The Light in the Woods

11/12/09 Inspirations              Imagine if there was no such thing as time or space. You would look out on the world from where you stand and say to yourself — ”This is what is. What is here and now is everything there is, just as it is.”

That’s the way things are in Reality – in God’s kingdom, the world as it is without the scales that cover our eyes. In God’s kingdom, this eternity – life without time or space – is the beautiful sum of God’s love. But to us, infinity is frightening because we have become used to the illusion of time and space, and we cannot really imagine existence without them.

And so we try to imagine heaven but fail in that we keep returning to the earthly measurements of time and space. “OK, so there’s heaven and it’s wonderful and it never ends. Except, everything must have an end!” No, just when you’ve expanded your mind to include a life that goes on forever, you’re already imagining the end that must come. You circle around infinity, trying to both embrace and erase within your understanding the concept of endlessness, but you can’t do it, and this frightens you to the point where you can no longer contemplate heaven without unease. But you’ll be back, because as frightening and incomprehensible as eternity is, you would rather face it in consciousness instead of in the black and silent nothingness that would be it’s alternative.

This is why humans, all humans, are pre-programmed for trust in the Creator, whether we acknowledge it or not. We with our minuscule capacity for knowledge can only be immobilized by fear or comforted by faith.  Without this faith that something higher than we are will make everything all right, we are lost in our own home and afraid to leave it.

There are some who claim that when a person finds comfort in faith in God, that in itself is evidence of their delusion; in “real life” we don’t get what we want by wishful thinking, we get it by luck or hard work. But those with faith in God are functioning above and beyond this temporal, worldly life, and worldly measurements do not work there. On this higher plane we do get what we want by wishful thinking. It’s called prayer, and if we pray to be in sync with God’s master plan, we will of course be comforted. The mightiest prayer is “Lord, Your will is done – help me be content in that and I will have comfort in all things.”

The antidote for fear is faith. If you trust in the goodness of an all-wise and all-powerful Creator, what is left to fear?

8/8/09 Revelations            I was kayaking past beautiful places that I couldn’t help thinking the mystics ought to have for their spiritual retreat if the world could be run my way. But that’s not going to happen. So I wondered that those that have get more and more, and yet they still don’t understand how fortunate they are.

But I am blessed in a different way. Those who have God have everything, and don’t need more. Sometimes we seek more, or regret not getting everything we want. But deep inside we know that we have the best there is, because we have a right-relationship with God. And if God says “yes” there’s no need to worry about the “no” we get from elsewhere.

I reflect on that now, but earlier today in my kayak I felt a little sad for the things that can’t be when it’s so clear that they ought to be. As I floated past fifty-foot high slabs of rock, I touched them and it was like touching the face of God. And this is what I heard so clearly inside my spirit:

“There’s no amount of money or well-being that can compare with the excellence of the spirituality I have given you. You don’t have to wonder at others’ good fortune — just enjoy the good gifts I give you, because they will last a very long time.”

7/18/09 Inspirations       Eternity is just around the corner. If something isn’t going to matter in eternity, why do you let it bother you now?  If God is in control and destines things this way and that, of what possible consequence are our fears and struggles and lamentations and guilt and anxiety and labor?

It’s up to you to lighten your load – God never asked of you all you think you must accomplish. In fact, it’s in your arrogance that you strive away with great showmanship in things you are only guessing God wants you to do.

The little there is that God leaves up to you can be accomplished in seconds, in private. If you don’t know what God asks of you, find out by asking Him. Then, for those who are humble, obedient and sincere, whatever it is you think you were meant to do will be accomplished. But it won’t be you doing it; rather, it will be God working through you. The advantage is, this way you have peace knowing that the task is being accomplished well and rightly.

Don’t offend God by being a man-made, self-made martyr.

7/17/09 Insight from Prayer        Love of God makes everything else tolerable. That is why mystics naturally concentrate on the presence of God in their lives; seeking relevancy that way instead of by way of the things of the world. The things of the world are destined only to disappoint, because we were made by God for better than this.

Life on Earth may be the hell God was forced to visit upon us, but His promise of our return to Him and all He created us for is what keeps us holding on. Meanwhile, we can do the works He has assigned to us without conferring on them the importance we wish they had. This humility makes us expect less, and a lower expectation fits in nicely with the lower importance of the world.

We are only waiting for better. We can improve our lives and we can improve the lives of others. But when all is said and done, these lives are fleeting. In the kingdom to come, it will be love of God that is the only consideration, and we can improve this temporary world most by cultivating the love of God here and now.

If God is supreme in our lives, all else is merely incidental and the world’s ability to bring negativity into life is diminished. The best work we can do is to shout this from the rooftops, for this is the freedom God wants every creation of His to experience.

2/22/09 Insights from Study            I may have paid less attention at times, but now I see reality beyond illusion. If not God – who? If not for my benefit – whose?

Life can be simple if we live it outside the confines of the material world we know so well. Things other than God, our only need, mess up our perception. But we’re in this worldly cell with our worldly bodies; we look for a way out while at the same time hesitant in fear of the unknown.

