Resurrection

As we approach Easter we are reminded of the resurrection of Jesus. Yet each and every day we are called to resurrect ourselves. On Sunday I spoke and talked about three steps to selfless living.  The first is the recognition of our ideal’s. Each of us has them. For example, the ideal relationship, job, spiritual practice, health, and money, just to name the major one’s.  All ideal’s mean simply I-Dealing with perfection. The ideal is always about some perfect way to be, perfect outcome, or how perfect you are.  It takes a certain amount of control to be perfect. Some people see the life of Jesus as perfect, and negate the fact that he battled his own inner demons on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights.  Just like each of us are doing everyday.  After Jesus battled his inner demon, he went out to find his students to share the good news, that there is a way out of this mind. That is good news right?  But what I love about the teaching of Jesus is the rules are quite simple, close your eyes and go to God, then bring that love to others. Simple.

Jesus never mentions that his way is the right way, or that he is more spiritual than anyone, or that his teaching is a religion. So in a time of great violence, he offers through his own experience and practice love. He says that we are love, each of us.  That is our nature to love, but he had to discover that for himself, like you and I are practicing.

Now once we have our ideal, we move to self-interest. We become self interested in our own ideals and we begin to separate from each other.  Which is were we are now in our society. To much self interest, in politics, business, churches, relationships, money, entertainment, etc… life has become about different self interest groups who could careless about the whole and are more concerned about themselves. No judgement here, just observing. Self interest can always be traced back to the ideal which starts off with good intentions and then gains power, will, and greed and becomes self interest.  So the foundation of all self interest is the intention of doing good.  That is why we say evil is marked with good intentions.

Now comes the shift from self interest to selfless living.  Self interest is always in defense, judgement, and protecting what it has because it doesn’t want to lose and lose what it has.  But Jesus teaches us that we have to lose it all to have it all. So what is he saying here. He is suggesting that we must lose our self interest for God.  The way we do that is through meditation, prayer, hiking, walking, running, dancing, etc… the way we do that is to shift our attention from our own self interest individually to God (Universe).  When we turn our attention away from our self interest and turn to God, our foundations built on perfection, control, worry, greed, lack, and limitation will fall. Now there is a part of us that knows that, and so many are unwilling to be willing to turn within. But the universe is to smart for that. The universe does not judge you, in fact it keeps expanding no matter what, even with out you, and your self interest.

Your self interest does not want to hear this.  Because for so long, your self interest thought it was in control, thought it had it together, “Judge and ye will be judged.” You are passing through this earth until you pass away, and when you pass away this planet will continue without you.  So maybe today is a good day to let go of your self imposed ideal’s, your self-interest, and learn to quiet the mind and listen deeply to God.  Let the breath of life carry you as it did Jesus. Succumb to the selfless, succumb to God, it is a practice. This the good news!! Let your life be a testament to this news.