drop the knife

Once a young woman said to me

“Hafiz, what is the sign of someone who knows God?”

I became very quiet, and looked deep into her eyes, then replied,

“My dear, they have dropped the knife.  Someone

who knows God has dropped the cruel knife

that most so often use upon their tender self and others.”

                               Hafiz (Daniel Ladinsky, A Year with Hafiz, p. 33)

_______________________________________________............

what happens

when we open ourselves to the Sacred?

what happens when we greet the Sacred within

and enter into a love relationship

with the One who is all love?

how do we know?

How do others know that

we are in love?

when humans love each other

you can see it in their eyes

in the smile they give one another

you can see it in gentle touches

and kind acts

it is hard to hide true love

it gives itself away

when we love God

people can see it

in how we love other people

they can see it in our eyes

in our patience

in our generosity and kindness

they can see it in the way

we are no longer cruel

in the way we no longer see our selves

with judgmental eyes

no longer abuse ourselves

tormenting our selves with our failures and flaws

but instead are able to soften, to open

and receive love

and be at peace

and they can see it the fact that we no longer need

retribution

no longer need to get even

no longer need to win at the cost of others

no longer need to use and abuse

no longer need to minimize and oppress

they can see it in the way that

cruel words disappear from our lectionaries

and cruel acts disappear from our lives

it seems to me

in a world where cruelty is too often the point

where winning is everything

and where we rejoice that others have lost

that it is time to find love

it is time to find Love (God)

and it is time

to drop

the

knife