love

We live in an age where a spirit of general distrust is almost an epidemic. And, faith in God is low. In fact, there is a close relationship between those two problems. In reality, it is quite impossible to separate the idea of faith in God from trust in life in general, and even from trust in God's children in particular. Faith is knowing that what God made is not essentially evil, or bad and wrong. What God made is both loveable and worthy of love.

Therefore, faith and trust are one -- faith in God; trust in God's children. People who do not have faith in God are withholding, distrustful, and closed in relation to God, life, and God's children. Because they are withholding, they are not giving. Because they are distrustful, they are closed. Because they are closed, they have difficulty in either giving OR receiving.

Where, then, does openness come from? Clearly, it starts with faith in God. Openness is created by faith in God, and expresses itself as trust in both oneself and others -- AS beloved children of God (just as closure is created by insufficient faith in God, and by insufficient trust in oneself and others as children of God).

If you are closed, you cannot receive from God or from the still small voice, and you cannot receive love from other people. And, also, you cannot give to other people, or for that matter give thanks and devotion to God.