Seeker's Petitions; Savior's Response

I desire You, O Lord.

       I am in you.

My soul thirsts for You.

      Come and drink from the Fountain of Living Water and thirst no more.

I long to be with You.

      I am with you always, even to the end of the world.

My soul strains toward You.

      Draw near to Me, and I will draw near to you.

I am seeking.

      You will find.

I am asking.

      You will receive.

I am knocking.

      It will be opened to you.

I open my heart to You.

      I fill you with My Holy Spirit.

Please stay with me always.

      I will never leave or forsake you.

I am unworthy.

     I give you My righteousness.

I am unclean!

     My Blood cleanses you from all unrighteousness.My Blood

I rejoice in You!

     Your joy may be full!

I bow to You.

      I am your Friend.

I praise Your Holy Name!

      I give you peace and freedom from all oppression.

Creating Your World

Our minds are amazing beyond comprehension. Think of what has come out of the human mind. All human experience is created by our minds--even our responses to happenstances in the environment are a product of the mind--people respond differently to identical external stimuli. Our minds fill up over time with stories about usually random life experiences. These can become the filter through which we view "reality", ourselves, others, relationships and life. Because of this filter, we are creating, so speak, our world. I've given the example before of two men on a hilltop overlooking a beautiful farm in the valley below, sun setting on the horizon beyond. One is thinking, "I know the man who owns this farm. He never worked an honest day in his life. Inherited all his money from his wife's family. I could've had a place like this if my investments had gone better," etc.
Inside he feels deprived, diminished. The other man is thinking, "My God! How beautiful!" Inside he is filled with awe and gratitude. Each man is creating a different world for himself in response to the same environment.
When we extrapolate that, we see that the psycho-spiritual evolution of the human family is a matter of the mind of humans generally. What we (humans) are setting our minds upon is manifesting in the outer world--the world of form and physical substance; and more importantly, the world of human experience. We create wars. And we create harmony. But we are mostly unaware that we are doing this, or the internal motivating factors that drive us. How many humans on this planet would boastfully assert that they desired warfare? That it is something we should pursue? Then what set of intra- and interhuman dynamics drives such behaviors?
Answering this question is an aspect of our psycho-spiritual growth. It is what Christ leads us into. And as we are transformed by the Truth of Christ--the Truth that He claims to be--we transform the world. We become Light in the darkness from which all violence, hatred and fear derive. We discover and inhabit the freedom that is God-given; we experience it as a progressive inner reality. The energy field that we are generating, and that others resonate with, is transformed toward peace and compassion. We have good will toward all, even our "enemies".  We can confront spiritual blindness [evil] courageously, without fear or hatred. We begin to create heaven on earth.

Group-think Morality

In a recent interview aired on NPR [ http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/03/27/politics-partisanship-scandals] Professor Michael Barber cites research indicating "Once people begin to affiliate with a party, either party, that tends to color nearly everything that they see." This includes their moral perceptions, i.e.: Does one's private morals have a significant bearing on fitness to govern?  Currently, in the wake of Donald Trump's liaison with porn star Stormy Daniels, the majority of Democrats answer affirmatively. Go back a few decades to Bill Clinton's Lewinsky affair, and the survey polls were basically reversed. It was the majority of Republicans who believed that personal morality significantly determined fitness to govern. Apparently one's party affiliation influences his/her stand on morality. What does this say about our moral convictions? Is there a foundational moral underpinning that is not swayed by personal affiliations or the pursuit of political or other personal gains?

Parenting In Paradise

Moms and dads these days are largely addicted to prosperity in the forms of drugs, alcohol, shopping, being in love, excitement, pleasure, personal advancement, etc. The FaceBook photos with the kids look good, if you can get em to pose properly or catch em in a cute candid shot; but behind the FaceBook, they require a tremendous amount of time and energy, as parents try to suppress the guilt of knowing they really enjoy being out socially more than they enjoy their children—but the children sure know it, because they are getting the hungover, worn out, frayed and harried parent—the leftovers from the night before, while Mom or Dad is basically marking time, putting in the parent duty, until they can break free again and go do their drug of choice. When they get too far into the addiction, grandparents step in and rescue their grandchild, and fight against resentment at having to restart parenting at a time in life that is lower energy and needs to be more broadly focused on making the world a better place—passing on some wisdom to the next generation; but the next generation isn't listening; they're just glad their parents are willing to take care of the kids while they waste their lives doing things that can never compare to the joy of parenting in love and delight. The kids try for a while; make repeated bids for the love, attention, security and delight they so desperately need without knowing that they need it. But Mom and/or Dad is preoccupied and tired—going through the motions. After a while, the child gives up, throws in the towel, detaches. Doesn't really matter if Mom/Dad comes home or not, wakes up in his/her bed or somebody else's. Hopefully, by the Grace of God, there is at least one person who has the fortitude and spiritual maturity to attend deeply and compassionately, giving the part of the child's brain that contains the potential for connecting with other humans an opportunity to develop, while the developing is mushrooming. It will be much harder later, when the brain slows down, and he has a child of his own who will need connecting. We may be cultivating a society of detached, technically entranced zombies who either choose not to need anyone for fear of being hurt again, or who allow the repressed, primal, unmet need to come flooding back in like a tidal wave that engulfs and overwhelms or drives away the poor soul that it gets focused on, while the children sit huddled around a video screen, largely unnoticed in the corner.