We are all headed for the same ending – why go kicking and screaming when you could progress in peace and quiet? Live in the world contentedly, but let your spirit, which is not confined, freely communicate with Reality; to come back to report that the ending is fine and not something to be feared. With this hope realized, you can go about your worldly life soothed and resilient; a model of peace for others to benefit from and emulate.

1/23/09 Reflections          There is one great error from which all others evolve – the foolishness of loving something more than we love God. It’s no wonder we are all sinners, for opportunities to put something worldly ahead of God are plentiful and alluring. God knows this, and He forgives. But do we know it?

When do we ever stop what we’re doing and ask ourselves if this thing we do is honoring God? The good things we do are in effect pleasing to God, but do we do them for God’s sake or ours? The bad things we do may produce guilt, sorrow, shame, fear, and a feeling of helplessness, but do we regret them for what they do to God or for what they do to us?

If only we would put as much enthusiasm into loving God as we put into adulating worldly people and things! People of God have been called delusional for giving glory to the Creator by the same people who swoon over a celebrity at a rock concert, Hollywood awards ceremony, political rally, or basketball game. People of God have been quietly giving and volunteering for ages and have been sneered at by the same people who swell with pride over a new car, gourmet dinner, house with a pool, or big bank balance.

You can enjoy nice things and still put God first. There’s nothing inherently wrong with worldly matters, but when the pursuit of them makes us demote the Creator of all of this to irrelevancy, it’s just plain wrong. Maybe to you God isn’t as entertaining, charismatic, pleasurable, or glittery as these Earthly wonders, but Earthly life doesn’t last long and God lasts forever. So do you – long after the things you pursue now no longer exist. What is important then is as important now in God’s eyes. He’s been telling you what’s good and right and joyful since you were born – haven’t you been listening?

12/6/08 Insights from Study                     Since creation God has dealt with the world in various ways – sometimes sternly with the “tough love” of the Old Testament, sometimes with great hope and sympathetic direction, as when He came to us through Jesus, and sometimes with the great loving mercy we often feel today as we more and more realize our dependence on Him.

He doesn’t leave us or turn His back on us. No matter how He chooses to deal with us, we are aware that He is present and working in our lives. We love Him in response to His love for us. And our love in turn brings us closer to Him, repeating the cycle of give and take until perfection is reached.

In Christianity we believe we inherit this right through the sacrifice of Jesus, and when Jesus had to leave us He sent the Holy Spirit to guide us to perfection. We don’t expect any other manifestation of God in our lives – to use the Holy Spirit to our full potential is only logical and gratifying.

Christian Mysticism is all about welcoming, recognizing, receiving, and accepting the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This work is a gift from God, but what’s really important to remember is that the ability of humanity to deserve the Holy Spirit is a gift from God too. It’s the direct result of Jesus having taken on the sinfulness of humanity, dulling it with His own humility and obedience, vaporizing it with His death, and showing us by His resurrection what, as a result, is now possible for us. So if you distance yourself from God because you don’t feel you deserve His love, you are not being virtuous – you are being ungrateful.

The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus shows us how much God love us, and makes possible our entry into eternal life with Him.

Now, the full mechanism by which God reconciles His perfect justice with His unfailing mercy is not shared fully with us. Since it’s not shared fully with us, it’s one of those things we do not need to know or pursue. Remember, for each glimpse of the mind of God we are able to assimilate for our use, there is an awesome balance of infinite mightiness that’s none of our business. I tend to think that most of what is the Creator’s mind-force will never be known to us even in the afterlife, because in eternity with God the need to know and the satisfaction of learning will not follow us there. When you have perfect joy you don’t seek more – one can’t accumulate more than all.

Having been gifted with the presence of God, we realize more clearly that He is a personal God; a loving God. The wrath of God displayed in the Old Testament is no longer necessary after the passion of the Christ. The Old Testament sacrifices are no longer necessary because Jesus was the scapegoat for all our sins. The Old Testament law made way for the new covenant. No longer are sins of the father visited upon the son, or the sins of a nation the downfall of the individual. This is an expansion of the law – now, because God’s mercy benefits the individual, it’s the individual who must desire virtue and act consistently with it.

To impart this virtue on us, God again manifests Himself to us just as Jesus promised He would. For Christians, the Holy Spirit is God’s spirit working with our own spirits. It’s a shame to gloss over this phrase just because as theology it appears to sound like it’s beyond our understanding. We should roll these words around in our minds every day – in them is said all of what’s really necessary to realize about our relationship with God, whether we welcome that relationship or are running away from it.

The most precious thing you own, your spirit, is being visited with loving care at every moment by the almighty Creator of the universe. If that doesn’t appear at the top of your list of most valuable assets, I feel so sorry for you.  You are not experiencing the joy that God wants for you; the peace which is achieved merely by the asking.

11/30/08 Insights from Study          Have you ever been emailed one of those Powerpoint slideshows with the spectacular scenes of nature’s beauty, backed up by beautiful, uplifting music? They always remind me that being attuned to nature’s beauty is a sign of God’s good work in our world. Because of this I’m often moved to tears of gratitude for Him.

