What if Life is a Song?: Composing the Melody of Our Divine Purpose
If we take time to relax and listen, we will bring ourselves into harmony with God.
I was riding down the road this morning listening to Dr. Wayne Dyer and he made a wonderful observation about living life to the fullest. He said, “Don’t die with your music still in you.”
What a wonderful admonition. As I pondered this, I began thinking about how our life is like a song, and how important it is that the music of our lives is in harmony with the will of God.
Here are 5 Ways to Compose the Music of a Fulfilling Life:
1. Be in Tune
I’m a novice guitar player, but at the young age of 12 I quickly learned that it didn’t matter how well I played the instrument if it was out of tune. The same is true with us. Our natural gifts and abilities cannot be fully utilized if we are not in tune with the Source from which those gifts emanate. One of the most wonderful blessings of this life is that we have the ability to do spiritual ‘tuning’. We can tweak the keys of our spiritual instruments and bring them into harmony with the Almighty. He has even provided a spiritual tuning fork in the form of the Holy Spirit that makes it clear to us when we are off key and require adjustment. Just as the concert musician tunes the instrument before a performance, so too is being in tune with God the most fundamental step one can take toward living a fulfilling life.
2. Choose the right instrument
We all have natural strengths and weaknesses. Regardless of how hard I tried, I could never learn to play the flute on a professional level. I’m a bulky, large framed guy and I’m simply to dang awkward to play an instrument that requires such finesse. If I wanted to become a concert musician I would need to find and instrument that was more compatible with my natural abilities like a stand-up bass, or even a tuba….heaven forbid! It’s easy to look out at others, see their success, and attempt to emulate them. However, this is not necessarily God’s plan. Imagine a symphony orchestra with only flutists…that doesn’t sound too appealing. It's the congruency of all of the instruments in the orchestra that creates the moving influence on the listener. Let’s make the effort to insure we are wielding the instrument God intends us to play.
3. Don’t try to Play Solo
God does not intend you to be a solo artist. If you feel otherwise, take a moment to consider what we take with us when we leave this life. We come in with nothing and we leave with nothing….no-thing. We leave our ‘stuff’ and our accomplishments behind. All we can take with us is what we have learned and the relationships that we’ve established. In fact, it’s been my experience that the greatest blessings of this life occur when they are shared with others. Center stage is over-rated. Regardless of our talent and ambition, let’s make sure to share the best things this life has to offer with others.
4. Practice until your Spiritual Fingers bleed
I remember when I first began playing guitar how incredibly sore my fingers were. I can still remember the pain in my left hand as I forced myself to pick up the guitar and continue to practice despite the fact that my finger tips were on fire. Spiritually, we are the same. It is very difficult to begin to change our lives for the better. Initially, it causes acute pain. But as we continue to pick up our instrument and practice, our spiritual muscles begin to memorize the movements, our emotional fingers adapt and become tougher, and playing the true song of our life becomes second nature. I remember the first time I picked the guitar up and simply played a song without even thinking about it. At that point I knew it had become habit and the long painful practice was paying off. Let’s work to achieve this on a spiritual level; to get to a point where following God is such a part of our nature that we are not able to discern His will from our own.
5. Write you Own Music
The song of your life does not belong on Top 40 radio. Music created for the ‘main stream’ audience is stripped of originality and creativity. The same applies to the song of our lives. Our Heavenly Father would have us compose music that is uniquely our own. In fact, I would say that it’s impossible for two people who are genuinely following God to create the same song. This is how unique and special we are! To live our lives focused on the acceptance of others, or in other words writing a song based on the reactions of the audience, simply strips us of our divine purpose. Digging deep and finding this purpose will ultimately mean finding God, and through this, others will inevitably be touched. "Seek the world and all is lost, seek God and you have the world thrown in", as C.S. Lewis puts it.
Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are all composing a song in this life. To bring our lives into harmony with God is to compose a melody that will bring peace and joy into our life as well as the lives of others.
