Real Love or Ego? Which is it?



Reflections



Posted On June 18, 2016

(a paraphrase of 1 corinthians 13)

Real love is patient and kind.
It is open to change and growth.
It accepts others for who they are, where they are,
Not who we want them to be.

Ego requires an apology.
It demands others be accountable to us.
Ego holds on to past hurts,
Believing it has to teach others how to treat us.

Real love forgives, forgets, and moves on.
It gives others the space to grow at their own pace.
Real love frees us from our inner prison of judgment, fear, and anger.

Ego stirs the pot.
It fills our minds and relationships with resentments and bitterness.
It shakes its fist and points its finger,
Spewing seeds of discord and dysfunction.

True love turns the other cheek.
It accepts the imperfection of others and ourselves.
It invites us to inner growth.
It teaches us the depth and breadth, the strength of unconditional love.

Ego twists the truth.
It disguises itself as love.
It is self-serving and self-centered.
It sees the world with blinders on.
Ego is filled with vanity and blame.

True love, unconditional love, does not keep score.
It doesn’t count how many times you’ve visited.
It doesn’t trifle itself with whether you served our meal with good china or paper plates.
It’s happy and content with the ways things are.
It doesn’t push the river.
It trusts that life and love unfolds.

True loves takes its blinders off.
It sees things from all perspectives.
It puts childish ways aside,
Seeking truth with the adult eyes of Wisdom.

True love opens our hearts.
It quiets our inner victim.
It hushes our inner judge,
Allowing us to embrace the freedom to love without conditions or expectations.

.
True love wins, eventually.
But only after we pull the mask off our misperceptions of love.

There are in the end only three things in this life that matter,
Only three things that bring us happiness,
Three things, which overcome our fidgety, fickle egos.

These three things are the thread, which connects us to each other in this world and the next: faith, hope, and love.

And the most powerful,
The richest and strongest of these,
The mirror that reflects back the true image of who we are, and have been created to be,
Is love…
Unconditional love.

—brian j plachta
www.brianplachta.net

Written by Brian J. Plachta

Following the Breadcrumbs God Leaves Along Our Path

What if God is speaking through ordinary moments more often than we realize?

A conversation that stays with us. A door that closes. A quiet nudge we can’t quite explain. An unexpected invitation that seems to come at just the right time.

The challenge is learning to notice these moments before we have any idea where they’re leading, and trusting the next step.

Over time, we may begin to see that God’s guidance doesn’t always come as an answer. Sometimes, it comes as a trail.

What to Do When God Seems Silent

Has silence ever made you feel like God is far away? When we feel this way, it’s easy to start looking for answers or waiting for a clear sign. But prayer can also be as simple as slowing down and noticing what’s already here. The breeze. The waves. Your breath. The quiet. God’s presence doesn’t always come through words. Sometimes we just need to be still enough to notice.

Let God Alone Define You

Ever have someone’s words get stuck in your head?
Maybe they criticized you, misunderstood you, or told a story about you that doesn’t feel true. And before long, you’re holding a courtroom in your mind—defending yourself, replaying the conversation, wondering if maybe they’re right.

There’s another way.

Bring it into the quiet with God.

Ask: Is there something here I need to learn? Is there something I need to own? And what was never mine to carry in the first place?

We can stay humble enough to receive the truth without letting someone else’s opinion become our identity.

Because in the end, God alone defines you.

« Older Entries