Of what use is the captured joy in seeing the beauty of nature to the evolutionary process? None. Beauty does not evolve – it’s simply there and always has been. It’s not scientifically necessary in the propagation of the human species for a human being to enjoy a sunset. We can’t witness the delicate display of a bird’s wing feathers at the moment they splay out beautifully to stop the bird’s forward motion – yet when we see a camera’s stop-action display of such a wonder, we are in awe of it. The scientist can describe what a drop of water does when it hits the surface of a lake, but he cannot begin to tell us why he finds it beautiful. Where does this awe come from?

We who experience creation through its Creator rather than merely from its scientific measurement know why something as useless as beauty touches us so warmly somewhere inside. It’s because the Creator wants us to know that there’s more to His plan than what we experience with our senses. If Mysticism could teach only one thing, it would be that the super-sensory experience of God comes much closer to reality than anything we can rely on here on this side of eternity. Life goes well beyond this world, and any evidence of that realm strikes us deeply inside. We ache in tears to return, like a traveler yearns to be home for Christmas.

Yet if we aspire to study beauty – or art, or emotion, or inspiration, or spirituality – we are thought to be dreamers with our heads in the clouds. Why? Because the immeasurable brings us close to the Transcendent, in that both inhabit the realm of the unexplainable. This must be discouraged under the premise that only the explainable can exist, and whatever is to be considered real must be proven first.

But what we know deep inside cannot be that easily repressed. For we know beauty when we see it, and we don’t care if it can’t be measured or categorized or explained by science. Beauty touches a chord inside and resonates our heartstrings. Beauty may be useless in the fight-or-flight, survival-of-the-fittest world, but it’s a useful call to the world beyond this one; a promise greater than things lost and a hope of things to be again. As Hegel says: “Beauty is merely the Spiritual making itself known sensuously.” Because God is present in everything, there is beauty in everything. When it pops out at you suddenly, this latent beauty is a nod from God. It uplifts and comforts, and hints even to the most secular among us that all is not what it seems – all is much more than it seems.

11/30/08 Inspirations

Q      I want to do what God wants me to do. But how can I, when I feel so inadequate?

A      You’re not inadequate. You’re perfect because you were made the way the Creator of the universe wanted you made.

Q      Then why do I feel so inadequate?

A      Because you aren’t looking at yourself from God’s viewpoint. You’re comparing yourself to others from a worldly viewpoint and are trying to conform to worldly ideals.

Q      Isn’t it important to fit in with the rest of the world?

A      Sometimes yes and sometimes no. But if you truly want to do God’s will you must consult Him; not someone shackled to the same world you are.

Q      How do I consult God?

A      You shut out, as much as possible, the world around you and ask God to help you recognize His will.

Q      Will I hear His answer?

A      You might, but it’s more probable that you will come to “feel” His answer in your heart.

Q      What does my heart have to do with it?

A      The heart symbolizes God’s grace inside you that helps you recognize bad from good.

Q      I feel like I’m a good person, but that still doesn’t seem adequate. I should be doing more.

A      It’s your spirit that’s the symbol of God dwelling within you. The more you welcome Him into your spirit, the more adequate you will feel. This will be true joy because its source is in reality; not the distortion that passes for reality in the world in which we live.

Q      How does being in touch with God in my spirit make me feel more adequate?

A      Because now you’re dealing in more than bad and good the way it appears written on your heart. Now you are aware of the supergood possible because of the presence of God in your spirit – a higher plane, so to speak.

Q      I will be at my best because of God in my spirit?

A      By welcoming Him you’re saying you want the same thing He wants – there is no higher aspiration or greater possible power for attaining it.

Q      How do I welcome God into my spirit?

A      He is already there. You must ask for His help to recognize Him and His desires.

Q      How do I ask that?

A      Speak to Him in prayer. If you truly and humbly wish to please God, He will answer that wish in some way unknown except by Him. Since you’re attuned to Him, you will pick up on His desires. You cannot be inadequate when you and God are attuned because God will not allow it, no matter what the world may say.

11/22/08 Reflections             I get so discouraged by people’s so-called “needs”, which for the most part boil down to freedom and rights never granted by God. Where did we learn to expect our every whim to be catered to? From where comes our power to legislate immorality? Who can be so bold as to confer on us the right to pornography, perversion, public adultery, abuse, idolatry, government-sponsored theft, fetal murder, secular brain-washing, our favorite addictions, extreme consumerism, laziness, destructive activism, foul language, etc.? We detest ten commandments from God, but fall willingly into the arms of big government without questioning to have these needs taken care of.

Maybe we ought to take these human-conferred rights and examine them in the light of our relationship with our Creator, since eternity weighs so much heavier than our lifetime on Earth. Just because we’re free to be ungodly, does that mean we are excused from striving to be godly? No, in fact if enough people take a close look at the decadence of our culture, maybe enough lightbulbs will go off in our heads. Maybe when decadence comes right up to us and slaps us in the face, we will start to ask why we allow ourselves to get further and further away from inner peace just because our permissive society allows us to do so. I hope this is the way it works, but it’s just too bad we have to destroy our country and our souls before we figure it out — how badly we need God in our lives even though we’re free to deny this.