in RELIGION 168 Words

God Doesn’t Add Up

by Alan Johnston, Pottsville

I was feeling the contraction of self-measuring, a downward spiral staircase of small self judgments – when it came to me – God can’t count, stairs or the like.

Probably he didn’t even finish primary school. I’ve since discovered that rumours of him being numerically challenged are rife in certain out-of-the-way sections of the blogosphere.

God can’t count. OK, so the number of zeroes in my bank balance doesn’t matter. Nor does my hat size. But what about the millions of noisy minah birds, thousands of bandicoots, potoroos, numbats and all the other pre and post-ark species? It’s a stock-take nightmare.

Think of a number, you know, the one most important to you: age, salary package, years of working on yourself, weight, tally of friends, alimony, number of degrees, client base, overdraft – well he doesn’t.

Love without measure, no counting, no comparison, no competition at all – just a natural, glorious equalness that brooks no distinctions.

172 thoughts on “God Doesn’t Add Up”

  1. It’s quite ironic really that we measure ourselves in order to gauge our value or worth, when who we already are within is exquisite and priceless beyond compare. We are God’s love and as such in essence we are everything that is great in this world, so in trying to compare or measure ourselves with the standards of this worlds existence, we only diminish all that we truly are in essence.

  2. Just delightful, Alan. A wonderful reminder God does not find important the things we think are. I think God is only interested in one thing – how much love we live.

  4. Every time I read this blog I feel freer and more expanded in my body. The constant measuring of what I’ve achieved and where I am at is limiting and feels like being in a cage. A connection to soul has no measure, it’s either chosen or it’s not.

  5. Something about life doesn’t add up, and it’s the absence of God. We choose to live separated from the love we are in essence and that God is, and life then becomes about making the grade, measuring ourselves and others, and judgements. How wonderful to return to love again. Thanks Alan.

  7. I find that with valuing even the smallest things in life and seeing its beauty and importance, a natural equalness is called for throughout the whole of life. The only reason we can place more value on a smaller or higher value than its opposite is when we see life in parts as in, something is better than another. And sure while having a healthy bank balance is important, so to is the appreciation of the reflection that every number provides. Its always either a confirmation of our grandness or a message reminding and prompting us to embrace more of it.

  8. Who counts is an amazing question, we count in the sense of we matter, to our selves, to god and each other without tally checks or balances. The rest of the counting that we think applies to our self worth is misleading us away from the essence of the total sum of our true value.

  9. Love the humour you bring here Alan, we still have much to learn on this planet earth in returning to simply be love.

  10. What a great short blog and reminder that there is no comparison there is no judging, just love , ‘Love without measure, no counting, no comparison, no competition at all – just a natural, glorious equalness that brooks no distinctions.’

  11. Your stunning description of God is expansive and every part of me knows that it is true. God does not measure. When I catch myself measuring I realise I am measuring how much of my own divine essence I will allow the world to see. A fruitless exercise that is as irresponsible as it is misery making.

  12. Lovely and expansive, no holding back with placing criteria, on what God is, God is God, is Love, there is no measuring when we talk about the infiniteness and expansiveness of the universe.

  13. A very short and succinct invitation to let go of the ways we have made life about and return straight back to soul.

  14. It is beautiful to appreciate and confirm God does not measure and judge; and because we are made in his image, if we do, we are not being love.

  15. Shows that there is an education that is out of this world that has more meaning to the quality of our life than we generally give credence to. That education is Love.

  16. This is gold. Thank you Alex. Every ounce of complication we choose is exposed by this comment.

  17. I love the way you say so much with so few words. I feel tension drop from my shoulders when I read this and begin to let go of my drive to measure and assess where I am at. This makes way for love and a connection to my heart. It feels warmer already.

  18. ‘Love without measure, no counting, no comparison, no competition at all – just a natural, glorious equalness that brooks no distinctions’ – God is a mentor and teacher always offering us a reflection of what is true. Thanks Alan.

  19. God never stops being Love and letting us know, we measure how much of that we listen to and can feel. Thank You Alan for the reminder that we need not measure.

  22. Alan thank you for the great sharing – if a number is put to anything then it is very worth discerning what motivates the number, is it love or measure.

  23. God doesn’t have to count as he simply knows; he knows what’s in my bank, he knows how much land I own, he knows how many thoughts flit through my mind in every moment, but that matters not one iota to him, what matters is that I know who I am and that I am his Son.