I’ll have to admit, I’m actually metal head at heart. I’m wondering into what genre of music my life’s song would belong: classical, jazz, classic rock, r and b? How about you?
Please feel free to comment below.
The Law of Attraction, an Abundance Mentality, and How a Stack of Coupons Changed my Life!
- What is keeping unlimited blessings from flowing into your life?
Tonight I had a profound experience…in a grocery store of all places.
I was checking out of the “express” line on my way home from work. I held in my hands a 2 pound salad, custom made by yours truly, and I somehow managed to fit it into a 1 pound container….but that’s just how I roll.
Anyway, it was about 8:00 at night and I was about an hour and a half from home. I realized this around the same time that I noticed that the lady in front of me had slightly exceeded the 15 item limit by roughly a dozen items, plus the line was barely even moving! This is where it gets interesting.
A New and Surprising Reaction
Several weeks ago I would have harbored some negative feelings, grumbled a bit, and probably looked at the clock every 30 seconds trying to expedite the situation through the sheer power of my will…….But not tonight.
Tonight I was overwhelmed by one single feeling; and it’ the same emotion that’s filled my soul over the past week: a feeling of gratitude and deep appreciation.
As I stood there in line I was fully present and conscious; everything seemed to move in slow motion. I felt intense gratitude for all of my surroundings and saw that literally everything was a blessing. I was grateful for all of the people around me. As I watched them, I could see the good in them. I looked around the store. I noticed things I’ve never taken the time to see before: flags hanging from the ceiling, management bustling in the back rooms, the flow of people in and out of the store. I stood there in awe. I was grateful to live in a place where I could walk into a building, fill a basket, and walk out with an abundance of food. A quote from Rumi came to mind, “Sell your cleverness and purchase bewilderment.” I was indeed bewildered.
As we advanced in line and my mathematically challenged buddy was checking out, she broke out the biggest stack of a stack of coupons I had ever seen. It literally took longer to scan every coupon than it did all of her items. As the cashier scanned each one I smiled. All I could feel was empathy and appreciation for this hard working mom. Just one week ago I would have stood impatiently as more and more frustration mounted with every ‘beep’ of the scanner. Now every beep was a blessing.
As the last coupon was scanned there was a discrepancy requiring the attention of a manager which resulted in another long delay. The lady, who had already been uncomfortable taking so long, looked at me and said “I am so sorry”.
I had hoped for this opportunity and immediately said, “Please don’t apologize. I can tell you put a lot of hard work into this and I am so happy that you are able to save this money.”
I may have said something similar a few weeks ago….who knows? But now I felt it through my entire body. I could see her in my mind, balancing her checkbook and determining that she would do whatever it took to save money and help her family. I could see her sitting at the kitchen table shuffling through newspapers, clipping coupons, and planning this trip to the grocery store. I could see her walking down the aisles, carefully selecting the pre-planned items.
She was not some ‘thing’ standing in front of me in line, some obstacle placed between me and what I wanted. She was a person with real purpose, real intention, and of real value. I could see how this person, myself, and everyone else in the store were somehow connected.
The Epiphany: A True understanding of the Law of Attraction
I have been studying the Law of Attraction for years, but it wasn’t until last week that I finally ‘got it’. The law of attraction basically states that a person will attract the same types of energy that they emit. If you’re kind to people, then people will generally be kind to you in return…and vice versa. It revolves around the notion of karma and I happen to believe it to be a true principle and in complete agreement with Christianity (but that’s another article).
I had always understood the concept of doing good and getting good in return, but the real epiphany came last week as I studied Wayne Dyers book “The Power of Intention”. I discovered that the Law of Attraction applied as much to our focus as our actions. In my case, I had been focusing on some things (all good things) that I wanted in my life but had not yet achieved. This led to weeks of frustration and a general feeling of discontent; to the point that I even wrote about this it in a previous blog post. What I came to understand was that if you attract whatever remains in your focus, and you focus on what you do not have, then what you attract is more of what you do not have. This may sound trivial, but it literally changed my life and led to the experience in the grocery store as well as many others over the past few days. My focus shifted from the things that I wanted to the things that I already have and will have. I basically transitioned from a scarcity mentality to an abundance mentality.
