Have you ever considered how difficult it is to live conditional love?
Conditional love puts qualifications on its care for others. It evaluates other’s performance and then decides whether it is going to love them or not, and how much.
For instance, if a spouse neglects to pick up his dirty clothes on the floor, again and again and again, conditional love may decide that it can’t be so nice to him. That some anger needs to be expressed and resentment harbored. And then perhaps it feels a need to fume about the carelessness for several hours, maybe even days.
You can probably think of your own examples of getting caught up into conditional love. Unhappiness with how co-workers treat you, how your teen reacts to your comments, or the neighbor that doesn’t seem to care. No matter what the situation, honestly, it’s much harder to harbor resentment and ill-will than to just love unconditionally.
It’s hard work to be resentful. It wastes mental energy, consumes valuable mental time that could be doing something useful and worthwhile, makes one feel bad, even ill, hurts only oneself, and manifests itself as a very unpleasant personality to be around. Resentment is not a happy state.
Unconditional love, however, is a joy to live. It feels good. It is good. It keeps one’s thought in a happy, uplifted, inspired place. It keeps one feeling close to God. It is God manifest. It is a very healthy mental and spiritual place to be, and it keeps one feeling healthy too.
Unconditional love is the way to go if you want to live well. It sees the good in others, and doesn’t get hung up on the shortcomings. It knows that all things work together for good, and with patience, persistence and perseverance, knows that any difficulty can be worked out for the common benefit.
Unconditional love is not hard at all to do. It’s easy. It’s natural. It’s the way God made you, to see the good, honor the good and manifest the good. Try it, if you’re not doing it already, and you’ll see what I mean! Living in Love is the ultimate freedom.
Thank you Evan!
Excellent Evan I really needed this today. Thank you
Thank you so much–Merry Christmas to you and yours
Truly liberating thought, Evan. Thank you.
Yes, so true and beautifully expressed! Thank you, Evan! I’ve noticed, for me, the one foot drop from the Head to the Heart can sometimes be the longest journey I’ll ever take! Been struggling for the past few days with Heart Aches and Pains and woke up this a.m. asking God to take away my human ego and just pour in Love thru floodtides of Truth! Ohhh to be able to Love Unconditionally, to get past all the hard places……..my Prayer: “Teach Me How to Love”!! Merry Christmas to All!
So very helpful, a real keeper!
I never called it conditional love bu rathert seeing others and myself as separate from God, separate minds battling one another, not One Mind. that is an interesting way to look at it.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2016.
Dear Evan.
Something that all can relate too. I just love this article… I have been trying to do more of this on a regular basis. I am forwarding this on and print so out to put in Christmas presents…. wouldn’t this be the best present of all… for everyone in you life and beyond to practice unconditional love.
Merry Christmas and very Happy New Year.
Joanne
Unconditional love to you all, Evan and all listeners whether they reply or not. And, a very joyous Christmas celebrating the birth of Jesus the Christ.
I feel lots of joy singing the hymn I walk With Love Along The Way. Many years ago I memorized the verses. If I need to feel more love or just feel a lack of it this always gives me an instant boost!
The joy that none can take away is mine. I walk with Love today. Wrap up in fathomless billows of God’s Infinite
Love!
Thanks Evan! I second Nadine’s comment…this is a very interesting way to look at unconditional love!
I was watching the movie “Pride” a few months ago about how a group of Gay and Lesbian people in London helped a group of striking British coal miners during the mid-1980’s. The movie depicted the hate many people expressed to the Gays and Lesbians…including many of the miners that were being helped by this group. At some point in the movie it hit me how exhausting it is to hate. The “haters” just seemed so stressed out and agitated all of the time. Now I see that I fit that same scenario when I choose to love conditionally. Very eye opening! Thanks again!!!
Thank you! I needed this reminder but I do practice it most of the time.
Boy! What a simple way to view people. Unconditional Love is really pure Love. Isn’t that what Dogs express to their owners. They could be our teachers of how to Love UNCONDITIONALLY!