  24. And there is no ‘stocktake either’, Thank God he can’t count, that means the inner heart doesn’t count. It is all down to the mind – which does seem to thrive on counting. Why is this and if it doesn’t come from God who is pushing the theory that counting matters?

  25. I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to read this with out smiling intensely on the inside.

  26. I love this tongue in cheek expose of the ridiculousness of comparing, competing and measuring our worth. Love does not play such games.

  27. As always … In the midst of seriously writing one’s comments… a moment of grace and humour from the everlastingly light and beautiful pen of Alan Johnson

  28. Beautifully put in a nutshell how only love counts and not anything else that is countable.

  29. In a world based so divisively upon ‘more and less’, exquisitely put Alan.

  31. This is brilliant. Clearly we have bastardised the use of numbers. We want numbers to say how important we are, grading ourselves against others to say we are more/less than.

  32. There comes a time when we become aware that all measuring is pointless in the measureless space (God’s love/the Universe) we live within. There is only One and our ceaseless expression of this, once all forms of self-measuring have been renounced.

  33. Beautiful Alan- a great reminder that we don’t need to measure ourselves, hold onto things or compare to others but simply let out our love in an unmeasured way.

  34. A simple reminder i feel, Alan, of the might, beholding love and not a whisper of judgement that is God

  36. Just imagine living with a deep connection to that natural glorious equality… There will be no comparison at all… Simply a celebration of all, and of lives lived that reflected that and simply a celebration of all, and of lives lived that reflected that deep connection with all that there is.

  37. Put so simply Alan. No zeros at the end of a figure in the temporal world make a difference to God. He is forever expanding and never measuring. It is us in the human form that choose to measure and when we measure we limit the grandness of what God is.

  38. How can we live a life without measure? By connecting to one’s heart.
    How can we live a life without misery? By connecting to our heart.
    How can we live a life without deceit and despair? By connecting to our heart.
    How can we live a life without war, murder, suicide, and genocide? By connecting to our heart.
    Can we change the world? Yes – by connecting to our hearts, and live from there. All will follow. We need no numbers we need to measure.

  39. Go ‘figure’ – Love is what counts…not the count as such. We choose to measure ourselves or ‘measure up to’ while all the while God Loves us.

  40. A great sharing thank you Alan, there are no measurements to the eternal as there are no limits to Gods love. How profound is that.

  42. So beautifully shared Alan.You remind me that it is pointless to even think about measuring where I am at. All that matters is that I choose truth.

  43. “Love without measure” is God’s love. An important point to remember, it is only when we disconnect and see ourselves as separate from God that we start to measure up.

  44. This really strikes a chord Alan – I love your witty style of writing which contains much wisdom.

  45. So true Alan, and if God doesn’t measure all these things why do we try make them such a big part of who we are? We are already love, without the numbers to tell us who we are or how far we have come.

  46. “Love without measure” thank you Alan for reminding us of the eternity of God. The universe is expanding at a rate we can not in our minds comprehend, yet can connect to our inner hearts and we can feel we are at one with that expansion.

  47. God doesn’t add up – what a superb play on words. He’s certainly no bean counter but He and the All do add up after all.

  49. So…if God does not add up it is not necessary to ‘make it right’ or to get money or to have good notes or to be ‘the best friend’ of many – what will be left over for me to do? If God loves me no matter what I could do whatever I want. But I wanted everything to be loved…now you say I am loved already… hmmm. I guess I like to understand more this relationship with God and me and discover what ‘I want’ and how to live now.
    When the driving force of my life is discovered to be nonsense I am disoriented – but maybe that’s good. Now I can connect to myself, my being and see how I go with this focus in life.

  50. Dear Alan, your sharing has found me pondering on what numbers are important in my life and the lack of acceptance of the love I actually hold for a moment of judgement around a certain number. Very revealing, thank you.

  52. So simple, stop analysing and get on with living love. Comparison takes us off course so quickly and counting is often the measure of that comparison.

  54. We, as humans, can get a bit distracted counting things and in the process forget the one thing we are here for – love.

  55. Numbers are often about comparison whether it be about exam or test results, how much money we have, how much our house cost, how many reps we do at the gym or the costs at the supermarket. When we feel what is needed before we add up the numbers then we get a true reading. God was right all along!

  56. “Love without measure, no counting, no comparison, no competition at all – just a natural, glorious equalness that brooks no distinctions.” Love without measure – a recipe for us all. And what do we choose?

