The Seret

I've never read the book, "The Secret", so who knows, maybe I'm repeating what it already says. But I was driving on the freeway tonight and was listening to Delilah (the radio personality that does the syndicated love song show at night - an amazing lady by the way). A woman called in to the show and requested a song. She explained to Delilah that she had a stepson whom she loved very much and that the stepson briefly met with his "real" mom a few years back. She stated that during their time together, the "real" mom did not even want to acknowledge the boy as her son. Delia then asked the woman, "Do you love you stepson?" The woman responded, "Very much." Delilah then asked, "Do you read him stories at night, tuck him in and let him know how much you care about him?" The lady stated that she did and that she explained to her stepson that she was as much the boy's mom as his "real" mom would ever be. Delilah stated the stepson was blessed to have her in his life and that her loving him is really what mattered.

As I listened to the broadcast, it dawned on me in a way that it never had before, that LOVE is GOD and GOD is LOVE. It hit me, like only a revelation can, that anyone that knows love, knows God. I have believed this for a long time now, but for some reason, it hit me in a very real way, as I listened to the woman caller talk.

As we well know, we live in a world full of "fallen" and imperfect people. We live in a world where people make bad decisions and may even screw up their lives. But it became clear to me at that moment while listening to the show, that all of that is really secondary. The reality of the matter is this - regardless of how a person may appear and regardless of what they may say - do they know love? We say to ourselves and believe, as the Bible teaches, that "God is love". However, we have been taught religiously, that "If someone does not ‘accept Christ into their heart' then they are not ‘saved' and will not be with God when they die". We have been taught that these people are "separated from God" and "do not know God".

I don't claim to know it all or be an expert, but if we truly believe in our hearts that "God is love", then wouldn't that also mean that when we love somebody and have love in our hearts, that God is within us? I know that a lot of Christians would fight me on that notion, but if they truly believed that He is love, they would at least have to open-heartedly consider it. Think about it - the Bible clearly states that "since God loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." (1 John 4:11-12). It also states that "Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16) Are you reading this? Listen to it - "Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him"!

Christ paved the way for relationship by giving his own life for us "before the foundations of the earth" (Rev. 13:8). So, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." (1 John 3:16) Christ paved the way for love and relationship with each other before creation even existed. It sounds to me that if we love, we are already "in Christ" and He is in us.

In my opinion, I believe that this truly might be "the secret", because not everyone can or will accept that, whether they "go to church" or not. This truly might be "the secret" because in reality, not everyone acknowledges love - Christian or not. As we all know, a person can be the most religious person in the world, clean in all their ways, but not know love. But is it possible that a person who appears to be "dirty in all their ways" (in other words, someone who has made several mistakes in their life) knows love and therefore knows God? I believe that this just might be "the secret", because only those who understand the message of love and the heart of God, deep within their own hearts will get it. It is a secret because it is "hidden from the wise and learned and revealed to little children". The message of love really is a secret, because it is a heart (spirit) issue, not a head (surface) issue. One cannot truly see until they look from the eyes of their heart. That is where truth is acknowledged. This might just be the secret - that love is not a thing; it is not even an action. Love is a person. And can only be seen within the confines of the heart. Somebody may not even know or acknowledge the name of Christ, but if they truly love even one person, they know and acknowledge Christ and the love of God is in their heart.