The Cheek of Love

Turn the other cheek.

We’ve all heard it especially when people who care about us want to help us not get involved in something that might hurt us.

Turn the other cheek.

I’d never thought about it till I was reading Mabel Katz’ book on Ho-oponopono called The Easiest Way. In one simple phrase she turned my head around. Mabel calls it the cheek of love.

Turn the other cheek.

What cheek?

The Cheek of Love.

I laughed out loud. Of course! When I’ve shown up with my first cheek, it’s often the cheek of resistance. When I’m encouraged to turn the other cheek, that other one has to be the cheek of love. Wow.

Go a little further with me. Cheek is a fun word that has more than one meaning. Sure, it refers to that span of skin which appears below your eye sockets and above your jawline, but according to the OED, it also means audacity!

And isn’t audacity what it takes in this world which encourages us to fight our way to and through everything to choose instead to turn the cheek of love to what we formerly resisted? I’d say so.

Honey, turn them (whoever they are) the cheek of love and watch what happens.