Hope and Choices

 

I looked at the waxing moon in all her glorious beauty, thinking of how her presence makes our lives possible, creates our ocean tides, the inspirational and calming mother-light she provides. Knowing that her light is a reflection of that greater light, she reminded me: “No matter how dark things are on your side of this earth, the sun is still shining.”

As I was watering my outside plants it occurred to me that I could think about what I was going to do next [after watering the plants] [the future] or I could think about something that has happened in the past or some difficulties that I’m facing in my family [the past or current problems] etc. Or I could just focus on watering my plants. The fact that I had a CHOICE is what really struck me. I could CHOOSE what I wanted to think about, or think of nothing at all –just BE. It seems very important that we be in touch with the self that makes a decision about what to think about. Otherwise we are “lost in our thoughts”; and frequently they don’t take us into good places. The Bible says some things about thoughts, and we do very well to understand what it says. If I don’t take some agency over my thoughts—if I am not aware that there is a self who is distinct from those thoughts and who can willfully shift them—then my thoughts will drag me through life wherever they randomly go.

Immunity

 

I noticed, amid the flurry of thoughts crowding my mind, that six cardinals were peacefully foraging in my yard. I remembered that another one, perhaps one of these, had nested with fledglings under the eave of my grill shed. My mind focused intently on these lovely, peaceful birds and, as if that awareness was a portal to a higher realm, my thoughts flew quickly and deeply into the grandeur of the universe, and I was immediately in touch with my freedom. Bringing my mind back to the birds, I imagined the idyllic lives they live—so peacefully simple. Immediately though I remembered that they have predators also—cats, snakes, hawks, owls, etc.. We feel relieved when we contemplate our rise above the ancient ones who lived in caves and feared the saber-toothed tiger. No material predators for us! We are at the apex of life on the planet! But, along with the microscopic predators that attack us, we realize that we have other unseen predators—predators of the soul. We have a certain darkness that lurks within us, like a virus. And we never know who is carrying it, or how much, or how it might manifest toward us or, worse, through us. We never know when there might be an outbreak—like Nazism or the Rowandan genocide. Historically, this predator has done some damage in the human family. And like flu or covid viruses, it never completely dies out; it just lies dormant in all our hearts, until the immune system gets weak—then it breaks out.

But we know now—some of us---about the Vaccine; the one that is 100% effective. It guards us against all spiritual predation, even the fear of an outbreak. We don’t need a mask. Our life is not hampered in any way; in fact we are freer than we ever were before the Vaccine. Those who have received the Vaccine know exactly what I’m speaking of. To those who haven’t I would say “Hey man! Receive the Vaccine. Protect yourself and your people. The virus is rampant.”

Spiritual Growth

 

A sure way to enhance your spiritual growth is to frequently ask God this question: “How am I doing at loving my people?” We ask this with the understanding that “my people” means everyone within the sphere of our influence. Everyone! And then we be still long enough to hear the still small voice of Truth telling us exactly what we most need to hear. The ones that usually come to mind, and rightfully so, are those we are having the most difficulty loving—those who have hurt us, abandoned us, broken our trust, misunderstood us. And we know that we must pray for them, as our Lord prayed from the Cross, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” What an incredibly wise and liberating prayer is this! To understand deeply that people who hurt or betray people do not know what they are doing. They are living outside the principle by which life works—the principle by which life is here; the principle of Love. And they desperately need to awaken, as we have, into this glorious Truth, else they will never be free in this life. They will always be a slave to their own passions and judgments. They may need confrontation [ministered only in Love] but they most certainly need compassion. This compassion—this prayer—is a manifestation of your true healing from the wounds that Satan inflicted upon your soul through them.

Wisdom

 

One of the wise elders was walking with a young man who was sincerely seeking the Truth. He said to the wise one, “Sir, you almost always seem so peaceful and serene. How is it that you maintain this state of being?” The wise one responded “Because I know, in the fullness of my being, that there is no higher perfection than the perfection of the universe, just as it is in this moment.” After a pause, the seeker said “But sir, children are dying of starvation, men are killing each other for no rational purpose, people are abandoning their families, there is corruption in politics, and even in the Church! How can this be perfect?”

