We often think that as we grow spiritually, we will leave people behind. We tend to struggle with how to approach or talk to people we see as “beneath us” because we are just so “spiritually mature.” We act like we have entered some other realm they cannot even come near.
Then I look at Jesus, who embodied perfect consciousness, all wisdom, maturity and strength and I see how he treated people who might have been seen as “beneath him.” Beggars, cripples, the ...
Someone gave me this bit of wisdom once: she said, “the pain tells me that I am alive.” She was battling cancer and all the pain and agony that go along with that, and she stopped taking her pain medication almost altogether. She is a brave soul. She said when the meds covered all of the pain, she would wake up and not know if she was alive or dead. Her illness had progressed to a point where she could go any time, and she didn’t want to be in a drug-induced stupor. She wanted ...
Some anxiety is natural in this realm. When we are away from the One who sustains us, of course there is going to be some anxiety. And when we feel anxious, we immediately begin to seek security in various ways. We seek to have enough money, be esteemed by others, have all of our tasks completed, make sure our loved ones are healthy and safe.
Think about what you are actually afraid of. Ultimately, you are probably afraid of being destroyed or being condemned. I know that sounds drastic, but at ...
We should pay attention to our emotions. It is our emotions that are the barometer for where our hearts are and where we are going. These subtle inner shifts in our feeling system are what the Spirit uses to shape us and teach us. It is problematic that we are always trying to dull important emotions and in that way, render the work of the Spirit ineffective. Our pathology springs from our attempts to always dumb down, lock up and forget about the myriad emotions that have been given to us to ...
It feels like we live our lives bouncing between these two poles: stress and rest, one necessitating the other until the pendulum swinging bores you into oblivion. Many of us live our lives just at the edge of plunging headlong into fatigue and overexhaustion, until we are forced to rest, whether by nervous breakdown or overdone emotional release.
I believe there may be a better way to live. Those who have endured trauma have a lot to teach us about how to handle stress. When trauma presents itself, ...
It is important that we believe in people. I mean, we should not put our trust solely in people, but people benefit from our faith in them. We also benefit when we trust others. It is far too easy to get cynical. When people wrong you, or just appear different than you, it is easy to write them off. But our differences are what stretch us and make us grow. If you write people off, you are missing your opportunity to grow.
Everything around you in the world will convince you not to have faith. Your ...
“And do not evaluate, measure, or judge your periods of contemplative prayer. In our achievement-oriented society, we’ll probably begin to pray with a superficial concern for results in a futile attempt to discern if our investment of time and energy was worth it. Did it produce any luminous insight or any extraordinary experience? That kind of spiritual materialism will disappear, the ego will be purified, and self-consciousness will fade through the practice of daily prayer.
“Just ...
There is this continuum between thoughtfulness and impulsivity (or not thinking) on which people naturally land. And, as with most continuums, being able to strike a balance is good. I believe it is good to have a little of both thoughtfulness and thoughtlessness in your life. You should be able to step back and have some constructive thought about where your life is going and “what it all means,” for instance, but too much of that becomes narcissism and/or neuroticism. This ...