{"id":1480,"date":"2012-10-22T11:29:03","date_gmt":"2012-10-22T17:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wrestlingwithyourself\/?p=1480"},"modified":"2012-10-22T11:37:08","modified_gmt":"2012-10-22T17:37:08","slug":"who-would-i-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wrestlingwithyourself\/2012\/10\/who-would-i-be\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Would I Be? And Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Over the weekend, I caught myself purely in the presence. Aware of the park, the kids playing, the breeze brushing against the body, the smells, and everything else that comes with living in the moment as it is.\u00a0 It was quite freeing and alive. Then I caught the thief wanting to rob me of such freedom.\u00a0 The thief is the thought.\u00a0 The thief wanting to take me into the future, the past, anywhere but living and breathing here.\u00a0 The thief worked very hard, and was convincing with its smooth talking, stories, and yet as I was aware of the thief, another thought emerged from the valley of the my soul, \u201cWho would I be without thought?\u201d<\/p>\n

When thought wasn\u2019t present I felt alive and free. Then the thoughts came and I felt tired, worn out.\u00a0 Everywhere we walk on this planet people are talking, thinking, debating, wanting to be right, have opinions, want you to be their way, convince you that you are not good, fit in, need a partner, go inside, etc\u2026and yet it is all thought. We are addicted to thinking. Flat out.\u00a0 The world wide web is filled with blogs,\u00a0 opinions, untrue facts, news that is not researched, you can say anything and do anything and if you believe it, well then it must be true.\u00a0 In all of this we are yearning to discover who we actually are.\u00a0 The temple in our being is so noisy that the minute we spend time in any bit of silence or stillness, we panic, we feel guilt, with \u201cshould\u201d \u201chave too\u201d and \u201cneed\u201d.<\/p>\n

Who would I be without thoughts?\u00a0 We are simple in nature. Thought is simple when used in the presence.\u00a0 For example, I have run out of shampoo, so I go get shampoo.\u00a0 Simple. And intellectual is glorified thinker.\u00a0 We seem to feel uncomfortable in now.\u00a0 We actually feel like the now is hostile, against us, and that the world out there is some parent. Yet, if we are honest with ourselves and get real, you will discover that it is or has never been anything out there, it is our ideas, thoughts, and feelings in here, in you, that are dictating the hostility.\u00a0 As we become comfortable in now, we lose hostility and develop humility.<\/p>\n

We are designed to evolve, change, move, take action, and\u00a0 we are also capable now.\u00a0 That means that true faith, is thoughtless, story-less, and pure aliveness now. Faith is to be still and know that the right answer is here and will give you the right thought all the time on\u00a0 how to deal with the situation as it is unfolding.\u00a0 It is partly the reason why Psalm 23 and The Lords Prayer are effect tools in remembering what pure faith is. Psalm 23 and The Lords Prayer have nothing to do with any organized religion, it has to do with our responsibility to the whole.\u00a0 Reminding us that we are nature itself. Faith is about living presently now.\u00a0 Faith in now, even when things are falling away, let them fall. Something is growing up.<\/p>\n

Smell the roses.<\/p>\n

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