SPEAKING TRUTH TO MY EGO

Per Albert Nolan, Dominican priest from South Africa, Any attempt to practice the same spirituality as Jesus would entail learning to speak truth to power as he did—and facing the consequences.

There are way too many people who find it relatively easy to believe they are speaking truth to power when they just shoot off their mouth when they feel irritated at.... (At. The bane of the unthinking one's life. Face it,"at" is rarely, if ever, aimed inward...we use "with" when we're referring to ourself. At separates, with includes.)

But back to Jesus and spirituality. It is to grin for here goes me, putting one over on me, thinking I want to practice what Jesus taught and did...right up to that and facing the consequences. Whoa and wait a minute! That causes me pause...a long pause.

That long pause is the good news...it gives me time to think it through. What consequences are so dreaded that the word itself stops me cold? I ponder the consequences to Jesus, and who's kidding whom? I sail right by crucifixion...what person close enough to sane considers crucifixion as an option? Being spat upon, jeered, smeared and cursed...yeah, I could consider those. Not opt for them, but run my mind a tish just to get a  mental feeling. I guarantee, it's not a good feeling even and just mentally.

So, here's the fruit of my long pause: The consequences my egoic mind shrinks from facing are pretty much all about losing face, i.e., looking dumb, sounding dumber...running amok in public actually.

It's a testament to Almighty God and all my angels that I find that purely funny.

I'm guessing that's why I had to read and ponder Albert Nolan's quote this morning. My conclusion was surprising to me...not stunning, I always knew...what? Inept? Close enough...I always knew inept was a bad word, I just didn't know it was my One. I'd held out hope, I reckon, that I, the core of me, was Deep.

What a hoot! The hoot is the many others I have dismissed because I considered them inept! Does the phrase get over yourself ring a bell, Sweetie?

Ah, God loves me so much...and ain't that a good thing?

Thank  you.