Scarcity Mentality vs. Abundance Mentality
These are essentially the only two ways to see the world.
Seeing the world through the lens of abundance means that there are no limits to life, you see the good in everything, the glass is half full, the pie is huge and constantly growing so you’re happy to share as much of it as you can. It produces gratitude, peace, and yes, even prosperity. It emanates from our true selves and ultimately comes from God. It focuses on what we have and what we will achieve.
The scarcity mentality is the exact opposite. In this perspective there is never enough, things could always be better, the glass is half empty, I won’t share the pie because it’s too dang small and I want mine! It is ego driven and focuses on the things we do not have.
Now, with that said, anyone will tell you that I have always been a very optimistic person; very willing to share the pie and even give you my half full glass of milk! However, I was guilty of having a scarcity mentality with regards to fulfilling my life’s mission. My thoughts revolved around the aspects of it I didn’t have. When the epiphany came, I immediately let it all go. I was just grateful for life. I could breathe, smell, touch, taste, and enjoy my family and friends. My heart was beating and this was enough. I was complete with no strings attached. What immediately happened was amazing. I found that as I focused on what I had, God gave me even more to be grateful for.
I discovered that the only thing between me and my mission was…..me! Ironically, I was the sole architect in fabricating the barriers between what I had and what I wanted. As soon as I embraced an abundance mentality with regards to my life mission the miracle began to happen and the same can happen for you.
Here are 6 Quick Tips for Attracting Abundance into Your Life
The ability to attract success rests in your hands!
1. Be Grateful
Gratitude puts you in a humble state of mind. There is always something to be grateful for. Find the life under your life situation. You are not your circumstances, your body, or even your mind. The essence of who you are is a miraculous. Acknowledge this and thank your Father in Heaven for it. If you think otherwise, then that is exactly what will manifest itself in your life….more to be ungrateful for.
2. Refuse to Focus on the Negative
There is always something to complain about. Imagine you could choose to go anywhere in the world with whoever you like for as long as you wanted. As soon as you were there, your mind would still find something wrong…..the peeled grapes would be soggy….you get the point. Shut this out of your mind because it only brings pain and suffering, which in turn attracts….you, got it, more pain.
3. Deny Your Ego
Your ego is essentially your self identity. It’s the 3 year old kid inside you that screams “MINE!” It tries to convince you that happiness is everywhere except where you are now. It tries to convince you that you are isolated and separate from everyone else. It tries to convince you that it is you. It feeds on pain. Separate yourself from it, observe it, and deny its promptings. It screams “scarcity, scarcity, scarcity!” Laugh at it, put it aside, and choose abundance.
4. Be Present
The key to any spiritual success is quieting the mind. Take notice of your surroundings. Take notice of your breathing, your pulse, nature, background sounds. Don’t judge them, just observe them. This is the beginning of gratitude. Pretend past and future do not exist. All you have is the present moment. God exists outside of time and if you can periodically remove yourself from the burden of time it will only bring you closer to him.
5. Be in a State of Perpetual Prayer
Communication with God is essential. Be open to promptings that He sends you, they happen for a reason. I always think of this when I look at my Blackberry. It has two arrows, one representing when information is being sent ‘up’ and another for when it is sent ‘down’. Let’s be sure to do at least as much downloading as we do uploading to God.
6. Do Good continually and expect nothing in return
Christ taught the golden rule of human relations. He taught not only to love others as ourselves, but that to serve them is to serve God. As we do this expecting nothing in return, we will find an abundance of peace, joy, and many other blessings flow into our lives.
I am grateful for the knowledge that God gives us line upon line and precept upon precept. I have found The Law of Attraction to be a true principle, both for better and for worse. I know that as we focus on the blessings we have, share all that we have, and see ourselves as we ultimately wish ourselves to be, God will bless us beyond measure. I’ll never look at a sheet of coupons the same again!
