It's wonderful when we finally catch the wonder of paradox..."you've got to give it away to keep it" may be the first idea of paradox that most of us connect with. The power of paradox, however, comes in actually living what we think is so wonderful when first we hear of it.
For instance, "the more we live for others, the healthier our mind, body and spirit becomes." Sounds good...but my friend Gertrude is doing it wrong and that's adversely affecting me, and I've got to resist, push back, set her straight for my own peace.
The reasoning mind will always resist spiritual action because spiritual action is always for others...for the benefit of others.
Our test then is not just to change our actions toward Gertrude even if we give over with apparent grace...our test is to change our mind, upgrade our attitude, about Gertrude's behavior toward us. (Her behavior toward others is the least of our worries except to use as justification for our own resistance.)
We cannot change our attitude just by wanting to, wanting to being the necessary first step in the right direction. The wanting to must be bolstered by our willingness to accept the disciplining of our thoughts, of our own mind: "Not for me, for others" becomes our goal.
If we stay stuck in the place of our thoughts resisting while our mouths are accepting, we're the same old bald-faced liars we ever were, only dressed up prettier. We fool no one but ourselves.
If, however, our thoughts are resisting while our mouths are accepting and our thank You prayer acknowledges that, God can and will carry us over to the place we need to be...to our desired goal, for the benefit of another.
It is purely because the reasoning mind will always resist spiritual action, that it must be God who completes our journey, the carrying us over to our goal, for others. Of ourselves, we are incapable of that.
That is why it is called spiritual growth.
Thank You.
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