What if pain were a valued sign of love? What if you could really know that even pain is giving you love? Pain would still hurt, and yet some of the pain would be alleviated. Some of it would.

Consider for a moment that the purpose of life is not, I repeat, is not, to simply be pain-free. That is not good enough. There is more to life than being out of the way of pain.

Sometimes living life seems to be an all-out attempt to escape from pain of any kind. A life like that, then, is a life based on avoidance. Consider that life is to be lived, not run away from.

If you are on the beach at a great ocean, your purpose isn't to stay out of the water. True, the water may be cold. True, the waves may be big. True, the water is wet. Beloveds, an ocean is to swim in. And so is life.

Let not fear be a big wave that prevents you from entering life, prevents you from diving in, prevents you from diving deep, prevents you from floating on the waves of life as well. Whatever you do, whatever you are involved in, whatever your hopes and dreams, do not run away from the waves of life.

Believe in safety as much as you believe in danger. Believe in safety more. Believe in love.

Welcome life rather than avoid it. Plunge in.

Consider that you have one life to live. Then live it. Do not wait for another life. Use the one you have right now. Use it to the hilt. Hug every inch of life to you. You have all the ingredients to make a life. You are making a life, beloveds. Bring your life out into the sunshine. Do not hide from life. Do not sit in corners. Do not avert your eyes.

You have every right to be on Earth and to sing and dance, and to be known. With your consent, I sent you to Earth. I did not send you to hide out. I sent you as My envoy. I sent you as a discoverer. Discover life then. Make a bulletin board of your life. Make a beautiful map of your life. Then others can follow the map you make.

Make big footsteps for others to follow. Even in sand, you can leave footprints. If the wind blows them away, still, you made them. Your strides in life are indelible. Once you've walked on water, you have walked on it.

Be a strider in life. Be life-producing. Be life-giving. Be life-loving. Get out from under the blankets. Throw them off. Then get up and ride the tiger. The tiger may be a pet pony in disguise. How will you know, beloveds, unless you get out from under the blankets? Saddle up. Greet the dawn.

Columbus did not discover the new land by sitting in the same chair. He got up. He set out on his journey. He set out on his journey from the time he looked for funding.

Of course, there are many kinds of journeys. Not all are concerned with physical travel. What is your journey, beloveds? What are you seeking, and how do you set out? Where do you want to go, and in what ways have you sought to get there? What are you riding? And how are you doing?

Have you gone beyond the state of contemplation? Contemplation is a good stage too. Nevertheless, there is a time to get off the train of contemplation and get on a horse or a camel to traverse the terrain in front of you.