"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
"Precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little." Isaiah 28:10
When I took class I was engaged to be married. Three weeks later my fiancé announced he no longer wanted to marry me, and took off with little explanation. We had bought a house together, booked the church, bought my dress, and I was starting a new job the next day! I was miles from home and felt absolutely desolate and very fearful.
I contacted a dear practitioner, and within hours began to feel a sense of comfort and peace. The new job proved to be a blessing, as it was so demanding that I hardly had a moment to myself. When I came home, however, I often dissolved in tears on the carpet! The practitioner asked me to think of my home as full of angels ready to welcome me, and this turned the problem into a blessing.
I did my best to look outward instead of inward, which was powerful in defending myself from self-pity. I started to express gratitude for all the ways God’s love was pouring out to me, which before I had not noticed. Then I decided to adopt a little cat from a nearby sanctuary, who was as glad of a loving home as I was of a companion.
Masculine companionship appeared in the form of a lodger who became a good friend. For 18 months we cooked together and took country walks, and when he left another friend was eager to fill his place. These were ‘platonic’ relationships, however, and sometimes I made a few attempts at ‘engineering’ romantic ones. But these always ended in heartbreak and frustration, and gradually I became cynical about men, even feeling that I disliked them!
One day a close relative had the love and courage to point this out, and asked how this attitude squared up with “Thy Maker is thy husband” as the Bible says. She went on to share a Sentinel article where the writer had felt impelled to write a list of spiritual qualities that she would like to companion with -- and then did her best to live them in her own life. My relative and I wrote our own list of qualities, and set out on the spiritual adventure of expressing them day by day.
The human situation did not change for another two years, but I was making great spiritual progress. I remembered my Dad’s business advice, “Never take a balance sheet part way through a year!” This helped me to “let patience have her perfect work.” I became really secure with myself and my relationship to God, and a friend commented on how I had turned an apparent disaster around and become so much stronger through it. She said, “You are independent and happy, and yet you are single.” This comforted me as much as my friend.
While I wasn’t even looking to meet someone, a dear and wonderful man came into my experience. He also felt very complete and was not searching for companionship, but we seemed to complement each other quite naturally. Our relationship continues to develop and expand into ‘new views of loveliness’ day by day.
Several months ago I found my list of qualities, and found that this dear friend expressed them all - and then some! How grateful I am for God’s tender, loving care, and the patience and humility I have learned as He has shaped my life. Divine Love has indeed wiped all my tears away and made all things new.