Letters, No. 7

Dearest one,

I have recently been reading through and reexamining a lot of the Pauline letters, and I can't help but notice the difficulty of truly understanding what he talks about in terms of "the love of Jesus Christ", or the "new life in Christ" that he often repeats. I know what it means in theory, and I do have the knowledge to explain how it works to its very detail, yet, I struggle to truly feel that change.

I wonder, what it really means to be Christian, outside of the belief in Christ. Anyone can be a good person without being a Christian. I'd like to think that I would want to do good, whether I had a faith in Christ or not. So, what is this obligation I read of, to do good, as I have this supposed new life in Christ as a believer?

The reason I am telling you all this, my love, is because you are the thing that has been helping me rediscover my love for the divine. As I have told you many times before, but you make me want to become a better man. You make me feel love, and loved, like I never really have. How you make me feel, has allowed me to love myself, and others, a little more.

You help me see what 1 John 4 speaks of when the writer says that God's love is made complete when one loves another. To be loved by you, is to be loved by God. So as I wrestle my way through really understanding my life in Christ, I will continue to be grateful that you are there beside me, reminding me always what it is to experience God, and join in that love that he has extended to me.

E.J.