Thinking and feeling a bit philosophical.
I believe in God. I believe He is LOVE. Being that He is LOVE, that leads me to think of what life means.
Is the word 'life' interchangeable with 'love' in the sense that life only exists because of God? Life is born of love, because God creates life and He is Love. So, I conclude that life and love are, indeed, interchangeable in that context, and that they are interdependent.
If love never ends, and I know it does not (1 Corinthians 13:8),what happens to it?
Let us think about that--God exists eternally. We do not, angels do not, animals and plants do not. And yet, He created life forms called angels, humans, animals and plants. His creation of life is a sort of 'extension' of Himself, and He will life forever. Going back to the interdependence of 'life' and 'love'...
We cannot exist if we do have Him, who is the source of life. When we 'die', we do not cease to exist--we enter into eternal life, and the substance of who we are is always there, and will be forevermore.
What happens to all other life forms, beneath angels and humans?
They do not have free will as we (and angels) do, but can they also love?
I think so. Since they are created in love by LOVE Himself, they must not die or end, for that would make the passage in Corinthians a lie. And we know it is the truth, so what happens to lower life forms after they die?
Angels show love by their choice to be in God's Will. They, at some point, were tested by God, and each one made a choice to serve or not. The ones who chose to serve are now busy working, doing the Will of God. That is how they live, and how they love.
Humans are also tested, but it is a process on Earth. Because of Christ's having redeemed us, we are offered forgiveness when we turn away from God's Will. We have the freedom to choose God's Will or our own, but unlike the angels, we have a period of time on Earth to work it out. His Mercy allows for us to turn away but also to turn back. He is patient with us. When we choose God over 'self', it is a Divine act, we align ourselves more fully with Him than lower life forms, who do not have to overcome selfishness--they do not have the capacity for that.
What about animals and plants? Since they do not have the gift of free will, they cannot turn away from God's Will. They always do the Will of God, which is LOVE. Although their expression of God's love is not done by choice, it is constant. They cannot sin, so they are a reflection and expression of God/Love/Life.
If Love never dies/ends, what happens to animals and plants after they 'die'?
In junior high science, we learn that matter can never be destroyed. That is a fascinating fact. I've always been in awe of that! If physical matter always exists, although it may be transformed, what then of the non physical, the spiritual?
Just a thought, but I wonder if Heaven isn't filled with each plant soul, each animal soul--in it's perfect state--whatever that may be.
When my beloved childhood pet--Gill--died, I was heartbroken. He was our family dog, half German Shepherd, half collie, and he was a delightful companion and family member.
I couldn't understand how Gill could no longer 'exist'...as if he just vanished--his body would decompose and there was no 'heaven' for him.
It never made sense to me. Until I began to understand the nature of love. I believe that dog--who had(s) the love of God imprinted on him--does continue to exist in eternity. I will see Gill again one day.
Any thoughts from my readers?
XXXOOO Annie
