DID GOD REALLY CREATE EVERYTHING? Part Ten — Can Love Be Learned?

 

DID GOD REALLY CREATE EVERYTHING?

Part Ten — Can Love Be Learned?

By Reverend Michael Cook, D.Div.
Red Bull Illuminati Ministry

Perhaps no word has been spoken more often...

Or understood less...

Than the word love.

Poets write about it.

Musicians sing about it.

Parents speak of it.

Religions teach it.

Yet humanity continues to struggle with it.

Why?

Perhaps because love is far more than an emotion.

It is far more than attraction.

It is far more than affection.

Love is a way of seeing.

A way of living.

A way of becoming.

Many people believe they understand love simply because they have experienced strong emotions.

But emotions come and go.

They rise like waves upon the sea.

They are beautiful...

Yet temporary.

Love is much deeper.

Love remains when emotions change.

Love remains when life becomes difficult.

Love remains when sacrifice is required.

Love remains when forgiveness becomes necessary.

This raises an important question.

Are we born knowing how to love?

A newborn child certainly receives love.

A child instinctively seeks comfort.

Safety.

Connection.

But does that child understand patience?

Mercy?

Self-sacrifice?

Compassion?

These qualities are learned over time.

A child slowly discovers that the world does not revolve around them alone.

At first they cry whenever they desire something.

Later they begin learning to share.

To wait.

To listen.

To consider another person's needs alongside their own.

Love matures.

It does not remain an infant forever.

Perhaps this is true for every soul.

We begin by loving what pleases us.

What comforts us.

What benefits us.

As we grow...

Love begins expanding.

It learns generosity.

It learns responsibility.

It learns service.

Eventually it asks a remarkable question.

"How can my life become a blessing to someone else?"

That question marks the beginning of mature love.

Many people mistake love for possession.

"This person belongs to me."

"This is mine."

"I deserve this."

But genuine love never seeks to possess another human being.

Love seeks their highest good.

Even when it requires sacrifice.

A parent understands this.

Parents lose sleep.

Work long hours.

Make difficult decisions.

Give up personal comforts.

Not because someone forces them...

But because love naturally gives.

A teacher experiences something similar.

The reward is not simply a paycheck.

The reward is watching another human being grow.

A doctor finds joy in healing.

A firefighter risks their own safety for strangers.

A volunteer gives their time without expecting applause.

Love always moves outward.

It seeks the well-being of others.

This does not mean love ignores itself.

Healthy love also recognizes that we cannot pour from an empty cup.

Caring for ourselves allows us to care for others more faithfully.

Wisdom teaches balance.

Many people spend years searching for love.

Yet perhaps they should first become loving.

There is an old saying:

"You become what you repeatedly practice."

If this is true...

Then love itself becomes something we practice every day.

We practice patience.

We practice listening.

We practice generosity.

We practice forgiveness.

We practice gratitude.

Like any skill...

Love grows stronger through use.

Imagine a musician who never practices.

Can they expect mastery?

Imagine a gardener who never waters the plants.

Can they expect a harvest?

Love is no different.

It must be cultivated.

Fed.

Protected.

Exercised.

Every relationship becomes part of this education.

Family teaches one kind of love.

Friendship teaches another.

Marriage teaches another.

Serving strangers teaches yet another.

Even our enemies become unexpected teachers.

They teach patience.

Self-control.

Mercy.

Humility.

Not because they are easy to love...

But because loving difficult people stretches the heart beyond its ordinary limits.

This may be one of the greatest paradoxes of spiritual life.

The people who challenge us most often teach us the greatest lessons.

Throughout history, many spiritual traditions have described God as Love.

If this is true...

Then every genuine act of love reveals something about God.

When we forgive...

We reflect Divine mercy.

When we comfort another...

We reflect Divine compassion.

When we protect the vulnerable...

We reflect Divine justice.

When we give without expecting reward...

We reflect Divine generosity.

Perhaps becoming more like God is not primarily about possessing extraordinary power.

Perhaps it is about learning extraordinary love.

That journey never truly ends.

Every day offers another opportunity.

Another lesson.

Another chance to become more compassionate than yesterday.

One day we may discover that the purpose of life was never simply to acquire knowledge.

It was to become people capable of loving wisely.

For knowledge alone can build machines.

Love builds humanity.

Knowledge alone may change the world.

Love changes the human heart.

And when enough hearts change...

The world begins changing with them.

So today...

Practice kindness.

Practice patience.

Practice mercy.

Practice understanding.

Practice forgiveness.

For every act of genuine love becomes another lesson learned...

And another reflection of the Infinite Love from which every soul ultimately longs to return.

In our next chapter, we will explore one of the most profound questions in spiritual philosophy:

If every human being possesses free will, how does our freedom shape the world we create together?

Until then...

Love intentionally.

Serve joyfully.

Grow patiently.

For the greatest education the soul will ever receive...

Is learning how to love.

Peace, Light, and Understanding to All.

— Reverend Michael Cook, D.Div.
Red Bull Illuminati Ministry