The wise one replied with an air of deep concern, “All those tribulations and sufferings, and many more besides, are being allowed by a conscious Source Who is characterized by a greater Love than the human mind can grasp, as well as infinite Power and Wisdom—all clearly evident in the material world. In His domain, all is and ever shall be perfect. The universe is His domain. Therefore all this suffering has meaning, and we discover the deepest meaning of it when we work, motivated only by Love, to alleviate as much of it as we can without enabling weakness. We start by acknowledging our own suffering. We alleviate as much as we can within our realm of control; and we accept the rest as Christ accepted the Cross and Paul accepted the “thorn”--peacefully immersed in Grace. As we allow our suffering to be consumed and transcended in Faith, Hope and especially Love, we are bestowed with the gifts that enable us to alleviate suffering in others—more and more effectively. Peace dawns within us and begins its eternal journey toward the full Light of Day. And Joy bubbles up in little fountains all along the pathway. We still grieve, get frustrated, angry and hurt. We still suffer the perfect decay of the flesh. But we realize that these all arise and fall in the temporary world that we are IN but not OF. We know that they too are woven perfectly into the perfect Living Tapestry of this brief but very important earthly journey.”

At that point, the elder stopped abruptly, clutched his chest, fell to his knees and then to his side. The young man dropped and placed his arm under the elder’s neck. His face was contorted in pain, but just before his soul departed his body, he smiled and winked at the young man.

Social Apocalypse

 

It was a brutal time. Love had waxed cold, and the cold had caught on and spread like a deadly virus, turning people into zombie-like creatures who walked sullenly and fed off each other with an appetite that was never satisfied. Women didn’t feel loved by men nor did men feel loved by women. So they either lost hope or clung to whatever shreds of love they could find anywhere, usually choking it to death with their desperate need. There was so much well-publicized sham and ego in religion that those on the outside couldn’t see the beautiful Reality that it points to. And those parents who had found life-sustaining strength and joy in their religion were watching their children being pulled into the world’s distorted view of it. People of leisure had never dreamed that times could be become so difficult. And the fringe classes were fighting in the weary streets to survive. The children were being dragged along in this desert march—thirsty, staring, too insecure to play. Those few who were sincere hung on, trying to trust. They prayed for the Light to come into this darkness. And they found some comfort. So the Hope, of course, as always was there, to be found by the diligent. But the trust got harder when the disease penetrated their own families-- those who had been taught in the Faith, now so easily pulled into the darkness. The “sword” Jesus spoke of, that separates mothers from daughters and sons from fathers was in full operation. People were rapidly forgetting how to live together harmoniously. All could sense, though all but the courageous and true denied, that dark clouds were looming—that we were coming to one of those historic crossroads where the river would split and most of the water of life would go in one direction or the other: into the lush, green valley of renewal, or over the cliff into the abyss from which all has to be rebuilt—on a foundation that might not be as secure as the one that had crumbled. Many of the very sensitive without a root or foundation could not tolerate it—and exited it. Others were ensnared in various pits cleverly woven into the torn fabric of the Community.

Thankfully, many who had an affinity for the Light and who were ready, drew toward the Light to escape the pain. There, to their shock and delight, they found more than relief from the pain. They found their true family. They found a shimmering sanctuary in which they knew, beyond doubt, that all is well, and ever would be; an unseen but very real dimension of genuine Peace and inner Serenity deep down below all the sufferings and cycles of this world. They found the Freedom that pours forth from the Source of all that is needed to have what our hearts truly desire, here and now. Today! They looked sadly, hopefully at the world.

And then they looked up!

