Letters from Love

Have you ever written to yourself? For yourself? From yourself? I’m starting to and I have already learned a lot.

American journalist and author, Elizabeth Gilbert, recently shared her life-changing spiritual practice with the world called “Letters from Love.” She has a Substack primarily dedicated to it which I was introduced to on the “We Can Do Hard Things” podcast. The idea of it fascinated me from the first. I love writing. I love words. I love Love (which I usually call God). What would it be like to write a letter to myself from Her? I knew I was going to have to give it a try.

On one of the episodes of the “Hard Things” podcast about letters from Love, Gilbert declares, “God dwells in us as us” hence the inspiration for writing “to yourself.” I remember the second I heard her say those words. I was driving on one of the many country roads in my neck of the woods and I can still picture exactly which one and where I was along it. God dwells in us as us?

Again, I was fascinated (and a bit frustrated) from the first. God dwells in us. Check. I can get behind that. But as us? My immediate reaction was to think, no, no, no. That can’t be right and might even be heretical, blasphemous, heinous. I was always taught there are two nametags in the world, “God” or “Not God” and we (humans) were obviously doomed to wear the latter.

I brought this phrase of Gilbert’s to my Spiritual Director the next time we met. He encouraged me to get curious about my feelings around it and about the phrase itself instead of leaping right to a strong emotional response. This approach helped me immensely and now I am still not sure, but love considering, that maybe God does dwell in us as us. Hmm.

Either way, I was eager to try writing a letter from Love. What would she say to me? What would I hear? How would it work? Gilbert and the other women on the podcast who tried the exercise agreed that even when they sat down to write, sure of what might come out, they were always surprised. And I have been, too. Love is a funny lady. She makes me smile. She wakes me up. She hands me grace upon grace and gives me the encouragement I need. I ask her one simple question, the question Gilbert employs one begin with, “Dear Love, what would you have me know today?”

I, of course, could ask Love, God, Source, Spirit, Universe, any question. For example, “Dear Love, what would you have me do today? or understand about anger today? or say to my partner today? I, personally, haven’t used any other question but the original one that Gilbert proposes as it has “worked” for me, but I am open to exploring some other directions and have been encouraged to do so by classmates who have learned about my burgeoning spiritual practice.

And because I want you to try it, here is an actual example, here is the opening to my first letter from Love:

Dear Love, what would you have me know today?

Hi, Kristin! Maybe this is a bit rude, but it’s about time you showed up in this way. You show up in lots of ways and I am proud of that, but I am jealous, too. I want time with my baby. I want my baby to make time with me. I am always with you - but are you always with me?

You feel like you can’t do it, or don’t want to do it, or will fail if you try. None of this is true. What is true is that whenever, however, wherever you tap into me, to Love, you will thrive. Not just a little more. But period. Thrive.

You teach, even preach, but do you practice? Yes, but you could do more. I want you to do more. I want you to do more because I want what is best for you. I am not only Love. I do love. And I love you.

For instance, you know, you teach that joy is from me. That when you feel joy, you feel me. I enter you in a special way. You built an entire Youth Sunday service around this idea. Learn your own lesson. Swallow your own pill. You are wise - probably because of me (haha) and you should feel confident to rely on that wisdom.

You take life, even love, seriously. And, I love this about you. But I also want you to do, find, embrace the things that bring you joy. And enJOY them without judgement. Believe in yourself. Believe in me. And thrive…