The Love within you is the Love you have to give….
…you can give no more or no less. A profoundly simple and yet very complex concept. We must love ourselves, fill ourselves with light and love in order to be able to give to those around us and the world. How many times do we give to everyone excluding ourselves? We leave out the most valuable possession we have, our spirit. Meditating on the love we have, the gratitude we have for our lives, opens us up to the most profound grace. We are then able to see the world as it should be, we are no longer slaves to insecurities, anxiousness, and jealousies. Love one another starts with love yourself. So when is the last time you took care of you? I know you run the kids everywhere and stress at work about making the boss happy, meeting your goals, being the perfect son or daughter, mother, father. There is more….and it starts within, meditate on those things which are…
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Phil 4:8-9
Fill your spirit, your mind, your heart with all good things! Know that no matter what — You are worthy, You are unconditionally loved by God, You are everything you are meant to be! There is no replacement in this world for you, and we need you to be the best you possible! Being someone else, or imitating someone else, is no good, because there is only one you and that’s the one we need. You must fill up with all the love you want and all the love that you can imagine knowing no one can give you that love, no drug, no food, no relationship other than with the divine, and you must accept that love, and then share that with the world. Yet you cannot give to your full potential, live the best life you can, without that light, love and divine grace within you — it all starts with you.
“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.” Luke 11:33-36 
In my practice of buddhism I find this idea of love is much the same, to bring Love into every aspect of your life. The belief that through meditation and practice you must strengthen your love muscle. It is through meditating on love that we are able to bring love not only into our family and friends, but also into conflict and other difficult situations. Practicing loving-kindness each day, even for a moment, is like a drop of water, and eventually that drop, along with the other drops fills a jug. In other words if we can all practice love little by little we can change the world or at the very least change our world! 
Practice love today!
LOVE, Cameron
Follow me @EPLotusFlower
Recipe for Meditation:
1 candle (lavender or another soothing scent)
1 quiet dim-lit space.
1 pandora spa music channel
10 minutes time
Take the four ingredients and mix them all together. Sit with crossed legs and straight back (rest on pillows if necessary) and imagine you are looking at yourself in the mirror — then feel all the love you need coming from you into that little girl/boy, your image in the mirror. Tell yourself all the wonderful things you have dreamed of hearing from a mate or a parent. Know that you are wonderfully made! You are loved. Repeat often.
Episcopal Lotus Flower in Bloom 
Another great post! Thanks for the reminder. I have GOT to start making time for myself in meditation and prayer again.
LikeLike