As always comments are welcome and appreciated.
5 Inspiring Thoughts to Brighten Your Day: Courtesy of Mother Teresa
Looks like she's having a pretty good day.....huh?
1. “Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.”
Today, let’s keep an eye out for some low hanging “fruit”. Go out of your way to hold the door for someone. Let someone ahead of you in traffic. Give an intentional smile to someone who needs it. Let’s seek someone to serve. Let’s sow seeds of love….let’s do it today.
2. “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”
Let’s give part of ourselves away today….the things we most treasure. Freely give all credit for an accomplishment to others. Freely accept all blame for a situation. Take all possible discomforts upon yourself to increase the happiness of those around you. Be the last to begin eating, be the first up to do the dishes. Give a back message while your back is killing you. Sacrifice yourself for others in every possible way today…..see what happens.
3. “If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”
Christ taught the principle of the 99 and the 1. Every soul is precious in the sight of God. The worst thing we can do today is feel that we can’t make a difference. Let’s set a goal right now to touch at least one person in a positive way today. I promise you that it will happen, and the effects will be profound.
4. “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
Nothing will keep you further from happiness today then judging others. It literally sucks the life and energy from you as well as those around you. Remove this negative energy from yourself today, and fill the void with compassion and a genuine desire to serve others. Seek out those you are most inclined to stand in judgment of and make their happiness your priority. Pray for help, and then make it happen. You’ll be amazed at the results. Don’t wait for tomorrow…..do it today!
5. “Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.”
Matthew 25 is the mantra of my life: “What you have done unto the least of these my bretheren you have done it unto me.”, Christ taught. Take this teaching literally. Sense the love and appreciation you have for Jesus Christ and project it onto others. This is a life changing paradigm because it changes the lens through which you see the entire world. Every person in every situation is Christ. Imagine smiling at Him, letting Him in front of you in line at the grocery store, giving Him money, or a job, or even a hug. I have written of my own personal experiences living this principle and simply can’t say enough about the happiness and peace that it has brought into my life.
I have gratitude for the life of Mother Teresa; for her words, and for her inspiring life which was the embodiment of selfless service. Let’s all be inspired to make a difference today. A line from one of my kid’s favorite movies just came to mind, “yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift….that’s why it’s called the ‘present’”. Let’s make today count!
Comments are welcome and appreciated as always. God Bless!
7 Really Bizarre Things Christians have in common with Caterpillars
As we look into Nature, the patterns that God has set forth for mankind also become obvious.
One of the things I most enjoy is drawing parallels between man’s relationship with God and the rest of His creation. As weird as this may seem, books could be written (and probably have) on the similarities between the development that occurs in the life of a Christian and the life cycle of insects. Turns out we can learn a lot from these little critters. Well, I’m no biologist, so bare with me if some of my bug lingo isn’t perfect, but I think a quick study of this topic would be fun and may even provide some insights that strengthen our faith. Each of these 7 similarities between Christians and Caterpillars draws from resources about insects I found on the web. The quotes all come from an awesome site, Gordon’s Insect Life-Cycle’s Page,…..so thanks so much Gordon for the great content.
So without further ado, here are 7 Really Bizarre Things Christians have in common with Caterpillars:
1. Christians and Insects Develop in Natural Cycles
The development of a monarch butterfly (which will be the example for our entire study), is as follows:
The Life Cycle of the monarch butterfly:
Egg > Larva (caterpillar) > Pupa (cocoon/chrysalis) > Emerges as Butterfly
The Christian develops in a similar way:
Birth of Natural man > Flawed Man finds God > Man is Sanctified > Man emerges new creature
2. Christians and Caterpillars both have Imaginal Buds
What in the world is an imaginal bud?
“….in a number of places in the insects body are collections of special formative cells, which have played no part in the insects larval life, and have stayed hidden,…..each of these groups of cells is called an 'imaginal bud' or a 'histoblast'”
“The job of these histoblasts is to supervise the building of a new body [from] the old larval body [while inside the chrysalis]. This they do using the same biochemical processes that all insects use to turn their food into part of their bodies. This rebuilding process is called 'histogenesis'.”
