© 1993 Ann Bendall
© 1993 ANZURA, Australia & New Zealand Urantia Association
Ann Bendall, Nambour, Qld.
Two strange ways of behaviourally responding to Jesus’ commandment to ‘Love one another as I have loved you’ are:
Frankly I feel that these are rather poor substitutes for love as exemplified by Jesus. I also find it a little sad that folks would salute God wherever they chose to see Him. As our loving Father, perhaps a spiritual cuddle, some expression of love, might be more appropriate than a military signal of acknowledgement of position.
I try to deliberate on the rationale behind loving the God within another, rather than the individual, and quite appreciate how easy it is to love the former and how darned difficult it is to love the latter. Be that as it may, I verily believe that it is no substitute at all for the following of Jesus’ commandment in relation to our brothers and sisters.
How do we learn to understand God the Supreme? Simple!
“Man can discover the Father in his heart, but he will have to search for the Supreme in the hearts of all other men.”" (UB 117:6.23)
So this following of Jesus’ commandment has a double-barrelled effect, for not only do we get to be Jesus’ disciples but we also discover the Supreme!
Not once in The URANTIA Book do I gain even the vaguest hint of Jesus having a fleeting thought along the lines of: “I give up. This person is totally unlovable. The only thing I can find of any value in them is their Thought Adjuster”.
The URANTIA Book is littered with constant reminders that we are to love the individual:
“I send you forth, not to love the souls of men, but rather to love men.” (UB 191:5.3)
“Jesus could help men so much because he loved them sincerely. He truly loved each man, each woman, and each child.” (UB 171:7.4)
“‘Be of good cheer.’ He could maintain this confident attitude because of his unswerving trust in God and his unshakable confidence in man, He was always touchingly considerate of all men because he loved them and believed in them.” (UB 100:7.9)
He would interrupt a serious conference with his apostles to fraternize with an intruding child. Nothing ever seemed so important to Jesus as the individual human who chanced to be in his immediate presence. (UB 138:8.9)
And we URANTIA Book students are blessed with the exact formula as to how to love as Jesus loves:
“In physical life the senses tell of the existence of things; mind discovers the reality of meanings; but the spiritual experience reveals to the individual the true values of life. These high levels of human living are attained in the supreme love of God and in the unselfish love of man. If you love your fellow men, you must have discovered their values. Jesus loved men so much because he placed such a high value upon them. You can best discover values in your associates by discovering their motivation. If some one irritates you, causes feelings of resentment, you should sympathetically seek to discern his viewpoint, his reasons for such objectionable conduct. If once you understand your neighbor, you will become tolerant, and this tolerance will grow into friendship und ripen into love.” (UB 100:4.4)
Increasingly they learned from Jesus to look upon human personalities in terms of their possibilities in time and in eternity. They learned that many souls can best be led to love the unseen God by being first taught to love their brethren whom they can see. And it was in this connection that new meaning became attached to the Master’s pronouncement concerning unselfish service for one’s fellows:
“Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of my brethren, you did it to me.” (UB 155:3.4)
“Jesus loved men so much and so wisely that he never hesitated to be severe with them when the occasion demanded such discipline. He frequently set out to help a person by asking for help. In this way he elicited interest, appealed to the better things in human nature.” (UB 171:7.7)
It is blatantly clear that God and Jesus want us not to love the God in an individual, but rather the individual themselves. It is inconceivable that God is narcissistic desirous of spending his day admiring his image as his children gaze at their brothers and sisters. Whose love is it anyway? Love comes from God. He gives it to us to give to our brothers and sisters.
I cannot believe that God wants us to love him in others, whilst totally ignoring the unique, never to be repeated personality, trapped within the very confused mind of a decidedly ugly little human. What did God ask of Jesus? His wish is that not one be lost. Can a Thought Adjuster go astray? No! What God is asking is that we love that which he so much treasures — the cherished personality he has created. He asks us to approach the unlovable with an attitude of true love. Like that beautiful mind picture painted of the snarling cave man (UB 100:4.5), he asks us to truly love the personality housed within our brother and sister, so that he can help us to expand the picture of their being, so that we can understand why they are as they are. Perhaps in the process, they will gain insight into the possibility of adopting different attitudes, beliefs, values, and emotions — simply because we offer our genuine, sincere love. This love may say: “I know you don’t believe you are lovable. I even recognize you believe love is for the birds, that you feel that I am of no interest or value to you. I recognize all of this, and I love you because of the unique individual that you are. But if I change the subject from you to your actual behaviour, I can sum that in two words — it stinks!”
