THE NATURE OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH

My morning blinding flash of the obvious: If we live by a rigid, righteous and right yardstick to measure and thus judge other people's honesty, that is the yardstick that will be used to measure and judge us. This is not news. "Judge not lest ye be judged" is right there in the Bible, probably in the Koran, too, not to mention in all the other great spiritual literature. 

It comes home to laugh in our face when we experience its truth. It's a particularly hard lesson when we get a glimpse of what goes around comes around. The hard lesson is: We realize that if we are ever to break free, we cannot legitimately wallow in our hurt and our anger for we will retaliate somewhere, sometime, and that will keep it alive, moving around to bite us again somewhere, sometime. In short, it can only end well for all concerned by not resisting it…call it good and remain friends. 

Here's the difference between lying to ourselves (i.e., using self-will to quick call it good) and seeking still more spiritual growth (using self-discipline to speak not, mentally thanking God for making this good). The difference and the extraordinarily difficult part lies in our willingness to simply change our mind...from I am right to there is no right or wrong, there is only God.

The I-am-right mentality breeds "I need to take my own part, stand up for myself, not be a doormat, let him know he can't treat me like this...etc, etc., etc." Too often, the cop-out is that this is the human condition. No. This is ego, and it will not set us free...in fact, those are the ties that bind. 

We know that sitting and waiting on the Lord will bring us peace beyond reasoning.  We know going for the I win/you lose is the sure seed for resentment, yet, like Jack Benny with the choice of your money or your life, we ponder...and ponder...and ponder. And too often make the quick, fast and in a hurry decision...which nobody has ever confused with God's will.

That is the nature of spiritual growth. It takes a long time not because God is a drag-foot, but because we will not divorce ourselves from our ego-victory wants. We choose to believe in the great i am rather than in the great I Am.

Thank you.