes and go help a neighbor who needs your hands, your feet, and your affection in a time of need. Eternal love may give money…but it will also give a hands on affection that truly touches the heart and soul of another individual.

 

Make 2010 a new year of the Reality and Truth of the ETERNAL LOVE that emanates out of the very heart of God Himself.

 

Feel free to comment below and RT, share on FB, digg…whatever you want. I look forward to hearing from you.

Also check out my post on the Third Level of Heaven for more on this subject and what it means to live in that space of Eternal Love.