Growing Up

 

Our parents are largely [not completely] responsible for our psycho-spiritual condition when we enter adulthood; but we are 100% responsible when we enter adulthood. We are responsible for how we handle what we were dealt as children. Doesn’t do any good to just keep crying, and we can’t blame them anymore. In fact, blaming is counter-productive—no matter whom is blamed. Blame is a distraction from the important work of overcoming whatever we are blaming anyone for. Those who have hurt us or our loved ones are unenlightened--- “They know not what they do” as Jesus says. This is true even if they are consciously mean or malicious—especially when they are. We guard our hearts from what is in them, and try to protect our loved ones as best we can; but they are going to wreak some havoc, nevertheless. We do damage control as best we can. But we continue to recognize and transcend the various ways our own souls have been wounded in this arena of life with humans who are still emerging from darkness into Light. And we remember that our war is not with “flesh and blood” but spirits that possess and move within the human heart. Those who are possessed of meanness, for example, are the primary victims of it, even though many others are hurt through them also. And we are careful not to “return evil for evil, nor be overcome by evil; but rather to overcome evil with good.” Our ability to do this is the very evidence of our healing and enlightenment. As the Cross of Christ absorbed and destroyed the sins of the world, so now, as we take up our crosses and respond to everything in courageous and peaceful Love, we, as His body, also negate the evil in this world. This is what we help each other do. This is one important way that we love each other: by carrying our load with integrity, and bearing each others’ burdens when necessary. We do all this as Christ described: in peace, with thankful hearts, in a “yoke that is easy and a burden that is light.” {At least most of the time. And more and more so as we grow.} We stay consciously grounded in the eternal Truth that He is perpetually revealing to us---the Truth that sets and keeps us free. We are always “more than conquerors.” Peaceful warriors. Joyful servants. Nothing from the dark side, not even Satan himself can change this. It is our default setting; the Foundation underneath all our experiences. And in death {our final victory} all these “slight, momentary afflictions” will be obliterated by a light of glory that the NDEers cannot describe, even in the most superlative terms.

Grief

 

[Jas 4:9 KJV] 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

This initially sounds like a strange thing for the God Who promises joy---Who reminds us that the “joy of the Lord is our strength”--to command. And then we have Jesus’ words from the “Sermon on the Mount”:

[Mat 5:4 KJV] 4 Blessed are those who mourn: for they shall be comforted.

It doesn’t take very long, living on this earth, to accumulate some sadness. Many children have already been afflicted with death, neglect or addiction of a parent; or divorce and animosity of their parents. Certainly by adolescence, most hearts have been afflicted with sorrow. Jesus was afflicted with it also. He said “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow, even unto death.” [Mt. 26:38]

We lose our loved ones. And we are alienated from some of them due to the divisive influences of the world. The more sensitive and compassionate the soul, the more intimate and fulfilling the relationships, the deeper these sorrows seem to penetrate. What should we do with this sadness and sorrow? We should allow ourselves to feel it, in its darkest depths. We do not have to fear it. It is holy. It is an aspect of our love. How could there be love, in the deepest sense, without sorrow? Christ’s sorrow, as ours, was His Love. In our fear we try to hold ourselves above this sorrow. It feels like an endless pit that we dare not allow ourselves to sink into. We may never come out of it! But God speaks otherwise. Mourn, weep, and feel the heaviness of sorrow. Allow yourself to sink all the way down to what feels like the bottom of the pit; for there you will discover that it is not a pit at all but rather a dark tunnel that you must move through. Jesus, Who has been all the way down into feeling forsaken by the God He had unfailingly obeyed His entire life, will be with you. He allowed Himself to feel this. He did not try to hold Himself above this sorrow so as to avoid casting a cloud of doubt over others’ trust in the God Who conquers all. He felt the sorrow and the forsakeness. And He arose from the grave as an eternal beacon of hope for all those who suffer similarly! There is, without doubt, Light on the other side of the tunnel of sorrow and grief. And it transforms us into more of everything we truly want to be. How could it be otherwise, since it is being allowed by the God Who is Love. When we mourn, we discover that it is just as He said: we are comforted. We can still love—even better than before we entered the dark night of the soul. Then we discover as an inner experience what was spoken through Jeremiah:

[Jer 31:13 KJV] 13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.