8/25/13 message -- From off the Meetinghouse Floor
Many of us come to realize that it isn't useful, positive or healthy for our spiritual purpose to cede control of our inner, emotional landscape to others. Knowing this and making it real in our lives though, are two different things.
It is all too easy for someone else's distress directed at us to cause us to be angry or sad. Sometimes in the face of irrationality we beat ourselves up as of course it is all our fault not realizing that thinking we are primarily to blame is another form of egotism. Likewise, it is easy to feel happy when someone expresses love or appreciation or compliments us instead of having joy an intrinsic part of our being. If joy in our lives is predicated on something outside ourselves, things or other people, then it is impossible to be fully in the place of gratitude for all the gifts with which God surround and enfolds us. With conditions, love becomes a zero sum mentality with only so much to go around and everyone in competition for theirs. If affirmations are instead only a small decoration on an already perfect ship then our rudder can point our souls to thier true direction without being tossed by the various tempests that swirl around our lives.
Then and only then, we have choices. We can choose to be outraged at injustice or oppression perpetrated against others rather then have it be a byproduct of our processing disrespect directed at ourselves. We can also choose to affirm others freely without the strings of an expected reciprocation. Spirit then become more real and life takes on a more complete beauty and purpose. Inner peace becomes realized, second by second, minute by minute, until we hold this space as ourselves forever.
