The Death Of Illusionary Things

Ego and Soul.

Two seemingly real realities we often cannot distinguish between. Out of the reality of ego, we see ourselves over and against others by comparison, competition, and accomplishment.

Think of all the subtle and petty ways in which we measure our achievements, success, and happiness, rating ourselves in relation to other people and circumstances around us.

Although this kind of reality is a false reality, it can grow more real over time as the reality.

We too often live our lives through things and/or others of which we can’t live up to like: beautiful models and movie stars, successful business executives, world-class athletes, famous religious leaders, Grammy winning musical artists, and so on…

What a terrible tragedy that so many of us are seduced into imitating and wanting what we are not and may never be. No wonder so many of us are so unhappy.

We focus too much on the name brand of our clothing, square footage of our houses, balances of our bank accounts, year and make of our cars, esteem in which others hold us—all the symbols of our own illusionary power and accomplishments!

In contrast, to the extent our soul is alive over our egos, will be to the extent we are truly alive and in touch with real reality. We need God’s help to get there for sure…

Soul is to die to all illusionary things and see more vividly ultimate reality through Christ and the cross.

The greatest power is actually demonstrated through powerlessness, in descent and not ascent, which is counterintuitive to the way most of us see everything, but authentically the way of soul which truly makes us alive.

I recently saw an interview with Dan Rather, former CBS evening news anchor, reflecting on meeting Mother Teresa and about the work she did in the world which completely reframed his understanding of reality…

 “We’re all constantly inhaling a kind of not so great rocket fuel for the ego, and you go through these illusions like you’re accomplishing great things. Hearing Mother Teresa with her humility, accomplishing what you know are REALLY great things, you say, ‘If this women at 4’11”—I doubt she ever weighed 100 lbs—with her humility can accomplish these great things, then why am I wasting my time on these illusionary things?’ ”  ~ Dan Rather 

So, on this Ash Wednesday, I’m praying for the death of illusionary things in my own heart and life as well as yours…

May each of us come to more fully realize, when we are nothing, we are actually in a greater place to receive everything from God, including the reality of everything he created us to be (with soul and without ego).

Previous Lent Post:  Ash Wednesday Prayer     Lent: A Call To Examination

MLK: In The Name Of Love

Martin Luther King Jr. makes my top ten list of most inspiring people of all time.

I never bore of reading everything I can about his life and legacy. It always seems to stir a deeper desire in me to love every human being more, and as my brother and sister.

In honor of MLK today, I’ve compiled below his voice and thoughts which have influenced me the most over the years. His courage to give his life to confronting the evil of inequality has inspired so many of us. He also taught us what it looks like to do so in the name of love and not violence.

Thanks MLK for making me a better man and the world a better place!

The Journey Of Equality Moves On…

“A man can’t ride your back unless it’s bent.”

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.”

“At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a  friend.”

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ “

“Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek; an ‘eye for an eye’ leaves everybody blind.”

“Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.”

“Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.”

“Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

“We must use time creatively.”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

What Good Is It That Christ Was Born?

Meister Eckhart once said: ‘What good is it that Christ was born 2,000 years ago if he is not born now in your heart?”

We may believe in God, but do we believe in God-in-us? We may believe in God in heaven, but do we believe in God-on-earth? We may believe in God out there, but do we believe in God-with-us?

Lord, be born again in our hearts. Come alive in us this Christmas day that we too might bring joy to the world and peace on earth!

God, may YOU grant us the light of Christmas, which is hope.

The warmth of Christmas, which is love.

The radiance of Christmas, which is purity.

The righteousness of Christmas, which is justice.

The belief in Christmas, which is truth.

The ALL of Christmas, which is CHRIST.

–Wilda English

Prayer: Sitting In Silent Trust

Ian’s thoughts on prayer here really encouraged & inspired me.

I think I’m going to ‘sit in silent trust’ more during August and break from posting.

To check out Ian Morgan Cron’s blog Click Here

Jawbones, Swords, & Crosses

This post is about revenge, betrayal, and the incredible healing power of the act of forgiveness.

Forgiveness Is A Grand Idea.

It’s stronger and more powerful than any act of violence, injustice, abuse, wrong, hurt, or suffering. It can help heal a wounded soul and further bring healing to nations.

Why is the action of forgiveness so difficult for so many of us to choose? Perhaps because we do have other options which often feel like the more natural impulses to choose. What are those options?

Jawbones. Donkey jawbones are options. They’re the choice tool to use to execute revenge [as demonstrated by Samson in Judges 15]. “I’m merely going to do them what they did to me,” or “I won’t stop or rest until I get my revenge on them.” These are impulses that fuel revenge. And, by the way, how do you know when you’ve finally gotten enough revenge anyway?

Revenge never truly satisfies, makes up for, redeems, or heals; it only escalates and is a boomerang that cannot be thrown without retaliation or further harm to the thrower. Spitefully, we still pick up donkey jawbones and go at those who hurt us with them, and without much regard to the consequences of our actions.

In Contrast: Forgiveness is a surrendering of our right to get even.

Swords. Are another option, and we all have them. Swords seem to be the easiest thing to pull out, to lash out of emotion with, when someone’s betrayed or hurt us, or when something was said about us or done to us.

