ON BEING 55...SOBERLY JOYOUS AND FREE

Today, August 24, 2026, is my 55th anniversary with and within an Always Available spiritual fellowship that, with the God of my understanding, has made me its own.

I am happy, joyous and free today...even when, not if...my ego is riding herd.

The gift of freedom is that I know my ego can and will drive me...ah, but no longer whenever it wants, but only when I am taken up by self. Thanks to my Always Available friends and the God of my understanding isn't that often today and is short-term. 

Self, ever with us, no longer leads the way, often is the last in line.

Self no longer has a chance at ruining my today...an hour or two, maybe, but not my day.  I live by grace and by God, and I am oh so grateful that I know that, and It shows.

Thank you.

THE SLIVER OF GOLD...THE PEARL BEYOND PRICE

A blinding flash of the obvious from some 45 years ago: Find the sliver of gold in any less-than situation we are met with, then let that sliver of gold lead us free of that less-than situation.

We look not at the trouble...no, we find the sliver of gold in that trouble. 

When we focus on the sliver of gold, our outlook is uplifted. It is spiritually transmuted, gifting us with a feeling not unlike space travel...not to get too fanciful about it.

Ah. the gifts we receive when we go to God for God and that is all. There it is: the pearl beyond price.

Thank you.

WHEN THERE IS ONLY ME...NO WE

Every graced change lives in us...not by memorizing, but by that very grace.

Most things we've learned by rote without the inner message attached simply become words...words we quote and even walk, but rarely if ever give us a spiritual wake-up. 

There it is...the human condition when spirituality is bypassed.  

It becomes personal, i.e., all about us...you, me, them...with crumbs of thank you sprinkled in to keep us feeling peaced. There is little to no spiritual growth in that.

We remember again: We go to God for God, and that is all...for that is all.

Thank you.

THIS PRIVILEGE OF A LIFETIME

The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are. -- Carl Jung

Mercy...that is Truth on the hoof.

As I begin the 55th year of my journey into consciously living this privilege of a lifetime, I ponder how many times we have realized that truth, each time anew...anew meaning more deeply each time, with sideroads on most trips.

It is humbly exhilarating to accept that each realization is complete in and of itself. Each holds a spiritual message for each of us personally, and we are changed with our realization.

Changed by grace and by God with every graced change alive in us always.

Brand new thought: Staying spiritually present is akin to an electric current...except that its jolt is its comfort.

God is ever good to us. God is ever good.

Thank you.

OUR SPIRITUAL NATURE CHANGES US, I

[The following is a slightly reworked reprint of my post of August 24, 2021.]

I sometimes think the hardest thing life asks of us is that we change our mind...particularly when we are certain sure that we are right.

We are brought to a standstill with the realization, yet again, that we cannot by self-will alone change our mind when we don't want to. We have learned that just changing our words...as in, agree just to shut the other up...has no spiritual core and is simply inviting a resentment to settle in, take root and bloom.

We must go to the God of our own understanding...Higher Power, Providence, whatever name fits our understanding...and, in trust, turn our thoughts over to It. We pray not for the generic Gertrude, not for a cure for cancer or covid, not for peace everlasting...God has our needs already taken care of.

We pray to get nothing, no future goodies...we pray for what we have, just as it is. We pray thank you, and that is All. Thank you hands it off, and our very own spiritual nature is set free from our reasoning mind. There. Our spiritual nature changes our mind.

 
The further gift, the pearl beyond price: Spiritual nature is the light within that shines before our world that others may see, and in seeing, realize their spiritual nature, and give their thanks to the Father. The quiet word to give over, give up, give in begins to shine...no longer a self-determined objective, it has been transmuted, and thank you is now the quiet word.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.-- Matthew 5:14

Thank you.

WE GO TO GOD FOR GOD...PERIOD

 We go to God for God, and that is all...for that is all. 

Again and again that prayer comes to me...singing hallelujah and bringing me peace.

Thank you.

ON BEING THE PEACE WE SEEK, I

[The following is a reprint of an earlier post of mine.]

As we start our life's journey, we learn free will is a gift from God which often reasoning mind accepts as "want-to" permission. We soon interpret that, "want-to with permission," as ego having free will for its very own playground.

 
It is the journey we choose to walk that determines our life. Do we choose to use or to misuse our free will? Our choice, our trip. Cling to "my will, not thine" or exchange it? Our choice, our trip. Ego driven or God led? Our choice, our trip.

It is more spiritual growth plain and simple that informs our decision. Trying to spiritually educate our ego is an ego-trip trap...the egoic mind legislates for itself only.

Our spiritual growth bares fruit when we let ego be ego. We don't fight it, even those times when we use it to get our way. That's why we've got laughter as our fallback...for when we show our world we are still human, still futzing, and still needing God so that we still be laughing.

Ah, but answered prayer comes when nothing but God will crack our resistance...and, almost surprised, we know it. We welcome it with our thank you.

Maybe this is why God gave us free will. When we can turn from our want-to in any form, and welcome God's perfect will in any form, we will be the peace we seek.

Thank you.