paravanes:meditations

From Spiritual Progress, by Fenelon and Guyon "Jesus Christ was born in a stable; he was obliged to fly (flee) into Egypt; thirty years of his life were spent in a workshop; he suffered hunger, thirst, and weariness ; he was poor, despised and miserable; he taught the doctrines of Heaven, and no one would listen. The great and the wise persecuted and took him, subjected him to frightful torments, treated him as a slave and put him to death between two malefactors, having preferred to give liberty to a robber, rather than to suffer him (Jesus) to escape. Such was the life which our Lord chose..." And we follow Him because He knows and has lived the most difficult of human experiences. He understands us. He chose to experience human pain, joy, disappointment, death, and life. He knows how we feel when we pour our hearts open to Him. He was high in heavenly splendor. He came low and among us to experience the hardest of things. He ascended back to heaven, where He watches ...

Love God more. Kill self-doubt. Breathe. Kill worry and self-sabotage. Sleep deeply and easily. Breathe. Dream. Plan a happy future. Trust life - trust God. What's stopping you? Who's stopping you? Love God more.

Popular wisdom invites us to choose our companions carefully because we usually become more like those with whom we spend time. Spiritual wisdom teaches us we become more like those we love. Loving God more than we love ourselves guides us to our highest levels of life, goodness, strength, sharing, compassion, and creativity. We cannot become God, but we can become more like God. It is enough. Imagine all of the goodness of God: patience, courtesy, caring, shared joy, strength under control, intelligence, creativity, mercy, righteousness. When we love God more than we love ourselves, we are able to renounce and reject (on a daily basis) every inclination that calls us from our loved one. There is no possibility of loss, useless pain, or soul damage when we love God more. Even our pains will be converted into personal strength for us  and spiritual salve for others. Love calls to love, and the answer is always more love.

Fenelon and Madame Guyon have introduced the idea of loving God more than we love ourselves in their book titled Spiritual Progress (available as a free Kindle download). Let's take a closer look at what it would mean to live in this way. God is love, which means nothing happens apart from the loving care of God. How often have we misunderstood the idea of "God loves you" as meaning God will do what we want, give us whatever we ask for, and act within a timeframe we select? We think this way because our understanding of love comes from our human experiences with those who have said "I love you." "God is love" means something very different . It is impossible for God to act in a way that does not express love. How can we reconcile this truth with the angst anger, despair, and the harm of innocent persons? God does many things in the face of injustice and suffering . He delivers his followers from the places of pain (through the aid of othe...

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God {Who is the Source} of every comfort (consolation and encouragement), Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God." --The Holy Bible (Amplified Bible), 2 Corinthians 1:3 and 4 If you are having a "Blue Christmas ", regardless of the reason or reasons, please do not hide or suppress your feelings. Honestly, there are many reasons to look around and feel grief, anger, and despair about the state of the world. It's tempting to hide your feelings with busyness, drugs, parties, alcohol, sex, entertainment, or shopping. These things can't be used to remove sadness permanently. When yo...

In this season of Christmas, I remind myself to seek the experience of loving God more than I love myself. What are the benefits of this way of thinking? I begin to see more possibilities and fewer barriers. Fear becomes a smaller factor in my life. Prayer is a deeply anticipated experience. I feel no need to conceal my deepest motives because in loving God more, my motives are purified. I use money well and wisely. I love the good money can do for others more than I love having lots of money for myself. I am aware of God's constant actions to care for me. Loving God more is a transforming process. It is the beginning and the destination.

"Loving God more than you love yourself." Reading Fenelon's and Madame Guyon's work titled Spiritual Progress (available as a free Kindle download), I asked myself this question: what if I loved God more than I loved myself? How would that experience look and feel to myself and to others? How would I feel about the world? Would I feel deprived, or lessened? Would I feel free and powerful? How clearly and lovingly would I share my faith? How would I regard those around me? How much popular media would I consume?  How generously would I share my time and resources? How much love. compassion, and forgiveness would I demonstrate on a consistent basis? How would I care for my body, mind,  spirit, and emotions? During the next seven days, allow these questions to frame your thinking for five minutes per day, and join me here as I share my thoughts in response to the question "What if I loved God more than I loved myself?" Use the comments box to share ...

A popular Christmas song says: "A child, a child sleeping in the night: he will bring us goodness and light." Is this true? How can it be true while so much pain and darkness permeate our world? There is a point at which suffering is no longer "redemptive." Beyond the strengthening struggle, suffering is agonizing, damaging, and heartbreaking. We were not created for endless struggle and suffering. The goodness and light Jesus waits to bring us is not a group experience.  He waits to pour goodness and light into us---one at a time. He waits to pour goodness and light into those who are truly and deeply tired of the limited good the world offers apart from God. He waits to pour goodness and light into those who acknowledge the limits of their own power to make of life what life should be; to those who have reached the end of themselves; for those who have honest questions and have found no honest answers.  There are those who do not want eternal and true g...