Meditations on Lent - #23
The three biblical passages recommended for this day of Lent talk of God’s disappointment, the importance of confession and Jesus telling the teacher of the law the two most important commandments are : 1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul all your mind and all your strength and 2. Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus says nothing about satisfying God’s anger or confessing one’s sins. Yet, one must examine what keeps us distant from the “I am”; what prevents us from living in harmony with of all of creation.
I recently met with a man who has entered a recovery program for addiction to drugs. His addiction has kept him distant from himself, his children, other family members as well as the God of his understanding. Later, I was with a man who has been in recovery for addiction for one month. He remarked that he continues to have trouble with trust and, thus, is fearful of the 4th and 5th steps of the 12-step program which requires one to take a moral inventory and then stare it with a sponsor or other person. Others were quick to assure him that there is nothing he has done or left undone which he needs to be fearful of sharing. The nature of addiction is that it takes over one’s mind and life forcing one to behave in ways which are not consistent with one’s values or beliefs. As we all know, even without a disorder which directly affects the operational center of the brain, all of us humans have what I like to think of as brain misfires. We allow a desire for immediate gratification whether that be anger, eating something which is not healthy, acting out sexually, greed or some other action to kidnap our command center. When we behave in a way which is contrary to our moral values we feel alone and empty. We feel distant from the God of our understanding. It may seems as if other people and God have deserted us. Yet, we are told that the God of our understanding, the God of Jesus and Abraham never deserts us. Gone is the punishing anger which seems to be attributed to this God in the Old Testament. In parable after parable and sometimes in a very direct way Jesus teaches this radical concept of forgiveness and reconciliation. God never leaves us or punishes us. He is always ready to welcome us home. We merely have to accept His embrace – our place as an essential part of the universe(s). When we allow ourselves to sit back down with the family we find it easy to treat others the same as God is treating us ; to treat others as we want to be treated.
It is the year 2019 A.D. and, yet most of us cannot seem to grasp the fact all humans behave better when love is unconditional. None of us respond well to punishment, shame, or rejection.
To allow ourselves to be loved with our hearts, with understanding and strength is tough when we are playing God or only hearing the fearful voice of some of the prophets or even the disciples.
The God of my understanding is the God of the “I am”. It is the God which cannot separate our relationship with God from our relationships with ourselves or from our relationship with other humans. In fact, this God cannot separate love of God from how we love all forms of life – all energy which comprises the universe(s). There is only one commandment – to allow love and to love.
The God of my understanding has not deserted either of the young men with whom I talked yesterday. Both are having a difficult time imagining a God who knows they are human and still loves them unconditionally. God does not require confession, but God does require that we bring our entire self to the relationship. If we are attempting to hide who we are we cannot draw close to God. The confession is to ourselves. God already knows who we are.
This is the challenge. Run to the embrace of God. Run to embrace your neighbor.
Written March 29, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
The three biblical passages recommended for this day of Lent talk of God’s disappointment, the importance of confession and Jesus telling the teacher of the law the two most important commandments are : 1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul all your mind and all your strength and 2. Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus says nothing about satisfying God’s anger or confessing one’s sins. Yet, one must examine what keeps us distant from the “I am”; what prevents us from living in harmony with of all of creation.
I recently met with a man who has entered a recovery program for addiction to drugs. His addiction has kept him distant from himself, his children, other family members as well as the God of his understanding. Later, I was with a man who has been in recovery for addiction for one month. He remarked that he continues to have trouble with trust and, thus, is fearful of the 4th and 5th steps of the 12-step program which requires one to take a moral inventory and then stare it with a sponsor or other person. Others were quick to assure him that there is nothing he has done or left undone which he needs to be fearful of sharing. The nature of addiction is that it takes over one’s mind and life forcing one to behave in ways which are not consistent with one’s values or beliefs. As we all know, even without a disorder which directly affects the operational center of the brain, all of us humans have what I like to think of as brain misfires. We allow a desire for immediate gratification whether that be anger, eating something which is not healthy, acting out sexually, greed or some other action to kidnap our command center. When we behave in a way which is contrary to our moral values we feel alone and empty. We feel distant from the God of our understanding. It may seems as if other people and God have deserted us. Yet, we are told that the God of our understanding, the God of Jesus and Abraham never deserts us. Gone is the punishing anger which seems to be attributed to this God in the Old Testament. In parable after parable and sometimes in a very direct way Jesus teaches this radical concept of forgiveness and reconciliation. God never leaves us or punishes us. He is always ready to welcome us home. We merely have to accept His embrace – our place as an essential part of the universe(s). When we allow ourselves to sit back down with the family we find it easy to treat others the same as God is treating us ; to treat others as we want to be treated.
It is the year 2019 A.D. and, yet most of us cannot seem to grasp the fact all humans behave better when love is unconditional. None of us respond well to punishment, shame, or rejection.
To allow ourselves to be loved with our hearts, with understanding and strength is tough when we are playing God or only hearing the fearful voice of some of the prophets or even the disciples.
The God of my understanding is the God of the “I am”. It is the God which cannot separate our relationship with God from our relationships with ourselves or from our relationship with other humans. In fact, this God cannot separate love of God from how we love all forms of life – all energy which comprises the universe(s). There is only one commandment – to allow love and to love.
The God of my understanding has not deserted either of the young men with whom I talked yesterday. Both are having a difficult time imagining a God who knows they are human and still loves them unconditionally. God does not require confession, but God does require that we bring our entire self to the relationship. If we are attempting to hide who we are we cannot draw close to God. The confession is to ourselves. God already knows who we are.
This is the challenge. Run to the embrace of God. Run to embrace your neighbor.
Written March 29, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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