Mark 9:23-24 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway, the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
As the old saying goes, we learn something new every day. Not being a deep reader of the Bible (I simply have favorite Bible passages), I learned just this morning that those two passages, my favorites by the by, run consecutively in the Bible.
I never knew that.
From the time I first connected with it, I have loved Mark 9:23, all things are possible to them that believe, and for whatever reasons, that phrase seems to show up on really important days or events in my life.
Then Mark 9:24 just seems to put the period to the sentence for me. I do believe, I do, I do, my heart cries, even as my brain, my body, my hands and my feet reach for yet another self-willed fix or treat or ego-pleaser.
Here again, for whatever reason, help me mine unbelief tells me God's okay with "mine unbelief." By "okay," I mean he doesn't hold it against us...but we do. There's our very own problem...doing God's thinking for him.
He is there for us. That's how all things are possible to those who believe...God loves us, intervenes in our life in our behalf always and all ways.
Whoa...BFO: If all things are possible to us if we believe, then all things are possible to us whether we believe or not. Get grateful. Get grateful for something we really, really do not like, do not want, or seriously fear...get grateful. That's just giving God a chance to do his thing. Let him.
Thank you.
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
ON THE UN-MAKING OF OUR SELF AS A SAINT
Hard lesson learning: We're looking for a spiritual teacher? There she is right in the midst of our idle thoughts...the one we are compulsively setting straight in our own mind, the one who is irritating us right this minute. He's the one. And there is somebody, isn't there?
This, I'm guessing, is why we are taught to love our enemies. They are the harbinger of the love hidden within us. Or, to get right common about it, our thoughts are the manure that fertilizes that love and brings it forth.
Praise her, call his name "Blessed." Lift them up. But not before (and this is vital) not a second before we have gone to God, gone deep within our own self, and sought forgiveness for our own mistakes, missteps, judgments against him, against her, against them.
Else all we have is a self-determined objective, and a self-determined objective's object is self.
We go trying to love our enemy without going to God first, we've got another resentment aborning, and it will be deeper than the first one. We've made our self a saint in our own mind, and if we get anything less than grateful adoration in return (and you bet we will), then we're left with just another edition of As The Stomach Turns. Authored by our own self.
We can do better than that...but only by going to God first for that is the necessary letting go of the results of our attempts to love. Going to God, seeking to know and to show love to another, is God's singular will for us. According to me.
Thank you.
This, I'm guessing, is why we are taught to love our enemies. They are the harbinger of the love hidden within us. Or, to get right common about it, our thoughts are the manure that fertilizes that love and brings it forth.
Praise her, call his name "Blessed." Lift them up. But not before (and this is vital) not a second before we have gone to God, gone deep within our own self, and sought forgiveness for our own mistakes, missteps, judgments against him, against her, against them.
Else all we have is a self-determined objective, and a self-determined objective's object is self.
We go trying to love our enemy without going to God first, we've got another resentment aborning, and it will be deeper than the first one. We've made our self a saint in our own mind, and if we get anything less than grateful adoration in return (and you bet we will), then we're left with just another edition of As The Stomach Turns. Authored by our own self.
We can do better than that...but only by going to God first for that is the necessary letting go of the results of our attempts to love. Going to God, seeking to know and to show love to another, is God's singular will for us. According to me.
Thank you.
Monday, September 12, 2016
GET OVER YOURSELF...A.K.A., SURRENDER
We don’t teach meditation to the young monks. They are not ready for it until they stop slamming doors. — Thich Nhat Hanh
Along those same lines, Fr Richard Rohr has written: Meaty spirituality must first of all teach us freedom from the self, from my own self as a reference point for everything or anything.
Both of those statements are the basis for coming to understand that we cannot rid our self of self. We cannot even knock it down a peg or two just by using our common sense. I am coming to believe that the only way to get over our self is to seek God's help in becoming concerned first with the wellbeing of another. Then we're prepared to move it on up...to the care and wellbeing of others.
It is a noted fact that my ego always legislates for itself. I cannot recall a time when Lucy gave over instantly to an idea of mine that would lessen my stake in anything, or strengthen yours over mine, more specifically. Well, who's kidding whom? I can't recall having such an idea as a first thought ever.
The first step in ego deflation, apparently, is taking responsibility for our own less than wonderful behavior...which is always on display as the behavior of the other, the one we're mentally chewing out. For doing what we're doing.
There. That's when we begin to take responsibility for our own negative (self-centered) thoughts and feelings about another...our pay-hate-back wants are being transmuted to pay-love-forward. Lucy is moving to the back as God is moved forward. By our decision to get over our own self. Also known as...surrender.
Thank you.
Along those same lines, Fr Richard Rohr has written: Meaty spirituality must first of all teach us freedom from the self, from my own self as a reference point for everything or anything.
Both of those statements are the basis for coming to understand that we cannot rid our self of self. We cannot even knock it down a peg or two just by using our common sense. I am coming to believe that the only way to get over our self is to seek God's help in becoming concerned first with the wellbeing of another. Then we're prepared to move it on up...to the care and wellbeing of others.
It is a noted fact that my ego always legislates for itself. I cannot recall a time when Lucy gave over instantly to an idea of mine that would lessen my stake in anything, or strengthen yours over mine, more specifically. Well, who's kidding whom? I can't recall having such an idea as a first thought ever.
The first step in ego deflation, apparently, is taking responsibility for our own less than wonderful behavior...which is always on display as the behavior of the other, the one we're mentally chewing out. For doing what we're doing.
