God's Unconditional Love
Spiritual work
Episode 8: The Way of No Conditions
What is the way that leads to Love? Why would we even care about this?
Answering these questions takes us back to how God created us: full of grace and love. In this study and podcast episode, I talk about what inspired my rock song The Way of No Conditions, and describe the path that transforms ourselves into Love.
Answering these questions takes us back to how God created us: full of grace and love. In this study and podcast episode, I talk about what inspired my rock song The Way of No Conditions, and describe the path that transforms ourselves into Love.
God is Love
In Raúl's words: Back in 2016 I wrote most of the songs in my second album Inner Road to Somewhere, an album about all what happens when a person commits to growing in the inside, in other words, to growing spiritually.
It was by then that I think I heard for the first time about "unconditional love" as a way of living. This was a new concept, an idea that brought out something new and positive in me, something that taught me that love is not just something we feel toward certain people and things, but rather that love is a way of living in the world. This way of living is characterized by a love that is unconditional, i.e., loving others without conditions, loving others despite our personal inclinations and differences.
Speaking of Himself Jesus said: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). We also know that Jesus is God, and that
God is Love (1 John 4:8)
If we link the two last ideas, we could say that Jesus is the way to God, the way to Love, as well as that Jesus is the only one who can turn us into Love.
Back to the song, I define the way of no conditions as "the way to becoming Love." This way is a path that takes us closer and closer to God, which means that Jesus not only is the way of no conditions, but that He also takes us ever closer to God the Father as we learn more and more about Jesus.
It was by then that I think I heard for the first time about "unconditional love" as a way of living. This was a new concept, an idea that brought out something new and positive in me, something that taught me that love is not just something we feel toward certain people and things, but rather that love is a way of living in the world. This way of living is characterized by a love that is unconditional, i.e., loving others without conditions, loving others despite our personal inclinations and differences.
Speaking of Himself Jesus said: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). We also know that Jesus is God, and that
God is Love (1 John 4:8)
If we link the two last ideas, we could say that Jesus is the way to God, the way to Love, as well as that Jesus is the only one who can turn us into Love.
Back to the song, I define the way of no conditions as "the way to becoming Love." This way is a path that takes us closer and closer to God, which means that Jesus not only is the way of no conditions, but that He also takes us ever closer to God the Father as we learn more and more about Jesus.
Jesus turns us into Love
The way of no conditions begins in the song by describing a way of living in which we see things as opposites: from one side there are people and things we love; from the other, people and things that we don't love. If we continue to learn more about Jesus, while putting His words into practice, the way of no conditions takes us to loving certain people and things, and "preferring less" others.
This new way of loving is significantly different from the first, because in the first we either love or not love; in the second, we either love or love less. Advancing on the way of no conditions–once again, by learning about Jesus and by putting His words into practice–leads us to seeing the world as neutral: all animals and things that surround us are good in nature, and whatever we see in them that we don't like, we understand that it's just part of their nature.
From this point on, advancing even more on the way of no conditions seems to be linked to surrendering completely, to letting go of all attitudes, personal opinions, prejudices, ways of thinking that, ultimately, block the light of God. So, letting Jesus fill ourselves up with Love seems to require that we do our part, which is to remove in us all what prevents God's Love from entering.
Letting Jesus fill ourselves up with Love changes our perception of the world
which by now we start to see as benign, as harmless. But the way of no conditions doesn't stop here: if we persevere in this removing all what blocks God's Love, Jesus Himself will fill us with all what He is. And if Jesus who is God, who is Love, comes to fill every particle in us with who He is, then we become Love by virtue of his presence.
What a beautiful conclusion this is: to think that Jesus will turn us into Love if we allow Him to do so; to think that we can become a single entity with Jesus by fusing with His eternal Love.
This new way of loving is significantly different from the first, because in the first we either love or not love; in the second, we either love or love less. Advancing on the way of no conditions–once again, by learning about Jesus and by putting His words into practice–leads us to seeing the world as neutral: all animals and things that surround us are good in nature, and whatever we see in them that we don't like, we understand that it's just part of their nature.
From this point on, advancing even more on the way of no conditions seems to be linked to surrendering completely, to letting go of all attitudes, personal opinions, prejudices, ways of thinking that, ultimately, block the light of God. So, letting Jesus fill ourselves up with Love seems to require that we do our part, which is to remove in us all what prevents God's Love from entering.
Letting Jesus fill ourselves up with Love changes our perception of the world
which by now we start to see as benign, as harmless. But the way of no conditions doesn't stop here: if we persevere in this removing all what blocks God's Love, Jesus Himself will fill us with all what He is. And if Jesus who is God, who is Love, comes to fill every particle in us with who He is, then we become Love by virtue of his presence.
What a beautiful conclusion this is: to think that Jesus will turn us into Love if we allow Him to do so; to think that we can become a single entity with Jesus by fusing with His eternal Love.
Song lyrics
Walking in the woods of creation
Trying to find the way of no conditions
It becomes clear how I separate all
Into things that I love and I don't love
People I would die for
People I would never love
Animals I cherish
And others that I'd rather see no more
Walking in the woods of creation
Moving on on the way of no conditions
I begin to live in the world of preference
Where things are either preferred or less preferred
People I would die for
People I'd maybe forgive
Nature is what it is
And I see beauty more and more
Trying to find the way of no conditions
It becomes clear how I separate all
Into things that I love and I don't love
People I would die for
People I would never love
Animals I cherish
And others that I'd rather see no more
Walking in the woods of creation
Moving on on the way of no conditions
I begin to live in the world of preference
Where things are either preferred or less preferred
People I would die for
People I'd maybe forgive
Nature is what it is
And I see beauty more and more
Walking in the woods of creation
On the way of no conditions
I begin to see a neutral world
As I surrender my points of view
That block the light of…
Love and admiration for a world that now's benign
Every being counts
Every attitude counts on the
Way of no conditions: the way to becoming love
Walking in the woods of creation
Sticking to the way of no conditions
I begin to see the light that's intrinsic
To all beings and which reveals a divine web
Love is ever-present
And increases as I love
Love is omnipresent
And fills the woods of creation with inner joy
On the way of no conditions
I begin to see a neutral world
As I surrender my points of view
That block the light of…
Love and admiration for a world that now's benign
Every being counts
Every attitude counts on the
Way of no conditions: the way to becoming love
Walking in the woods of creation
Sticking to the way of no conditions
I begin to see the light that's intrinsic
To all beings and which reveals a divine web
Love is ever-present
And increases as I love
Love is omnipresent
And fills the woods of creation with inner joy
Podcast platforms
This episode is part of the podcast "My Music, My Life" by singer-songwriter Raúl Hurtado
My Music, My Life - Raúl Hurtado
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About the show
"My Music, My Life" is a podcast show centered around Raúl Hurtado's music. Raúl's songs are motivational, and can be described as small lessons that aim to nurture our spiritual lives while getting us closer to God, Jesus, and living in The Divine Will.