  58. “Love without measure” that is as deep, unfathomable and ever expanding as the Universe. Thank God.

  59. “Love without measure, no counting, no comparison, no competition” Seems like a plan to live life by. Love the simplicity 🙂 Thank you!

  60. At the moment I am choosing blogs to read on God and religion, because there is something missing from the way I am living, which feels like to accepted presence of God in my every moment. Of course He is there in presence and Love, but do I feel and accept this…? So it was great to stumble on this blog and be reminded of the playfulness of God and the fact that I do know Him by virtue of being alive.

  61. This blog made me smile Alan – and I’m still smiling… why? Because it’s all so true, God doesn’t take time to count, He knows every detail of life by virtue of existing. And there is no judgment in the body of God, like you say Alan, ‘just a natural, glorious equalness that brooks no distinctions.’

  62. Love this Alan. God = “Love without measure……just a natural, glorious equalness that brooks no distinctions.”

  63. Simply yet so powerfully true. Often we measure up how much we have achieved or how well we measure up to an image of how we should be. The truth is that we also measure up how much of ourselves we will be to ensure that we don’t step outside of a specific image of ourself. All images are based on measurements or pre-determined values of what can and cannot be achieved. God doesn’t have any images for himself, for life or for us, and instead it is a constant expansion of who know’s what is next.

  64. As Human Beings we choose to complicate life with all the ‘numbers’ and comparisons that you have named Alan, yet the truth is that God doesn’t do numbers or comparison, God is not jealous of how amazing we all are – God celebrates us and the love we are. What you have shared is beautiful – Love without measure, no counting, no comparison, no competition at all – just a natural, glorious equalness that brooks no distinctions’. Thank you..

  65. Beautiful Alan, giving us the possibility to not measure, but feel that the love we are is unmeasurable.

  66. A great memory jog for what life’s truly all about. A life without measure, without comparison, jealousy or inequality. Unrealistic? Only when we continue to make choices from a position of individuality rather than humanity and the bigger picture. That’s our sticking point.

  67. A beautiful reminder Alan that it is us that counts – not God, God simply loves.

  68. this is beautiful Alan, Thank you, it makes it all so simple again, there is no measure in love. It is us just choosing it what does the trick, no counting involved.

  69. Alan, this is such a delight, so witty, so fun and such truth, and it broke my seriousness today about getting it, getting life, doing this or that, and reminded me it’s about love not counting, living love not trying to figure it out. Thank you.

  71. Reading this blog again felt like I had not read it before. What I got out of it this time round was, I thought to myself, how true is this blog that God can’t count? Because with pure divine love there doesn’t seem to be any numbers that can equate to love, it’s endless and no number can add up the eternal expansion of love. God is love, so if we are to embrace love, we will see and use numbers in a different light.

  72. This is pure gold Alan. We indulge in so much measuring and you have shown why it is so pointless. Thank you – back to the basics for me!

  73. Today I thought about a friend not answering my emails and thought about not writing further emails. I heard a bird’s song in that moment and I remembered: God never stops communicating with me no matter how long I resist to answer. He doesn’t add up the times I say ‘No’ to him.

  75. ‘a downward spiral staircase of small self judgments’ – so beautifully expressed, Alan. That contagious, self-imposed momentum that takes us further away from the truth of who we really are and into our self-stepped abyss.

    1. And yet no matter how many steps we take in that downward direction on each step we have the choice to go the other way and return. Such is the space that God provides for us and we can allow ourselves to experience when we choose.

  76. I love your blog Alan. It highlights for me the way we use numbers is not aligned to God. We use it to measure, count, to compete, judge and individualise but God uses it to communicate to us the gloriousness, grandness and beauty of the Universe. It is the language of truth, yet how we use it can be very far from that.

  77. We can get caught up in the world of number/figures and if they don’t add up to ‘Success’ then we label ourselves as less. I loved your blog Alan – a reminder of the fact that we are loved – ‘Love without measure, no counting, no comparison, no competition at all – just a natural, glorious equalness that brooks no distinctions’.

  82. I like this Alan – kind of makes all the striving to attain this, that and the other seem rather silly when it’s so much simpler just to be and “love without measure”.

    1. Very well said Debra, I totally agree and we see the truth of it all when we understand the true meaning of life.

  83. It is funny when I read this quirky sharing how we place so much emphasis on these many numbers that seemingly propel us through life. The underlying falsity is that God is not love first and foremost and the biggest savings account number won’t get you in -whereas the truth is God is love.

