The surprise for most of us is that this place of relationship with God is really not about being perfect. The self in God will still make mistakes, but it lives from a center other than its own. -- Fr Richard Rohr, "Daily Meditation," February 16, 2022
Just as I was about to write that I never read the Bible, I realized that earlier I had done just that...I had read the Bible! And, as proof of Rohr's quote, it had opened to the needed place: If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. (Corinthians 3:18, KJV)
Immediately upon reading that, I knew why I'd picked up the Bible this particular morning.
Lately, I find myself living the wondrous realization that mistakes, errors in judgment and the like are paving my spiritual way...and daily. Those facts and acts that fall within the human condition are the egoic mind's building blocks for our rues, regrets and remorses. The fact is, this is not new news.
Meaning that I haven't just caught this...I have been preaching this to myself and others for years. One of my first spiritual realizations was "When wrong, promptly admit it" gives us permission to be wrong, to make mistakes, to shuck rigid, righteous and right as our life-shield.
There it is...the teachable case of recognizing truth, knowing it for truth, memorizing it, repeating it by rote...until one fine day we realize we may be walking that a little, but we are talking it more. By the way, this applies to each spiritual lesson we learn in life..."getting" it does not happen with "getting" it.
My today's piece of wonder: Get as smart as we can, as spiritually educated as possible, on the way to being as fit as Saint Francis of Assisi at his fittest...we cannot avoid being the fool. In order to become spiritually wise, we need to become the fool we so resist being.
If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. (Corinthians 3:18, KJV)
If the reasoning mind resists this, rest easy...we are on the right track. We are taking our turn at becoming the fool...which is not a lot of fun but it is the inner path to peace. If the reasoning mind does not resist this, we are on the right track...same goes only doubled.
The rough and rutted road back to God is paved with our rues, regrets and remorses. This is the road we need to trudge, not to lose those regrets, but for those regrets to be transmuted into our slivers of gold.
Blinding flash of the obvious: That which we think is wrong with us, finally we realize is and has ever been God's will for us...that which makes us whole as our own self.
The sliver of gold becomes our gold ring, and we are freed to love and laugh.
Thank you.
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