REASON NOT...WELCOME

Regardless of the cause, the dark night is an opportunity to look for and find God—in new forms and ways....we have to “unknow” a bit every time we want to know in a new way. * * * * * Periods of seemingly fruitless darkness may in fact highlight all the ways we rob ourselves of wisdom by clinging to the light. Who grows by only looking on the bright side of things? -- Fr Richard Rohr, "Daily Meditation," December 2, 2019

I love Rohr's last line above: Who grows by only looking on the bright side of things? 

That was one of my early flashes...when I was practicing "positive thinking" and trying to speak only in "affirmations." I had myself about half scared to speak at all for fear I'd say an un-positive thought or declare an un-affirmation...and cause nothing but ugly to fall on me and follow me forever. I was an all-or-nothing girl. 

That was back in the day when fear was to be feared...hate was to be hated...any negative thought, word or, especially, feeling was verboten.

I must needs be grateful for that period of time, for that's when and how I learned that verboten is pretty much verboten. To fight fear is a call to fear; to hate hate requires hate. Welcome is the quiet word...thank you is the key.

I'm reminded of the cautionary that which we fear we cause to happen. It is ever our resistance that is the invitation, the fear that rings the bell to start the fight.

I do believe that positive...affirming...thoughts are best. It's the fear of not being positive and affirming that twists us like pretzels and leaves us in need of freedom from self. The hook, of course, is the fact that the reasoning mind would never consider as a path to freedom issuing a welcoming thank you.

There it is...reason is not God's road through fear or hate or even doubt.

We must go beyond reason to love. -- "The Lazy Man's Guide to Enlightenment," Thaddeus Golas

Thank you.