So imagine Mr. Caterpillar crawling around with these lumps on his belly.
“What the heck are these things for?” is he probably asks himself. Little does he know that these ‘lumps’, even though slightly inconvenient, are the tools that God has given him to make it possible to fulfill the measure of his creation.
I believe Christians have imaginal buds too.
These are the qualities of our personality that we may have considered “in the way”, but were given to us by God to allow us fulfill the measure of our creation. When we find God, he destroys our carnal nature (if we allow him), and what remains are our ‘imaginal buds’ which are ultimately our core personality traits. Those qualities that make us unique, and have previously lain dormant or haven’t been fully optimized to accomplish God’s will. As we transform, God causes these deepest parts of our personality blossom allowing us to fulfill our own unique mission in life.
While growing up, for example, I was especially quiet and introspective, especially in public or around people I didn’t know. As I became older and I tried to overcome the fear of speaking out, this became a huge hindrance to my personal development. After years of working on this, I can now see that those characteristics that I most despised, actually give me a unique perspective on life that allow me to serve God in ways that would otherwise be impossible.
Probably the best example of this is the apostle Paul. Dude had some mad ‘imaginal buds’! Look at the personal traits he put to work for God after his ‘change’ occurred.
What ‘imaginal buds’ do you have that are still lying dormant?
3. Neither Christians or Caterpillars really Understand what they are to Become
Do you think a caterpillar really understands what he is destined to become?
I don’t, and I don’t know if it’s possible as Christians to fully understand what we are to become either. The caterpillar knows one thing: move and eat (now that’s something I can relate to!). A butterfly could land right beside him, and my guess is that he would have no concept that he would eventually become like that beautiful creature.
As Christians, we are aware that a transformation has occurred and will continue to take place, but we don’t have the advantage of seeing anyone who has completed the process. We have word that there was one who made the total transformation, but we’ll have to wait to meet Him face to face. In the mean time……we’ll just move and eat.
The important point is that we have to be careful not to underestimate our potential. We can’t forget that it is God’s plan for each of us to make a total transformation into a beautiful creature, regardless of hideous we believe ourselves to be at our current phase of the process.
Do you need encouragement on the days you're fighting your inner caterpillar?
4. Both Christians and Caterpillars are extremely vulnerable
The pupa phase is the period when the insect is undergoing the metamorphosis inside the chrysalis:
“During this time the insect is very vulnerable because it cannot run away, and this is why insects try to choose somewhere safe to hide away in when they are going through this incredible change,”
This reminded me of the phase of my life as a new Christian. I changed so much every day, and was so vulnerable to the challenges of the world. I needed somewhere safe to hide and found solace in prayer, the scriptures, and fellow believers who supported me as my faith developed. Let’s remember how tender he faith of the new believer is and do what’s possible to nurture them in their faith.
Who can you take under your wing?
5. Both Christians and Caterpillars Develop in stages:
“Insects do not appear to grow continuously the way we do because their skins cannot grow bigger as the insect grows, instead every now and then they shed their old skin and inflate a new larger one which they have built up inside their old one. Thus they appear to grow in a series of stages.”
We may not shed our skin as we grow physically, but I believe our spiritual development does occur in stages.
For example, I recently shed a spiritual skin. This may seem like a physical thing, but trust me, for me it was 100% spiritual. I have needed to take better care of my body for years. Lack of exercise, a fast food diet, and turning to the fork and knife for stress relief had me on a crash course for cardiac failure by the time I hit fifty (I just turned 33). It was time for a change, and change I did…..and for good too. For whatever reason I wasn’t previously ready to confront that issue in my life, but through the grace of God I continued to develop until I reached a point where it was possible.
Shedding that skin can almost be taken literally as I’m currently in the process of buying smaller clothes to fit my new body. What spiritual skin are you ready to shed?