Maturity

Maturity is the fruit of conscious choice and proactive living. It is not attained passively. No one drifts into maturity. It is characterized by humility, introspection and compassion. It is fundamentally a gift from God, as is all of life. The mature mind recognizes the power of the ego and its primal selfishness, and looks to God, Who loves all, to overcome it. The world distracts from the important journey of maturity; but it also is the arena in which God is knocking on the door. Immaturity results in unfulfillment. This unfulfillment is God knocking on the door. God commands us to love, and as we choose, over and over, to both receive [from God] and give [to others] this love, we grow in maturity. This is a process that might be described as waking up. Reality and the spiritual principles of life have never changed. But God has given us the awesome gift of freedom, and the responsibility to rise up, through conscious choice out of the mundane, routine, self-centered life; to survey the horizons in search of Truth. And there is One Who stands at the center of history Who welcomes us and proclaims that He is the Truth. He demonstrates and imparts wisdom and maturity to all who are strong enough to submit to Him. When we bow to Christ, we enter into a new realm of existence--we are "born again" into the awakened and awakening life of eternal Spirit. Our  eyes are opened to the realities of good and evil, and we are empowered to walk in Light. This Light is peace, joy, abundant life and especially Love for God and man. We wake up and realize that we have never been outside the domain of the Creator/God, Who is Love. We realize that the universe is a manifestation of Love, and that even evil is being allowed because of Love. We find our fulfillment and joy in being a conscious manifestation of God's Love--in abiding in His Spirit. We enter into the eternal Life.

Emotional Dysregulation

One primary result of adverse childhood experiences {ACEs, which I encourage you to research} is the inability to regulate emotions. We know now that the parts of the brain that are connected to the "fight, flight or freeze" reactions are exaggerated during prolonged exposure to adversity such as violence or threat of violence, neglect, addicted parents, abuse, abandonment, etc. The growing child becomes programmed for drama, fear and reactionism. Those neurons in the brain that serve to protect the self against threat become over-active, and this dynamic does not quickly subside when the threat is no longer present.  The child's brain, in its developmental state, is much more adaptable and malleable than the adult brain, and the programming continues into adulthood. This is why every caring adult should be aware of the importance of providing our children with a stable, nurturing, safe, secure and attentive environment. This takes adults who are capable, compassionate and unhurried enough to pay attention to children. It takes a hundred units of love in adulthood to accomplish what one unit of love accomplishes in childhood. Thankfully, God is infinite Love!
How does one overcome this emotional dysregulation that causes so much turmoil and difficulty in relationships? One must first come to know that he/she is dysregulated. This means that one assumes responsibility for the processing, the living out of those emotions, and seeks a loving, trustworthy, compassionate and strong set of friends, church members, therapist, mentor and/or guide to begin to resonate with. Information is not enough. Information about a foreign language does not enable one to speak it. One must immerse himself in the language until it begins to flow within him. This is what I mean by "resonate." The Bible says "I have calmed and quieted my soul. As a baby at its mother's breast is my soul" [Psalms 131:2 RSV].   To experience the inner reality of those words is a doorway to emotional regulation. To discover what it means to "be still and know that He is God"[Psalms 46:10].  In this holy stillness one discovers or enters into an inner realm [that is also beyond the self] that is and can become more and more of a refuge or sanctuary from the emotional hurricanes that have been driving one's life and behaviors. She can then practice re-entering this place, or perhaps better stated, staying in touch with this Reality, when she is blindsided by one of life's crises, or when the events occur that used to evoke the reactive and counter-productive drama. The Holy Spirit is manifested in her in the form of "self-control"  and "peace" [Gal 5:22-23]. The process of regulating our emotions is challenging and life-long for all of us. It is the work of Love, and must be inspired [in the literal sense of that word] by the Holy Spirit, Who is Love [Phil 2:13] [1 John 4:8].

Decision Making and Dilemmas

Sometimes we feel trapped in situations where we must make an important decision and we know that there are potentially difficult consequences with both options. In this situation we look deeply and carefully at both sets of consequences, as well as the desired outcome [why we are making the decision and what we hope to gain]. Fear of consequences will keep us from looking deeply into them; and we may recoil in fear from what would be the best decision! And frequently, without realizing it, what we really fear is our reaction to those consequences because we do not trust ourselves to handle them well. This is a lack of faith: the faith that gives courage to face down all fears in pursuit of Truth. In faith we can ask God, Who gives wisdom liberally to all who seek in sincerity and humility, and Who always guides us in the most loving direction, in the healthiest sense of  the word "loving".  Then we know that we can deal with the difficult consequences of our decision, because we will be, as we are now, abiding in Christ--in the Spirit. In Christ we can do all  things, even deal with those consequences. We will be abiding in and living through the Spirit that continues to love people no matter how unenlightened by His Spirit they may be. We will be in the Spirit that is powerful enough to love its enemies, and that supplies self-control in emotional circumstances.
Some people read this and have an inner sense of the Reality of "abiding in Christ" or "in the Spirit". Others do not, and will perhaps turn away confused or nonplussed. For those who want to try to understand what it means [inwardly feels like] to abide in the Spirit of Christ I encourage you to simply study His life and teachings in the New Testament. If you have read this far, I would say you are capable of making your own independent decision about who or what He is,  [ I capitalize the pronouns of His name because of what I have discovered Him to be] and need not fear being "brainwashed" into some theological cult. But this may not be the time for you to experience this Reality--this Awakening. That time must come like the ripening of fruit; it cannot be pushed forward by man. It can only be received. It is a gift of grace. This grace can come, however, by the reading of the Word, so I invite you to give it a try. An honest reading of the New Testament can be a powerful experience, even from the literary standpoint. I don't think one could call his education complete without doing so, considering the powerful way it has permeated and transformed humanity and human history.
All our decision making is taking us into whatever future we are creating for ourselves. It is obviously wise to seek Divine Wisdom . We have seen what humans can create. When the Love of Christ is our guiding principle, we begin to create heaven on earth.