Spiritual Workout Day 2: Love Lets You Choose

The readings for Day 2 brought to mind two things. One is that love lets you choose. The other is why it is difficult to choose right over wrong.

Love lets you choose

Let me relate this to my Day 1 post. We are in the heart of God. He loves us, but He never required us to love Him back. By giving us free will, He allowed us to choose to believe in Him, or to choose not to. So in effect, you can actually choose not to love Him back, not to pray, not to have faith. But He'd continue loving you and blessing you anyway.

What is beautiful about free will and unconditional love is that it allows you to grow, to learn things on your own, to make mistakes. An opportunity to understand why the rules say you shouldn't do this or that. I am not trying to defend sin or rule-breaking. I have just learned that some of us will not listen until we hit rock bottom, until we learn things the hard way.

But more than this, you are free to choose to love Him back. To accept Him into your life. While we are all receiving blessings whether we are believers or not, it is only when we open are hands and hearts to Him that some blessings are finally able to pour in. Like peace. Like more love. Like faith. Like more strength.

"When the soul is ready, the blessing will appear." God lets us take our time, until we are ready to accept Him, allow Him to be part of our lives. When we don't feel Him at all, it may not be because He is not there, but because we have not allowed Him to come in.

Trying to be good is not a guarantee of a happy life

I don't know if I am just being a bit pessimistic this time. But I have learned that being good and trying to do what is right is definitely not easy. Even if you don't mean any harm, people will find reasons to hate you. Even if your intentions are good, you will be misinterpreted. People you love and care for will not always appreciate what you are doing. Not to mention the pressure to do what is wrong just to conform. And of course, with our own shortcomings and lack of understanding, we will inevitably make mistakes along the way.

I was taught that God blesses both the good and the bad. But if this is so, why choose to be good? Mahirap kaya! And besides, they said following God will not erase your problems anyway (baka dumami pa nga eh!). So why follow Him at all?!!!

Actually, I don't have an answer, well at least not a religious one. To me, it boiled down to choosing to be the person you wish to be. It is a choice of character, of the kind of life you'd like to live, of the meaning you wish your life to have. The rewards of choosing good is in the choice itself--it shapes who you are and how you see yourself.

And while there is no guarantee that the good you do will always be appreciated, I believe it can go a long way. You will never know who among the people you met today you have touched, and will touch others in the future. Sometimes, the only way to thank God for His love is to pass it on.