6. Christians and Caterpillars both Transform from the inside out
During the metamorphosis inside the chrysalis:
“The first thing that happens is that a lot of the caterpillar’s old body dies. It is attacked by the same sort of juices the caterpillar used in its earlier life to digest its food, it would not be far wrong to say the caterpillar digests itself from the inside out, this process is called 'histolysis'.”
I would say that the process of sanctification in a Christian occurs in the exact same way. Christ is in our hearts, He lives inside of us. As we allow Him to work on us, the most awful and hideous parts of us are literally eaten away from the inside out. This is why Christianity is a holistic religion….it has to start with our core. Proclaiming to live it on the surface will never cut it because regardless of what we may say, the core will always remain rotten. Christ demands all of us, every part, and it’s impossible to make a total transformation without allowing Him to work on us from the inside out.
What part of your carnal nature are you reluctant to give to Christ?
7. Caterpillars and Christians are both Born Twice
What, you didn’t know butterflies were ‘born again’? What’s fascinating about this is that the process of ‘histolysis’ described above is very much like a physical death of the caterpillar. There is literally almost nothing of the old creature left when the majestic butterfly emerges from the chrysalis. It literally experiences a second birth. How amazing is this when considering the life of a Christian?
“Born again” is such a valid way to describe my existence. I literally reflect on the day I accepted Christ as my real birthday, and I view myself as a different creature since that event.
It is an absolute miracle that we have a Heavenly Father that provided a way for the miracle of Christ’s Atonement to occur in the lives of His children. Let’s be reminded of His divine plan for us the next time we see a caterpillar inching along a tree branch, or a butterfly perched on a flower. It’s my testimony that God does have a special purpose for each of us, and his process of helping us find happiness is just as natural as the one that transforms a lowly caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. Let’s allow Him into our lives, to change us into things of grandeur.
Comments are welcome and appreciated…as always.
Christ’s Atonement, The Power of Now, and Why the Past and Future are Relevant to Christians
Eckhart Tolle influencial book "The Power of Now" has relevance to the Christian world.
A thought ran through my mind today….of how miraculous it is that upon accepting Christ’s Atonement, it literally alters one’s entire past, present, and future existence. However trivial this may seem to most Christians, it was actually a pretty big epiphany for me considering how it fits into the context of what I’ve been reading lately.
Over the past year I have been studying the modern “consciousness” movement and one particular work that has had a profound effect on my life is Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now”. It’s considered by many to be one of the greatest modern guides to spiritual enlightenment. The fundamental premise of the book states that true happiness comes from suppressing the egoic mind and focusing all ones’ energy on the present moment. In fact, he uses the terms “present” and “conscious” interchangeably to describe a state of fully actualized awareness that leads to enlightenment. According to Tolle, focusing too much attention on the past inevitably leads to regret and guilt, and too much future to fear and anxiety. In fact, he takes his teaching to the extreme in stating that the Power of the “Now” is so all encompassing that it is fruitless, or even detrimental, to look to any form of salvation in the future.
Viewing Tolle’s teachings through the lens of my Christian world view has been intriguing. I am a natural day dreamer, so increasing my awareness of the present moment has brought an increase of happiness into my family life. His profound teachings on the role of the ego and the mind have also helped me to stay “conscious” and avoid falling into states of “unconsciousness” being led by the egoic mind. Notwithstanding, I believe that Tolle’s teachings, however helpful, fail to account for the full measure of happiness that an individual can obtain through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ because His infinite Atonement literally encompasses our entire past, present, and future existence.
Seeing Our Salvation in Our Past
Several Sundays ago I was in church and partaking of the sacred emblems of the bread and water when I had an amazing experience that reaffirmed my faith in the Lord’s ability to literally wash away my sins. As I sat and reflected on the affairs of the previous week I pondered some the ways in which I had fallen short (aka, really screwed up). I had made mistakes that caused pain to myself and others and as I reflected on this I literally felt a throbbing in my chest. Both regret and guilt for my actions came to the surface of my mind and I became emotional right there in the middle of the room. I began to pray for forgiveness for these sins, and as I asked God for mercy through the Atonement of Jesus Christ something amazing happened. A feeling of peace that transcended this world entered my soul. I could literally feel the burden lift from me, and where pain, guilt, and regret had lived only moments earlier, a feeling of love beyond description now abounded. My sins had been washed away.
