A Journey through Love

Hi! I want to introduce you to a most amazing friend and colleague today, Maryam Reimer. Maryam is a beautiful writer with a vast and deep heart. She has much to share. Please enjoy this article from her…

As I sat down to write, there were so many themes and quotes circling my head. As I took a deep breath and asked the Divine to guide me through His mercy and compassion to the perfect themes and words, one word remained: LOVE!

And these two quotes:

“F.L.Y. First love yourself, others will come next.”

And a favorite from Rumi: “Love is the bridge between you and everything.”

I invite you to join me on a journey with these quotes as our guide.

Our first stop is the heart—our energetic, expansive, larger than life hearts that are mirrors of our existence and the world around us. At our first stop, I take a moment to reflect on and experience the peace, beauty and love that exists there. Pause and take a moment to explore your own heart—start by taking a deep breath or two, and call on the Divine as you know Him. After a few moments, take a few notes on what you’ve seen or felt. Personally, I find that these notes help me to ground and own what I might otherwise dismiss a few moments later.

I’m reminded that to really experience that peace and love, it’s taken me 14 years through lots of tears, resistance, joy, fears, sweetness and struggle. What an exhilarating roller coaster ride! I look forward to uncovering the jewels that are still hidden.

Other than the obvious connection between hearts and love, why is the heart first our stop? I suppose that first quote took me there—where better than the heart with all the mirrors it contains to start figuring out how we really do feel about ourselves and how we present ourselves to the world. Over these past 14 years, my heart has truly become my guide when I take the chance to listen to her. A place where I know love and truth exist. And, I believe my heart also contains my true connection to the Divine—my Creator and source of love and so much more.

Okay back on the train—don’t want to miss Rumi’s beautiful words. The depth of Rumi’s words escaped me when I first read them because words are words, right? Well, yes and….

A friend from my corporate America days introduced me to the power of words, and that simple words can have so many meanings when you take the time to look and listen. I am reminded that inside every word is a message or sign from God. When I really want to understand what’s behind the words, I often ask what song is being sung. I hear Rumi’s words singing two songs that join into a third song in the end. (Maybe you hear different ones? Please don’t be shy and share with me in the comments below.)

The first song describes how love is the bridge between Allah and us, for weren’t we created out of love? There is a famous divine saying (hadith qudsi) in which God says: “I was a hidden treasure; so I loved to be known. Therefore, I created the world so that I would be known.” There are many translations of the original Arabic words, but this is one that I really like. I enjoy the song that these words sing—love as the central act of creation. Not only is all of humanity created out of love but also Allah wanted us to love Him.

God didn’t create us because He wanted someone to follow His every command because she had no choice—He had the angels for that. He created us to know Him, or in other words, to know the Love that we were created from and to follow His guidance out of love. As I write these words, I am overwhelmed by how love permeates all of Allah’s actions with us, His creation, even if we don’t love Him back. At the same time, I am reminded of my shaykh’s beautiful words: “… because first God loves you and then we love Him.”

The second song—the bridge between us and the world. For me, this is a subtler song in that at many moments during the course of my day this song is much harder to hear and follow—yet no less important. I’ve been a student of Sufism for 14 years, but I still struggle daily to allow all of my interactions with God’s creation to be filled with love, including interactions with myself. Yet, each time I take a step in this direction I am so blessed and rewarded. The circumstances of the interactions really don’t matter: shopping at the grocery store, volunteering at a food bank, supporting a prospective student through the admissions process. Each time I show up with love, I am blessed, and I am grateful.

The final song—the bridge between us, the world and Allah. This last song is really the union of the first two songs. This is the song that plays out through our daily interactions and how we view the world. And, while I attempt to see the Divine in every aspect of the world and share the love in every interaction, I still have a very long way to go.

Yes, I can see God behind a beautiful sunset, or in a newborn’s face. That’s easy, at least for me. But to see God in the violence that is pervading the Holy Land or our inner cities or even the driver that cuts me off in traffic, well, that’s not so easy. And, while I find myself shying away from many of these situations because it is harder for me to find the Love, I also know that these are the times where I truly need to look for God’s face, God’s love at work. I offer a sincere prayer that you and I together take a step closer to this reality each moment of each day.

Our last stop on today’s journey is gratitude, for gratitude can be a doorway to love, and love can deepen our gratitude. I want to thank you for sharing your time with me and invite you to join the conversation through the comment section below. I am reminded every day of how we can learn from each other. One last quote from Rumi to close: “If you only say one prayer in a day, make it ‘Thank you.’”

Peace and love to you.
~Maryam

 
You can learn more about Maryam Reimer on the Our Bloggers page. Thank you!
www.SufiUniversity.org

Photo by Ned Horton via freeimages.com