LOVE-Parenting: For All
and By All
By
Julio C. Rivas
What makes a good parent? Good parenting is natural when we are
reflecting LOVE-GOD.
Jesus Christ understood that man is united to
his divine progenitor, which is SPIRIT-LOVE.
We read in the New Testament that Jesus calls LOVE-GOD “Abba” (or
“daddy” in a modern context) when he is preparing to face his crucifixion. He is drawing on the empyrean love and power that
only his heavenly parent, his LOVE-PRINCIPLE, can give him.
The apostle Paul also refers to GOD-SOUL as
“Abba.” He explains that by implementing Jesus’ examples anyone can discover
man’s privileged, spiritual status and their connectivity to MOTHER-FATHER-LOVE.
Paul writes, “Because you are
now part of God’s family, He sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts; and
the Spirit calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’
You no longer have to live as a slave because you are a child of God.
And since you are His child, God guarantees an inheritance is waiting
for you.” (TV, Gal. 4: 6- 7).
We feel catalyzed by love and generosity when we
recognize that humanity belongs to LOVE’s divine family. The one all-inclusive PRINCIPLE-MIND subsumes
us within its limitless and irrepressible health, beauty and intelligence. The SOUL-US is GOD, and it has blended our
unique, celestial compositions with its overflowing harmony and love
SPIRIT is our superlative Parent, the all-protective
LOVE. Marvelous spiritual healer M. B.
Eddy writes, “Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender
relationship to His spiritual creation” (S&H p. 332:4-5). And she also says that “Man and woman as
coexistent and eternal with God forever reflect, in glorified quality, the infinite
Father-Mother, God” (S&H p. 516: 21).
This brilliant thinker also points out the weakness
and, sometimes, the wickedness of fleshly ties when she writes, "mortals,
or the 'children of men' in material sense, are discordant and ofttimes false
brethren." But then she adds that
"Immortals, or God's children in divine Science, are one harmonious
family." (S & H 444:27)
TRUTH-LOVE is the definer of our spiritual identities. Hence, sexual gender cannot limit our spiritual
capacity to express the fatherhood and motherhood of LOVE-PRINCIPLE. For example, we reflect the tenderness of
LOVE’s motherhood as well as the strength of PRINCIPLE’s fatherhood. In addition, SOUL-PRINCIPLE is indivisible, and
everyone’s spiritual selfhood is endowed with the full range of divine
qualities.
Christ Jesus demonstrated the mutually
supportive qualities of compassion and firmness, forgiveness and authority,
gentleness and strength because he reflected the wholeness of SOUL. All -- male, female, adult and children -- reflect
the completeness of our parental SOUL.
LOVE’s healing love is universal. It is not meant to be confined to our
homes. We can embrace everyone and
everything with MIND’s intelligent grace.
Because we are empowered by MIND’s qualities we can impart and receive
healing. This why children can uplift
and inspire adults. It is also why we can
improve a receptive work environment; and why a stranger can instill loving joy
and wisdom in us.
Our SOUL-derived abilities enable us to throw
away prideful, fearful and sclerotic attitudes and to express, with precision and
adaptability, the appropriate ideas and qualities called for by a particular moment
and situation. We are then parenting
more like how SOUL-LOVE parents everyone.
The apostle Paul opens our thinking/hearts to
the forces of divine LOVE which are innate to our being. He declares: “We love
because He has first loved us. If someone
claims, “I love God,” but hates his brother or sister, then he is a liar.
Anyone who does not love a brother or sister, whom he has seen, cannot possibly
love God, whom he has never seen. He gave us a clear command, that
all who love God must also love their brothers and sisters.” (TV, 1 John
4: 19-21)
Paul knows that everything good starts with our
progenitor, infinite LOVE, who is the center and fountain of all spiritual
being and harmonious action. By being in
rhythm with this profound concept we understand our spiritual interconnectivity
with all existence and corroborate it with right actions.
Parents who were suffering from ongoing
conflicts and misunderstandings with their children have called on me to help
them find resolution. I have helped them
discover more of one another’s spiritual endowments and to cherish and nurture
them.
Our discussions, prayers and the persistent implementation
of new ideas have helped their children make a comeback from drug/alcohol addiction,
suicidal tendencies and other troubles.
They have become whole again.
When parents learn to listen better to their children
and to welcome and implement their input the entire family takes pleasure in
problem-solving together. Parents can learn
to give up having to be right. They can
learn to ask their children for help in a variety of ways. When this happens then all family members are
parenting each other with LOVE-MIND’s wisdom, selflessness and generosity.
A successful, intelligent and loving family
dynamic is natural when we are applying our spiritual attributes.
It is so fulfilling to “parent” the world around
us. MIND-LOVE’s parenting is a joy to receive
and express.
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