Here’s the thing: Without a relationship with Christ, these past mistakes would have remained un-reconciled forever, and every attempt to reflect on them would have continued to bring about more guilt and regret….just as Tolle states. I believe this is where his teaching falls short because he does not account for the effect that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ can have on the totality of life.
Regardless of the degree of peace that living in the “Now” brings to the present moment, it fails to deal with the past. It gently sweeps our mistakes under the rug of our lives, where it is destined to be eventually uncovered again. Christ’s atonement is the only possible means by which mankind can have the mistakes of the past swept away, leaving him to gain wisdom from the experience without suffering the continued burdens of guilt and regret Tolle describes. Christ is the only possible means to finding peace in our past.
Our Salvation in the Present Moment
Personally, I do agree with Tolle’s notion of finding salvation in the present moment. In fact, I believe that the Christian concept of being “saved” refers to the present as well as future tense. In other words, I believe that Christians are entitled to lay claim on their salvation in this life….and the effects this can have on our mortal existence is profound.
Christ promised all those who took His name upon them in this life the Comforter, also referred to as the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. The purpose of which is two-fold and critical to our success in enduring this moral life faithfully. The blessings that come through the Holy Spirit are comfort and sanctification and through which we can know that we are in God’s grace and are therefore “saved” in the present tense.
But if I’m being perfectly honest, I would have to say that where Tolle lacks support for salvation in the past and future, many Christians fail to realize the power of their salvation here and now.
Even though this life is tough, many Christians fail to realize the degree of happiness available to them now through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. As Christians we know that our past sins are washed away through the blood of Christ, and we are also well aware of the infinite blessings of spending an eternity with God in the hereafter. However, it is easy to fall into Satan’s convincing snare that happiness is not for us in this mortal life. Hogwash!
The blessings of Christ’s Atonement are just as available to us here as in the eternities; and to not take advantage of the happiness that He has made available to us in this life is to sell ourselves and Him short. This, I believe, is where Tolle’s teachings can help most Christians. I say this because they helped me. Christ has made it possible to find peace and happiness in this life, let’s take advantage of it.
Seeing Our Future Salvation
Now that I’ve given Tolle some prop’s I guess it’s time to bash him again. The point that really irks me most about him is that the virtue of hope has no place in his philosophy. In other words to say that salvation is not available at any future time is to squash any possibility of hope. This is obviously in direct contradiction to my core beliefs as a Christian.
I can just hear Tolle asking me:
“Why would you need hope when you have salvation (enlightenment) available to you Now?”
My reply would be:
“Because there’s this guy named Jesus, He lived a couple thousand years ago. Yeah, I know you consider Him a great spiritual teacher and all, but I actually believe that He was resurrected, and that was the culminating point in the history of mankind because we all get to be resurrected too…..cool huh?”
I guess that’s what you get if you believe that Christ was a great spiritual teacher, but reject the validity of His resurrection……a lack of hope or faith that the future can bring an increase of joy.
It’s my testimony that Christ was resurrected and that immense blessings do await the faithful. Is it a thing worth hoping for?....most certainly! I can only image an existence spent with God and loved ones without sickness or death. The promise of this blessing motivates me to be a better person and to live a better life here and now.
But notwithstanding, Christ’s infinite Atonement encompasses the totality of our lives. Through the grace of God the sins of our past are washed away, we can presently have peace and joy in this moment, as well as an abundance of hope for the future. Let us do our best to take full advantage of His loving sacrifice. If you do not have a relationship with Him, He stands at the door…….knocking. You only have to open your heart.
As always, your comments are warmly welcomed.
