TO HOLD THE LESSON WE ARE LEARNING

Our conscious need for daily mercy is our only real boarding pass for heaven. The ego does not like that very much, but the soul fully understands. - Fr Richard Rohr, "Daily Meditation," June 19, 2015

Learning to love our self in the midst of our self-doubts, our rues, regrets and remorses, may be our life's most trying lesson. It all goes back to that word love. In this case, I think of learning to love our self means to accept our self, to humbly accept our self, warts and all. Humbly keeps us honest...otherwise, it's resignation, and that's just passive-aggressive defiance in camouflage.

Our conscious need is the key. I think of that as God's GPS...awareness of  our own daily need for mercy stays our focus inward, even as our ego focuses outward.

As a for instance: Just yesterday I was lunching with friends, one of whom is very competitive...and proud of it. I was exhausted afterward and, thinking about it, I realized I had been in competition with her competing. Rather than not resisting her, I was keeping count of each time she topped or stopped another...there I was, mentally stopping her by topping her, and judging her into the bargain.

We both stood in need of mercy...forgiveness. Forgiveness in the form of laughter. I say we laugh in order to learn...to hold the lesson we are learning in order to continue learning the same lesson.

It is to laugh...and love.

Thank you.