Meditation/Like all other existential questions whose answers do not primarily depend on him, a human being cannot by himself, give an answer to the question of what it means for you to love someone or something, because fundamentally, he is a being which, in the long term, is always the product of a series of life experiences that make of him who he is; that is to say, as Aristote says in his POLITICS (1874), a being capable of discerning values, perceiving the useful and the harmful, the just and the unjust, and the good and evil, in a world where he become Men by living with other people, in societies governed by laws and customs.

Societies in which human beings born, raised, and acquire a certain amount of knowledge which makes of them who they are, and which greatly influence their views and statements, because this acquired knowledge, which existed before them, determines choices which are the consequence of the adherence of their conscience to pre-existing knowledge and viewpoints, which clearly reflect the fact that, if the desire to know is inherent to human existence, it do not means that every answer regarding specific subjects depends firstly of the baby and the child, who will be the Men of tomorrow.

That is why, to the question of knowing what it means for you to love someone, or what is love for you, a Muslim, a Jew, an animist, an atheist, a Buddhist, a Jain, a Christian, and by extension a citizen of the world, will respond, based on a set of legacy whose the first foundations have been implanted by those who played a major role in shaping who they are today.

Our definition of love will therefore always depend on the choices we make in the present moment always linked to a past that connects us to others. That is why, depending on the choices we make, our viewpoints will always depends of our ancestors viewpoints, the faith of those who believed before us, our living context or environment, our educational background, and finally and above all, experiences we have gathered in a world where love have a universal language which is a call to love one another, and to demonstrate it concretely, through actions, even to the point of loving our enemies.

But if these words are perhaps beautiful to hear and recite, they must not be applied naively because nobody a part God, is capable of loving as he should by himself. If we must love our enemies for example, it is because we have a duty or rather, an obligation as believers, to invite into our hearts each day, the One who, for Christians in particular, gave His life for the salvation of humanity, so that He help us to love these individuals or enemies properly, while remaining mindful of the realities of a life during which, the trust in God does not preclude the necessity to be wary of certain people, as well as specific actions and practices.

The Apostle Saint John tells us, in verse 16 of the third chapter of his Gospel, that God so loved the world that He gave His Son as a sacrifice, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. And in the same vein, the Apostle Saint Paul say in verse 9 of the tenth chapter of his Letter to the Romans that (New International Version),

He continue in verse 10^th by saying that (New International Version),

If you believe in these words, that is a good thing. If you do not, it is not a problem. Indeed, if Christians, like many others are called to proclaim the love of God and of Jesus in particular, through the quality of their lives, it is not everyone who will have the privilege of becoming a Christian, despite the fact of being called to become Christian. Why? Because God’s love, is not found solely among Christians or within Christian circles. It is a love present wherever God is respected. Whether or not we believes in Christ, we must be wise enough, in order to respect what we may perhaps not know.

That is why it is important to speak of what we know, without disparaging or insult what we do not know, or what we have not had the grace to know, simply because we have perhaps taken refuge in a religion or a philosophy that does not hold a monopoly on the knowledge of God. In other words, those who do not share the beliefs of others should remain aware of the fact that, God is capable of anything, while still asking Him to grant them the grace to better understand how others live their faith, so that they better respect it, and above all, respect God, even without sharing that way of living the faith. Indeed, the love of God cannot be forced. It is sincere; it is given sincerely, and received sincerely or not. And the refusal to sincerely accept this love stems from the ingratitude of a world where people are victims of an ignorance that drives some to exclude others from a love that cannot be compelled or forced, and who’s they hold no monopoly.

When We was in from 3, the curriculum or program included lessons dedicated to dialogue to help student to better learn Dutch. When our teacher was watching two of our classmates conversing in Dutch in front of the whole class, he stopped them at a certain point of the dialogue to talk us about the necessity to pay attention to how we behave with those we are speaking to. He said us this,

He even let Us know that, that day, he had nearly come to blows with the latter.

When he told Us the story, the whole class was laughing. And he said to us, "my friends, listen to me:”

Thinking about it recently, we immediately thought of the 24 and 25 verses of the second chapter of the second letter of Saint Paul to Timothy (New International Version):

we also thought of the second verse of the fourth chapter of this second letter (New International Version):

As to say that, God’s love cannot be forced. We simply have to do what we must, and let God do His part, for we are not God. And that is what it means to give our life for those we love: by respecting who they are, and by patiently and instructively sharing the Joy we have had the grace to receive, we contribute to the extension of God’s reign of love on earth, thank to a pleasing sacrifice which is nothing other than the love with which we carry out this work of salvation, while respecting others, in a world where people do not always know who are their true enemies.

Every times I entered my friend and evangelist home from the Baptist Convention Church, I used to meditate on one of the drawings or representations hanging on his living room wall. In that particular drawing, on one side, there was the leader of the demons who was sending his angels [demons] into the world, to incite people to commit wrongful acts in society; on the other side, it was angels of the Lord, who was send by Him in order to help God’s children to brave all life’s trials. And the main lesson of the story conveyed by this drawing rich in symbolism and meaning was this: our enemies are not human beings, but demons; that is to say, evil spirits that incite people to commit wicked deeds.