  84. I smile deeply when I read this – the fact that there is no ‘counting’ no numbers that are more important than another – just the love that we choose to be or not.

  85. Love this Alan and the double meaning of the title, God doesn’t do a stock take but also we cannot comprehend the all encompassing nature of God’s love if we focus on the details of figures. Awesome reminder, thank you.

  87. Love without measure, without judgement, without calibration, ceaseless and relentless love, hmmm sounds like what I feel from Serge Benhayon towards humanity in general. Could it be that we are all capable of this, and we just need someone to lead the way.

  88. Love. As expansive as the universe, freely available to all, no distinction or special favour, love it Alan. God may not count but his mastery of geometry is beyond compare.

  89. Love it Alan. When love shows up it never judges, calculates or compares, it just holds and supports us with just what is needed and no less.

  91. God doesn’t need to know how to count, when love can be expressed in a never ending, constantly expanding way whats the point in keeping count? 100 expressions of love may be great at one point but then it moves on. Holding ourselves to a number of our deeds feels very limiting and yet human life has been constructed in such a way ‘reach the peak and everything will be there at the end’ but those who have reached that peak only say ‘well now what?’. What if we lived in the knowing that we expand over time? knowing that it is not natural to reach a peak and stay there but move on. This to me feels more at ease than striving for an end, find nothing there and try again over and over in frustration or ignoring the fact that its not true in the first place to be anywhere other than where we are already.

  92. It is comical to see how much stock human beings place on measuring their lives with one another. God just sits and waits patiently for us to figure out that this stuff isn’t it.

  93. I just love the way you express with such playfulness when delivering words of wisdom. Thanks, Alan.

  95. I’d be out of a job if numbers were not out there in the world, and like you Christoph, I find that numbers tell a story of their own. However, when it comes to God he is immutable, immeasurable and vast beyond compare… no number pins him down or ‘adds him up’.

  96. I love the tongue in cheek way you have exposed how much we measure, compare and compete over different facets of life. While I was reading this, the only counting I was feeling was needed was to be able to get to 1. If you can get ‘The 1’ right then the rest of it takes care of itself!

  97. ‘Love without measure, no counting, no comparison’ – this is something we all love to feel. That unconditional love that just accepts you 100% as you are, for who you are. Something I am working on giving as well, to myself and to others.

  98. I would say God’s love is immeasurable to the standard of numbers that we use.

  100. This is so true Alan, in fact God is never depicted, as far as I recall, as the most intelligent being of all but as the father who loves his children equally.

  101. Yes Alan, you are right, God doesn’t use any measures when it comes to loving his children. We are far harder on ourselves. Why is that? When the amazingness and perfection of God’s Love knows no limits where we are concerned, how is it that we struggle to accept that we are also this beautiful, tender and precious Love that God knows us to be? It’s all about acceptance. I have found my focus and reflection point for today, thanks Alan.

  104. “Love without measure, no counting, no comparison, no competition at all – just a natural, glorious equalness that brooks no distinctions”.
    So true and so beautifully expressed Alan, thank you.

  105. …’stock take nightmare’… Alan you are hilarious and yet with a killer last line – ‘love without measure…’ The world would be so different if we saw each other way that God does… in glorious equalness.

  106. You describe the glorious expansiveness and all-encompassing beholding that God is and that is indeed not dependent on any numbers or measures or anything at all, for that matter.

  107. The dry humour belies a sense of sadness for me as I read, we so desperately want to quantify every little thing we forget that the only thing truly worth feeling and knowing inside and out is the Love that we are and are equal to – Gods love – the only one plus one.

  108. We tend to humanise God and by doing so, do we truly get to appreciate him/her? He/she works hard, but do we really know anything about his/her real whereabouts and about how he/she relates to us (and, therefore, of our relationship with him/her)? Reflecting upon this may be of help for all to really be able to value what really has any value.

    1. Emfeldman, by humanizing God we are actually separating ourselves from the fact that God lies with in each and every human being. The harm that has come from implanting this false way of seeing God can begin to be felt, when we consider that he/she is not something we have to aspire to be, but is in fact who we are, that to know God is to surrender to and come know our innermost selves.

