The Divine is about unconditional love; some might even say it is unconditional love. Unconditional love includes understanding, acceptance, and wise boundaries. It’s what we can strive for in how we relate to other people. We are imperfect, we are unlikely to get there in this lifetime, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work on stripping the conditions away from our relationships. That includes friendships – all friendships are, at their core, Divine Friendship; we just put a lot of conditions on them out of ignorance.

You expect nothing in return from your true friends. You love them, plain and simple, to the best of your capacity. Their value is in their individuality, their very being, not in what they have to offer in terms of skill set or belongings or wealth. They are simply your friend, and you are happy to have them in your life. Their quirks are part of what makes them endearing. Some of us call this chosen family.

Honestly, this is a great way to view a healthy relationship with the Divine, however you conceive of it, internal or external (or both). Having a relationship with the Divine, being in awareness of the Divine and having a direct experience of that is its own reward; there is nothing else. The danger is in expecting something from your relationship with the Divine other than the relationship itself, as if you should be rewarded for your love. Your own love is the reward. There’s a reason why one of the euphemisms for God is My Friend. When viewed as a Divine Friendship, we can create a more visceral relationship with the Divine.

So your true friendships are a model and training for your relationship with the Divine. As such, all interpersonal relationships are sacred and allow you the opportunity to grow closer to the Divine, to become enlightened. How will you approach your relationships today?

Sorry about missing last week, it gets hectic right before the holidays sometimes…

This post is part of a series called Monday Message, based on that day’s reflection from 365 Days to Enlightenment (authorized versions are currently out of print, working on a new edition). Check back next Monday for another one! You can also sign up for the Daily Message on my mailing list if you’d like to receive a new reflection every day. I also often post them to Instagram and Twitter, if either of those is a medium you enjoy.