OrEd-T-18.9-Purpose of the Body.2

OrEd-T-18.9-Purpose of the Body.278. Love knows no bodies, and it reaches to everything created like itself. Love's total lack of limit is its meaning. It is completely impartial in its giving, encompassing what it would give only to preserve and keep the gift complete. In my tiny kingdom, I have so little! The dry desert makes up my little kingdom-unproductive, scorched and joyless. I would call on love to enter there. I will realize the life and joy that love will bring to my desert, bringing life and joy from where it comes, and would return with me. 79. Waiting at the barrier I built, the Thought of God surrounds my little kingdom, waiting to come inside and shine upon the barren ground. The holy instant is my invitation for love to enter into my bleak and joyless kingdom, and to transform it into a garden of peace and welcome. I invite it in, and life springs up everywhere! The desert becomes a garden, green, deep and quiet, offering rest to those who lost their way and wander in the dust. Where there was once a desert, love prepared a place of refuge. My little garden will expand, and reach out to everyone who thirsts for living water, but has grown too weary to go on alone. They enter one by one into this holy place, but they will not depart alone. And everyone I welcome brings love with him from Heaven for me. The love they brought with them will stay with them and with me. 80. I will go and find them, and lead them gently to my quiet garden and receive their blessing there, for they bring my Self with them. So the garden will grow and stretch across the desert, leaving no lonely little kingdoms locked away from love and leaving me inside. Recognizing myself, I see my little garden gently transformed into the Kingdom of Heaven, with all the love of its Creator shining upon it. 81. Love's answer is inevitable. Love will come, because I came without the body and put no barriers that would interfere with love's glad coming. In the holy instant, I ask for what love offers everyone, neither more nor less. Asking for everything, I will receive everything. And my shining Self will lift the tiny aspect which I tried to hide from Heaven straight into Heaven. No part of love calls on the whole in vain. No Son of God remains outside His Father. 82. I will be sure of this--love has entered our special relationship and entered fully at our weak request. We do not recognize that love has come, because we have not yet let go of all the barriers we hold against each other. Yet, separately we will not be able to give love welcome. I could no more know God alone than He could know me without my brother. But together we are aware of love, and love will recognize itself in us. 83. We have reached the end of an ancient journey, not yet realizing that it is over. We are still worn and tired and the desert's dust seems to cloud our eyes and keep us sightless. Yet, He Whom we welcomed has come to us and would welcome us. He has long waited to give us welcome. We receive it now of Him, for He would have us know Him. Only a little wall of dust still stands between me and my brother. We blow on it lightly with happy laughter, and it falls away. And we walk into the garden that love has prepared for both of us.