  109. So true Allen, God doesn’t count. So why do we? This is definitely a stop blog. Time to collect and regroup how I am living with me. Time to stop counting the many times I have not lived from my love and to instead appreciate that I can now tell the difference of living with or without my love. Time to appreciate how much I do choose love and how so joyful this feels, time to honour how far I have come and how truly special I am. Time to fully accept and appreciate what it is that others bring to us all, when they too connect to and live from their hearts.

    3. Leigh, that’s the point! A blog to stop. We could stay in our tracks and walk past, because it’s a quick reader. But yes, this sphere of magic has the power to stop me and invites me to leave tracks.

  110. Beautiful Alan ~ Love without measure, how beautiful to be held in this abundance of love.

  112. A beautiful reminder Alan of some of the things we encumber our selves with to make life a little more complicated. God is not complicated, he just is.

  113. Love this Alan and love the way you express truth in such a light and funny way.

  114. Funny, this blog got quite a few chuckles from me. Love in equality. Deeply supportive and so true. Thank you.

  116. “Love without measure, no counting, no comparison, no competition at all – just a natural, glorious equalness that brooks no distinctions.” So refreshing, thank you Alan.

  117. You have a unique and articulate way, Alan. Thank you for that in every way.

  119. Hi Alan – didn’t quite get it the first time I read it – it felt good though. The second time I could feel that all the complications come from us, not God.

  121. I didn’t get what you were saying at first Alan, that’s because I was trying to work it out in my head which only complicated it, no wonder it didn’t add up. Simplicity is the key.

  122. When I read this blog I felt my whole body respond, I got the message to give up the need to ‘be something’ and just accept myself as I am. Thank you Alan! Your expression is always so simple and powerful.

    1. Awesome Leonne, I love it when this happens. From reading a blog that inspires us and we can feel expansive, this is a beautiful healing and realisation that we are so much more than what we think. Inspires us to let go of our thoughts and allow our hearts to lead the way and the power of expression in this blog is deeply inspiring for us all.

  123. The endless trial of self-measure – replaced with the simplicity of self-reflection, where I see an aspect of God looking back at me and with nary a measure in sight but infinite compassion and understanding.

  124. Thank you Alan for your playful but heart felt capture on where we can let numbers (in all their forms) lead us astray – it’s not God that holds the calculator 🙂

  127. Love this playful blog Alan. Like Cheryl says – short but speaks volumes. Superb and succinct in reminding us that it’s we who measure and not God – thank you

  128. Alan, I laughed out loud reading this, God not completing primary or doing a large stock take. And the great truth you share is that measures don’t count, it’s love not measure.

    1. I loved that part too Monicag2. This blog is very witty, playful and fun, yet full of undeniable truth. Simply brilliant!

      1. Yes it is and I love that your comment has brought me back here today chanly88, and I’ve re-read it and been reminded again that it’s not about measure or numbers, it’s about love.

  129. Simple and playful, thank you Alan, great one to keep as a reminder when measuring or counting clicks in!

  130. There’s not a lot of words here, but they speak volumes. Thank you for sharing, Alan.

  131. You really make me laugh Alan Johnston – I love it.
    How right you are about God. Correct, God does not count the zeros on my bank balance and he is not interested in the number of qualifications I got either. Thank you for confirming that. Little me getting caught up in such minor things when mr God is so grand that my tiny mind can’t really get its head around that. So I asked my heart which can feel and that’s when I realised that God does not add up measure, count or compare. He takes care of us ALL Equally and lives inside us. That’s cool in my world!

    1. I love your point Bina… there is no way I can get my head round the vastness, the glory, the infinity of God. Yet my heart can embrace him in an instant…

  137. Thank you Alan for this refreshing, quirky reminder that it’s all about love – Thank God – literally, numbers do my head in!!!!!

  140. Alan, I can see (and feel) your cheeky smile that I love so much! How this made me laugh – and, interestingly enough, cry! Keep up the play-full-ness; it is so beauty-full.

  142. This is sure a fun way at looking at what really counts, Alan – “Love without measure, no counting, no comparison, no competition at all – just a natural, glorious equalness that brooks no distinctions”.

  143. Great blog and a great subject! It made me aware of the absolute ridiculousness of how we think about ourselves and our life, as you said mostly in numbers. It made me smile… Thank you Alan.

    1. Yeah, isn’t it ridiculous? Mostly ridiculous is how we value numbers, numbers in itself are magical, but who started giving them different values and judge them like 2 is worth more than 1 or vice versa? Surely it wasn’t God.

  155. I absolutely love your expression Alan, especially your humour. It always makes me smile and feel joyful. Thank you.

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