Return to Love

Don’t mistake the weather of your mind for the sky of your being.—Jeff Foster

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Have you ever stopped to consider where the sky begins? We gaze upward and notice more often than not what is beyond the sky—the sun faithfully setting in the west, the full moon, the morning star, or perhaps a constellation. You may be surprised to learn that the sky begins at your feet. Scientifically speaking, everything above ground is sky.

However, the ominous storm front rolling in is not the sky. Neither are the fluffy white clouds painted across the clear blue sky on a sunny day. The activity within the earth’s atmosphere is not the sky, nor anything in outer space. This is also true in the heavenly being on earth that is you. The weather of your mind is not the sky of your being. The storms of your heart are not the sky of your being.

God Is the Ground of Being

Theologian Paul Tillich surmised that God is the ground of being. At the point of your heart, soul, and body, you are an expression of God. Like the weather, everything you experience is not who you are—it is only what you experience.

The storms of life, literal and figurative, can be devastating and at times unpredictable. We know the heat generated by the sun can scorch our bare feet—and the rain can flood our homes and businesses—yet sunlight and rainfall renew life on the planet. It is the same in your heart. The storms of life can be painful, and in each and every experience is the possibility for renewal of heart and mind.

God is your source and in the realm of your soul there is no separation between ground and sky. Just like the world encompasses the earth and the atmosphere and is intrinsically one with the entire universe, there is no separation of your entire being from God.

Return to the ground of being. God is your source, and in the realm of your soul there is no separation between ground and sky. Just like the world encompasses the earth and the atmosphere and is intrinsically one with the entire universe, there is no separation of your entire being from God.

The Storm Is Within Us

Sometimes the storm isn’t around us—it is within us. If, for example, you experience depression or anxiety, the storm may exist only in mind and body. This can be all-consuming and make it difficult to separate the weather from the sky, so to speak. The opportunity is to return to love. Love prevails in all circumstances and is not a feeling, but a power that moves in and through you. It is healing, it is compelling, and it is a light in the darkest storm. Love wants to live, to breathe, and love wants to connect. Love connects you with God, with self, with others, with the planet, and all life. Love pours out of you, directly from the infinite wellspring that is Spirit.

In this outpouring, you also receive infinite love. You are loved. If you find yourself wondering, Is there enough love for me? redirect your thoughts to a more illuminating question: Am I expressing love in all that I do? This question can pull you out of the storm of your mind, connect you with your body and heart, and free you to fully participate in the flow of life around you.

Allowing the Flow of Love

When you allow love to live through you, it takes on a life of its own and returns itself to you tenfold. Love in action is generous and clear—it is an infinite fountain and it sets healthy boundaries. The flow of love will naturally create boundaries, like a riverbank carved from water.

As a creation of the Divine, you are the flow of divine love. It is your nature to be the presence of love in action.

I embody the presence of love. I am loving and I am loved.
Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Corinthians 16:14