I sobbed in a homeless man’s arms. I did not know him. Most likely I will not see him again, but I will never forget the moment our hearts touched in the intimate dance of raw truth: he lives on the street and I in a warm apartment. I wanted to take him with me.

It began when I commented on his dog. He smiled very proud and said, “Yea, she’s great. I’ve got her back and she’s got mine.”

As he spoke, gently petting the dog, I reached into my wallet and took out all the money I had. Without counting, looking, or caring what he would do with it I handed it to him. He hesitantly took it. As our hands touched my tears began. The young man reached out, wrapped me tight in his arms and said, “It’s okay. We’re okay out here. Thank you for caring.”

As I turned to leave he said, “I love you.” I looked him in the eyes and said, “I love you too.”

Until that moment I’d never said, “I love you,” to a complete stranger. To someone with whom I’d only met and exchanged a few brief moments. Yet, when I spontaneously responded to the man with “I love you,” I meant it from the bottom of my heart and with every cell of my being.  There was no thought. My heart was simply wide open and spilling out came the pure, honest emotion of caring deeply for him.

Each of us experiences transformational moments in life. Times when an opportunity presents itself to grow our spiritual nature by leaps and bounds. This was one of my moments, and I took it. I saw him and his dog and could have passed them by. But something deep within my soul said, See him and tell him he is seen!

Making the choice to listen to my soul opened me to a lesson I could only learn with a willingness to experience the sincerity of our exchange.  Holding him and allowing him to hold me birthed a deep and clear understanding of what it means to be vulnerable to loving without expectations or conditions.  The kind of love we all want. The depth of intimacy we all long for. The magnificent feeling of being connected to the divine in another human being.

My homeless man was an angel. A messenger of wisdom who taught me love is more than affection for those closest to us. Love does not judge or fear. Love cares and shares. To love is to feel ourselves in others. To love is to move through life in loving ways. With sensitivity and kindness. With patience, compassionate and respect.  To treat others as we want to be treated.

Each time we treat others as we want to be treated we are an ambassador of love. Being love in action is when we become one with God, if even for a brief moment. In loving we learn it is possible to feel God as real. And, our desire to experience more moments of oneness with love, grows.

“Treat others as we want to be treated,” is the fundamental guiding principle of love. And, when practiced in daily life you and I change everything on earth for the better from the relationships we have with our family, children, spouse, friends, bosses, neighbors, and the homeless, to how we respect and care for the natural world and all life on our beautiful planet.

No matter our religion, or lack thereof, what is most important to creating our best life and most fulfilling relationships is to lead with our heart and treat others as we want to be treated.  Doing so is how we love God.