We must learn, what one of Jesus companions learned about swords directly from Jesus [Matthew 26]. “For all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” You’ve heard it said—and it might actually feel like the most natural way to respond—“pull out your sword.” But, I say [Jesus], “put it away!”

Forgiveness means refusing to make them pay.

Crosses. Are an option too. Jesus and the cross, shows us clearly and practically what forgiveness looks like. Parker Palmer describes it like this:  

“The cross says the pain stops here. The way of the cross is a way of absorbing pain, not passing it on, a way that transforms pain from destructive impulse into creative power. When Jesus accepted the cross, his death opened up a way for the redeeming power of love.”  

Each of us has a cross to carry. And, we’re invited to take them up and follow Jesus. [Luke 9:23].

Maybe someone wronged, hurt, or wounded us. Maybe we’re mentally or physically handicapped in some way, or suffer from depression. Maybe we’ve experienced conflict in our families, or are victims of violence or abuse. We didn’t choose any of these. But we can’t ignore, reject, refuse, or hate them either. These are our crosses.

Carrying our crosses is an act of forgiveness in itself. It’s an entrusting of ourselves entirely to God, in full confidence that He is able to take care of justice far better than we.

One Final Thought. Jawbones and swords are options, but only crosses have real power to heal and resurrect new life. Choose crosses!

Beautiful Things

Whatever you may be facing in your life today, know that God has not had the final word yet. If he can make human beings out of dust, He can make beautiful things out of anything!

Put in your ear phones, maximize the screen, and offer the next few minutes to be reminded of God’s creative love and power to somehow bring goodness out of all things.

Check out Aaron Niequist’s blog here. I love what they did with this Gungor song!

Shine Through Me

Dear Lord:

Help me to spread your fragrance wherever I go. Flood my soul with your SPIRIT and LIFE.

SHINE through me, and be SO in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel your presence.

Stay with me, then I shall begin to shine as you do; so to shine as to be a light to others.

The light, O Lord, will be ALL from you: NONE of it will be mine; it will be YOU shining on others through me.

Let me thus praise you in the way you love best, by shining on those around me.

Let me preach you without preaching, not by words but by my example, by the catching force, the sympathetic influence of what I do, the evident fullness of the love my heart bears to you. Amen.

~ John Henry Newman (One of Mother Teresa’s favorite prayers.)

A Symphony Of God Is Love

And The Symphony Begins…For God is Love.

I can think of no greater sound or more soothing rhythm that moves me.

Rhythm is the invisible quality that holds a song together much like God holds the world together by being love.

I believe many of us are close to God every day and may not even be fully aware of it.

Because God IS Love, wherever and whenever you may experience, express, share, give, or be given love, God is near.

May you experience the symphony of God is Love. It is the rhythm holding us and all that God created together.

And may we all find ourselves enjoying it more and more as it moves us nearer to God. It is the most inspiring beat and the greatest sound of all the ages.

The Symphony Builds…

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  ^{Psalm 145:8}

The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. Psalm 33:5

Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. ^{Psalm 36:5}

I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. ^{Psalm 89:1}

For Jesus said, [These] and whatever other commands there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself. For love is the fulfillment of the law.”  ^{Romans 13:9}

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ^{1Peter 4:7-8}

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another. If any one of you has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in you?

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.  ^{1 John 3:16}

And The Symphony Plays On and On and On…

John 3:16 Remixed

“God’s care for humanity was so great that he sent his unique Son among us,

so that those who count on him might not lead a futile and failing existence,

but have the undying life of God Himself.”

The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard | Chapter One: Entering The Eternal Kind Of Life Now.

Made Perfect In Weakness

In a culture that seems to perpetuate the constant propping up of ourselves and hiding our weaknesses, I find this text to be both challenging and life giving…

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Now, to be clear, weakness isn’t something we should be striving for. It’s just something that we all have and we should be able to freely admit it.

The greatest weakness of all is the fear of appearing weak. That’s pride to always feel the need to appear strong.

There is a way to actually live stronger. It is counter-intuitive to our culture and prideful nature, and is an unassuming pathway to discovering a new kind of strength.

This strength emerges out of an awareness of our weakness and a growing dependence on something other than ourselves.

A Humble Heart Can Help Us More Than A Proud Mind.

We try to control this situation or that person, and they just won’t do what we want them to do. We spend all kinds of energy, and that situation still will not submit to our will. Our will is not being done on earth.

How many of us have had those moments when we say,  ”I’m tired of this Lord, I give up attempting to control it, help me!” And later we realize we were given both grace and strength along-the-way; and it was not our own strength…it came from somewhere else.

God is all powerful—not us! And when we are weak, we lean more on God…discovering His strength.

Whatever the weakness, let’s humble ourselves, and pray to discover the strength that comes with acknowledging our need of God’s grace in moments of weakness. It seems God thinks he’s strong enough…

“My grace is enough; it’s all you need…”

“My strength comes into its own in your weakness.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12

Lastly, and it’s important to finish here: when we truly experience God’s grace and strength in weakness, we’ll finally be humble enough for a more meaningful use of our natural strengths—and in more than just boosting our own pride to only appear strong.

And so we are made perfect in our weakness through humility.

“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” ~Psalm 25:9