Happy Monday! I hope you are ready for a terrific week. This week's comments are a bit longer, but well worth it.
Over the last few weeks I have engaged you on a trajectory about "BEING."
We started by differentiating human beings
from human doings. Namely that our "Being"creates our "Doing" not the other way around.
Last week we learned that our "Being" is a marriage of both the physical and the spiritual. Body and Spirit. Word and Flesh. It's not one or the other, its BOTH.
This week I want you to consider first what "Being" is and second I would like to offer a practice where you can learn on how to
"Be".
Part 1:
- John Calvin says in his Institutes that the knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves are mutually connected. We cannot have one without the other.
- Ancient Greek philosophy is rooted upon Socrate's mantra of "Know thyself."
- Stephen Hawking says science is a disciple of reason, romance and passion.
- Marianne Williams says that
discovering ourself is not a narcissistic pursuit, but a spiritual one.
I could easily go on and prove that every possible belief system known to man has made this vital connection: Discovering our self is a spiritual endeavor and as such it is the individual's search for God. I haven't found one arm of science, philosophy, or religion that doesn't ultimately come to this conclusion. But this is just the
beginning.
Another way to say this is: Our being is found in the ground of all Being. Or as Kierkegaard put it, "we are transparently grounded in God."
So we must see past our silly facades that divide us. These are our religious, institutional, social, racial, political, and financial power plays that keep us separate, divided and judgmental. Yes, we are different, but we are also each on a unique
spiritual journey, and we should not diminish or underestimate what that means.
Part 2
Richard Rohr says that the essence of all belief systems in their most mature forms always gravitates toward periods of solitude.
We see this in all faith practices in one form or another. Be it stillness in prayer, meditation, solitude and retreat, getting lost in nature, gardening, or quiet. All humanity
recognizes the need to unwind, retreat, be still, and recharge.
Spiritual immaturity sees stillness as a break from our work, while maturity sees it as the impetus for all work. As we mature, our work begins moving into increasing conformity to the inspiration, discovery and revelation that opens up in our moments of honest contemplation, meditation or prayer.
This is only the beginning. But it starts
here. It can start today. Carve out some time to simply sit and be still in body and mind. (This is much harder than you think.) Acknowledge the intrusive thoughts but don't engage them. Let them pass. As anxiety bubbles up, own it. Learn from it. This is a skill we all must learn. Learn to quite your mind from its immense distraction, and perhaps for the first time you will actually hear the voice of God. Then live
accordingly.
If we learn to be, we will eventually become. If we focus on becoming we will never be.
Next week we will go a bit deeper.
