A Good Use for Self-Regard
7/26/09 Insights from Prayer We do so much that God has never required of us, and we avoid what little He does ask.
Think about the people you know – does anyone live for the love of God? Sure, they may busy themselves with holy works, but I often wonder if we should analyze what we can do for others and re-assess the importance of what we can do for our own spirituality. One thing is better-handled by God; the other is one of the few things God sets aside for our participation.
We need to get this right, because from it wondrous miracles of opportunity grow. We are taught to think of others before ourselves, and we have an innate knowledge that self-regard can lead us away from God. But wrong too is neglect of our own spirituality, because that is the engine that powers our good works.
We must be right with God before we can bring others to this state. It’s God’s spirit that does the work, but God allows us to participate by maintaining the proper attitude. In this way we work in conjunction with the Creator, building up divine perceptions and keeping our spirits pure and receptive. We need to stop for a while to refresh this relationship if we want to best hold our experiences up as a good example. In this instance self-regard is a benefit instead of a weakness.