There. That's when we begin to take responsibility for our own negative (self-centered) thoughts and feelings about another...our pay-hate-back wants are being transmuted to pay-love-forward. Lucy is moving to the back as God is moved forward. By our decision to get over our own self. Also known as...surrender.
Thank you.
Sunday, September 11, 2016
GOD IN OUR LIFE PERSONALLY
...unconditional surrender to My Will in the small, as in the big things of life...makes My guidance possible. -- "God Calling," August 18
Some years back, I heard someone say he felt as though he was being nibbled to death by ducks. I knew on hearing it that that was UN-surrender to the small things of life, and I identified completely.
That is true for me still...I have no great deal of trouble giving the biggies to God (because clearly I cannot deal). The so-called ankle-biters, however, become anacondas before I think of surrender as an option...and surrender of my will in particular.
Why not accept that is all that is needed? Surrender. To God's will.
Our mistake, I believe, is trying to give the ankle-biter itself to God. No. That cannot be done. There are no lessons learned, no deepening of our understanding of God and the ways of God and the spiritual life if God magically whisks every care and concern away before its time.
I'm convinced a huge percentage of spiritual growth comes from our mistakes, or really from our perceived mistakes. Perceived mistakes handled correctly...crash and burn with the suckers...can and will lead us to a new higher, and deeper, consciousness of God and the mysteries of God in our life personally for our benefit.
Again, and yet again: Loose it and let it go.
Thank you.
Some years back, I heard someone say he felt as though he was being nibbled to death by ducks. I knew on hearing it that that was UN-surrender to the small things of life, and I identified completely.
That is true for me still...I have no great deal of trouble giving the biggies to God (because clearly I cannot deal). The so-called ankle-biters, however, become anacondas before I think of surrender as an option...and surrender of my will in particular.
Why not accept that is all that is needed? Surrender. To God's will.
Our mistake, I believe, is trying to give the ankle-biter itself to God. No. That cannot be done. There are no lessons learned, no deepening of our understanding of God and the ways of God and the spiritual life if God magically whisks every care and concern away before its time.
I'm convinced a huge percentage of spiritual growth comes from our mistakes, or really from our perceived mistakes. Perceived mistakes handled correctly...crash and burn with the suckers...can and will lead us to a new higher, and deeper, consciousness of God and the mysteries of God in our life personally for our benefit.
Again, and yet again: Loose it and let it go.
Thank you.
Saturday, September 10, 2016
NO REGRETS...JOY EVERLASTING
Blinding flash of the obvious: It is not to regret when we forget, it is to joy when we remember.
It is not to regret when we forget that God has our back, it is to joy when we remember that God cannot not have our back.
In our remembering, we are brought again to the realization that God's rewards are not our reasoning mind's wants. We then list our wants: love, peace of mind, somebody to care for and to laugh with...money.
Then we list our need: love.
The rest of our life's spiritual seeking and mental machinations can rest in that. Our forever-after job is now knowing the love of God that passes all understanding. And that is all. From that knowing of God's love comes to us a consciousness of enough...a consciousness of peace, of love, of security.
All we need do is remember that. Which we will forget. Then joy in re-remembering. Which God just loves about us.
Thank you.
It is not to regret when we forget that God has our back, it is to joy when we remember that God cannot not have our back.
In our remembering, we are brought again to the realization that God's rewards are not our reasoning mind's wants. We then list our wants: love, peace of mind, somebody to care for and to laugh with...money.
Then we list our need: love.
The rest of our life's spiritual seeking and mental machinations can rest in that. Our forever-after job is now knowing the love of God that passes all understanding. And that is all. From that knowing of God's love comes to us a consciousness of enough...a consciousness of peace, of love, of security.
All we need do is remember that. Which we will forget. Then joy in re-remembering. Which God just loves about us.
Thank you.
Friday, September 9, 2016
MY NEMESIS, MY PEACE
I have been blessed with the ability to draw friends to me...the flip side, I have been cursed with the defect of making myself a target for non-friends.
In my seeking self-acceptance, I came to that coin-like facet of me...two sides of the same coin...and I was gifted with peace about it. That is me. When people come to me, I joy, and when I'm the unloved, unwanted, unneeded, unappreciated target, I grumble...and then remember who I am and grin. Usually doesn't happen in a heartbeat, but it happens because that's self-acceptance. And self-acceptance can feel yo-yo-ish...here/not here/here/etc.
In my seeking self-acceptance, I came to that coin-like facet of me...two sides of the same coin...and I was gifted with peace about it. That is me. When people come to me, I joy, and when I'm the unloved, unwanted, unneeded, unappreciated target, I grumble...and then remember who I am and grin. Usually doesn't happen in a heartbeat, but it happens because that's self-acceptance. And self-acceptance can feel yo-yo-ish...here/not here/here/etc.
Just this morning another huge hunk of self-acceptance came to me. I realized that my nemesis, that part of me that I resist by resignation and call it acceptance, lives in my well of humility. It is that which God protects by letting it be. It serves to lead me free of me...to remove it, as I have oh so often wished, would leave my ego in control.
By its very being, my nemesis serves as a humble beacon lighting my path forward, upward to the depths of my Soul. Like all good things, like all less-than-wonderful things, I welcome it. I call its name Blessed for that way leads to peace.
Thank you.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
LION TO LAMB
[The following is a reprint of my blog of April 1, 2013.]
My morning blinding flash of the obvious: I am [we are] the lion to the Lord's lamb.
My morning blinding flash of the obvious: I am [we are] the lion to the Lord's lamb.
It is the lion that must learn to give over, to restrain himself, to train herself through the lamb to accept, not resist, the lamb…to become like the lamb.
To become the Lamb.
Thank you.
To become the Lamb.
Thank you.
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