What God Is Asking Is That We Love That Which He So Much Treasures — The cherished personality he has created. He asks us to approach the unlovable with an attitude of true love.
Why cannot we look at folks as.lesus and God do? We run around trying to save the whales and the African tree-climbing rhinosaurus whilst treating, with the sublimest disregard, that rare entity — our brother and sister. There is only one of them. That is all God made. If one dies, there is no more. For an eternity there is a sadness borne of the memory of that person within God the Supreme — a cherished memory for which God had great dreams. Each individual is a personality created by God. Each loss of an individual personality causes sadness in God as he accepts that individual’s decision not to transform the dream into an eternal reality.
So let’s all try to love one another as Jesus loves us, as he exemplified in his love for all the folks he met in his life down here. And then begins the fun of disappointment, adversity, sadness and all the lovely, painful growth material. Without a doubt it would be a blessed relief to escape into the illusionary way of thinking that “God really wants me to love Him, not my brothers and sisters. How can I love someone who is trying to convince me with all of their might that they have not a single trait worthy of a human being — that they are truly an animal?” But God would not ask the impossible of me! God does not ask me to love the traits of a person, he asks me to love the person.
And the benefit to us? Just as it was with Jesus:
“…his real education — that equipment of mind and heart for the actual test of grappling with the difficult problems of life — he obtained by mingling with his fellow men. It was this close association with his fellow men, young and old, Jew and gentile, that afforded him the opportunity to know the human race. Jesus was highly educated in that he thoroughly understood men and devotedly loved them.” (UB 123:5.8)
Now, as an aside, on the subject of animals. If we happen to meet some human who tries really hard to convince us that they are a decidedly antisocial and undomesticated animal, then what can we do? Bearing in mind the “wise as serpents, gentle as doves” advice of Jesus, as well as the “not casting pearls before swine” talk that he gave us, perhaps we can discover some very interesting techniques for interaction with such an individual, by examining relationships between two-legged humans who have the capacity to love, and four-legged animals who are decidedly distrustful of humans.
Warily at first, but then with surety born of continuity of attitude towards them, some will develop trust. Any animal lover can advise you as to how to develop such a relationship by interacting with the wary animal, not forcing yourself upon them, or overwhelming their timid being. Gradually, regularly, and with consistency of manner, jou approach the animal; gently you gain their confidence. You watch ever so carefully so as to understand their fears and moods. And they, for their part, are also watching you. One sign of inconsistency, uncontrolled display of annoyance, anger, or frustration and you can do irreparable damage to a budding relationship.
Each individual is a personality created by God. Each loss of an individual personality causes sadness in God as he accepts that individual’s decision not to transform the dream into an eternal reality.
You give time. Slowly, timidly, they start to approach. Each day they become a little more confident, and finally your staunch ally. You get labelled a friend. They know you as well as you know them. The ground rules for the relationship are established. It is a friendship based on trust, respect and understanding.
Perhaps with some humans the way to walk them through to belief in themselves, to assist them to rise to the stature of their human potential, is by some similar means. I do not really know, for many humans are so incredibly frightened.
However, a pleasant and sincere word as we pass by, if there are enough of such expressions of recognition and kindness by enough people, may have such a person start to think that maybe this trusting and friendship stuff has some merit.
And the next person who comes along, genuinely acknowledging their unique individuality, loving and respecting them as a person, might be the catalyst that has them dare to try — try to trust and love. And at that moment, the soil of their mind is fertile for their Thought Adjuster to get through a message of truth and love from our Father.
“Jesus said to John: ‘John, do you love me’? And when John answered: ”‘Yes, Master, with all my heart’“, the Master said: ‘Then, John, give up your intolerance and learn to love men as I have loved you. Devote your life to proving that love is the greatest thing in the world.’” (UB 192:2.1)