But this is very hard to believe when we are living in a society where, day by day, people tangibly demonstrate how evil they can be. Indeed, how can we believe that our enemies are not human beings, when they kill, plunder, rape, slander, and cast spells and bewitches, among other things?

To understand what this is all about, we must read what Saint Paul says in verses 10 to 12 of the sixth chapter of the letter he wrote to the members of the Church of Ephesus (New International Version):

When somebody is aware of this, he or she views life differently. She or he sees the other person as a soul to be saved, if that is still possible without being naïve because the world we live in is evil, as are those who allow themselves to be corrupted by these malevolent spirits.

But beyond these dark realities reflecting a world corrupted by the negative values ​​spread by ill-intentioned people who act under the sway of dark forces, there is a God who loves unconditionally. He offers hope to all who familiarize themselves with His word and truly intend to change, in a world where expressions and demonstrations of love take so many different forms. While some believe that loving with the heart is essential to ensuring a beautiful and lasting romance, others feel it is better to set the heart aside, and be contented with a series of short-term adventures, to avoid losing their heads, preferring simply to make the most of life.

But be that as it may, it is always the heart that speaks. Whether loving sincerely is deemed good or bad, the choice to bond a relationship, is always driven by specific motives and goals which in the long term, will always reveal the true nature of the heart, or the real intentions of the person. In other words, if I love, I must be able to prove it through my words, but even more, through my actions because despite the talent for hypocrisy that plagues societies riddled with the ludicrous lies of those who peddle or sell illusions, our actions remain the truest reflection of the quality and intensity of the love we are called to show to others.

That is why we must always choose good role models, or prioritize life stories that genuinely embody a love sincerely given to others, or a love that springs from a truthful and trustworthy source. We find evidence of this true love in the first four verses of the forty-third chapter of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (New International Version):

It is based on this love of God for the people of Israel made even more tangible through the saving sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, that people in general, and Christians in particular, are called to show love to others, in everything they have the grace to do because, whatever we do or have had the grace to do, whether we are Christian or not, we do not do it solely for ourselves, but also for others. And it is the reason why we are called to do what we do, or what we have freely chosen to do. That is also what it means to give one’s life for those one loves. And when we do this with joy, passion, or love, we quickly realize that, life is a gift of self to others. It is not about being used like an object, humiliated, or mistreated; rather, it is about leading others to love God more deeply, and inspiring them with a love that brings them to respect other philosophies, religions, and denominations, because God, and especially His love, is present there too.

It is not a matter of boasting ourselves of been above believers or faithful of others religions, but boasting ourselves of the fact that the God we serve, is capable of the most unimaginable things through faith, because the rivers we must not fear, and the flames that will not burn us, represent the trials God allows us to endure, because we believe in Him. He who manifests His love to whom He want and when He want, because not everyone faces the same rivers to cross. Every person, and every child of God in particular, goes through unique trials that serve to deepen a faith destined to sustain the faith of others, through the testimony of specific life experiences.

It is not therefore a matter of rushing to cross a river or walking on hot coals simply because God has let us know they will not engulf or burn us. Even if some people can do it, that does not mean that every people will be able to do the same because, if rivers and flames here represent life’s trials, they also highlight the fact that, everyone in general, and every Christian in particular, will always face rivers and flames they are called to traverse. And it is precisely through these life circumstances that God manifests Himself tangibly, in the lives of those He loves, and will always love, as the Apostle Saint Paul say from verse 31 of the eighth chapter of his letter to the Romans (New International Version)

This prophecy is intended for a specific people, or a specific individual, situated in a specific place and during a time which, God always acts in the lives of those He loves, through experiences of life and faith which lead them to show that same love to others, and deepen their personal relationship with a God who will always empowering them in order to help them to manifest this divine love in everything they had have the graced to do or share because the fact of be useful, available, and faithful even in the smallest things, is already a manner to give one’s life for those one loves, in order to gives them reasons not only to abide or stand in a truth of divine origin, but also to become convinced of it, because when we are convinced of walking on the path of truth, that truth must be the foundation of our own definition of a love that sincerely gives itself to others. It must also be noted that, if everyone deserves to be loved, this does not mean everyone should be loved in the same way; one should not love a person in whom one does not trust, in the same manner as somebody in whom we trust.

And if we are called to love everyone because we are the fruit of a true love that has shaped who we are, we must also bear in mind that, we live in a hypocritical world where people are capable of the most unimaginable acts, to achieve their ends. In other words, if we must sometimes trust in others, it is because we must more put our trust in a God who sustains us throughout a life requiring courage, prudence, and deep discernment during a life which, apart from ourselves and God, no one knows better than we, what is best for us, in a world where we are called to show love despite everything.

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African spirituality, far beyond the caricature of animism