Love That Never Stops

Bringing a spiritual perspective to daily life

I wrote this article on a cold, blustery day. In fact, it was the first day of spring, although you'd never have known it. It was raining, sleeting - literally blowing up a storm. Bleak. That was the word. No sign of spring.

But in the center of my desk was a bouquet of daffodils. The bright yellow blooms were a most welcome contrast to the gray sea grass, gray sky, gray harbor waters, gray trees and vines.

That day I was reminded of something. Every March, when the landscape in my area appears its most dismal, with neither the lush green of the coming spring, nor the sparkling snow of the past winter, nor the brilliant autumn leaves, bright daffodils appear without fail. It's a heartwarming contrast to all the drabness. They remind me of God's ever-present love.

The love God holds for you and me is more predictably certain than the appearance of those daffodils. And it's even more glorious - warmer, full of healing. It's the bright light in the darkness. No matter what life appears to be like, God is always here to help and heal. God is divine Love. This never leaves us, never goes through a cold spell, never fades or becomes inactive. It embraces and heals everyone at all times. "God is Love. Can we ask Him to be more?" (Mary Baker Eddy, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Pg. 2).

From beginning to end, the Holy Bible gives examples of God's love for all His children. It was the love of God that instructed Noah to build an ark and be safe from the flooding of the world. It was the love of God that parted the Red Sea when Moses and the Hebrews, pursued by the Pharaoh's army, faced a return to slavery in Egypt. Love led David out of adultery and into obedience to God's laws, and he had a fruitful reign as king of Israel. And divine Love enabled Christ Jesus and his followers to heal the sick, redeem the sinning, and even raise the dead.

This same Love helps and heals you and me today as well!

Divine Love is constant, mighty, all-embracing. In fact it is omnipotence itself. Love is the greatest power there is, with infinite facets. We reflect it through our identity as God's children, His spiritual image and likeness. And Love is found in our lives - instructing, guiding, correcting, preserving. God loves us. We need only yield to this fact to know more clearly and experience more certainly that His presence and power are constant.

I've long ago lost count of the times that getting a clear understanding of God's love has sustained me in daily living, even in the middle of trying and sometimes frightening circumstances. Learning of love through the study of Christian Science has tenderly led me forward out of darkness into light, from suffering and despair to joy and comfort.

I remember when I took my first steps as a single mother of three. It

wasn't easy. I was used to being cared for by my husband, and now here I was, responsible for the household. And I also needed to be a wage earner.

We couldn't remain in the house we were in. And I prayed - asked God for guidance - almost day and night, to know what to do next.

Step by step, the love of God led us. We were guided to move to another part of the country. Then a neighboring farm family became dear friends to all of us. They were expert child-care givers. My suburbanite children loved playing something called "flashlight tag" in the barn and riding horses; they learned countless new games of the great outdoors. Though the children of both our families are grown and married now, and many of us live quite far away from that loved farm, we all cherish one another to this day. It was clearly God's love that opened this door for my family in a difficult time. By leaning on Love as a power that makes a difference, I found that, step by step, a rewarding career as a journalist moved ahead.

If you come to a rough spot in life, remember the bright yellow daffodils blooming on a cold, gray spring day. They are a symbol that God's love endures. Remember that God, who is your Father-Mother, made you to express His love. This will lift you up, heal you, and fully care for you. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (I John 3:1).

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