AN UNFORGIVABLE SIN

   “There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance-that principle is contempt prior to investigation” Herbert Spencer. When we close ourselves off from new information or simply refuse to consider contrary points of view out of hand, we close ourselves off from the inspiration of the spirit, embracing the bondage of self. To be clear, no sin is unforgivable in God’s eye. Being close-minded is our unforgivable sin, we close and lock the door, God has no doors to lock. The good news is as soon as we become even the slightest bit willing, the door unlocks opening us to new insights and understanding of others and ourselves.

Having an open mind does not necessarily lead to agreement or the changing of a point of view or belief, just the willingness to listen and examine honestly.

   Additionally being close-minded leads inexorably to condemnation, which is a cancer on our spirituality. We naturally form opinions and beliefs employing knowledge, experience and accrued wisdom; however when our beliefs and opinions become inviolate, unassailable sacred cows, we suffer. Being unmovable on the sports teams we root for, movie types we will or will not see or the decision not try certain foods may limit our life experiences but in closing our mind to spiritual concepts we risk shutting ourselves off from the sunlight of the Spirit, to slowly wither away mesmerized by the cadence of hoofs, surrounded by like closed minds, warmed by the fires of seething resentment and condemnation. “We found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all-inclusive, never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men.”

Bacon Avocado Cheeseburgers and God

    We look in the mirror or step on the scale and the evidence is undeniable, so we decide to take action. We embark on a diet and/or an exercise program with conviction and high hopes. What happens? When the hoped for changes don’t materialize in a week or two our determination begins to waver and we begin to drift back into old familiar habits. It is rather optimistic to expect long established habits of eating and marginal exercise would melt away in days but we do just the same. Diet book publishers and Gyms make their living off New Years resolutions. Hopeful individuals sign up for that special yearly or lifetime rate, they drag themselves to the gym for a few weeks until the “reasons” for not going begin to surface. They promise themselves for the next few weeks that tomorrow/next week they will go back, until finally the only reminder is the recurring automatic monthly dues withdrawal.

    Entire industries are based on providing NEW, FRESH and above all QUICK and EASY answers to life’s vexing questions. Whether it is addiction, debt, problem children, obesity, lack of exercise, misaligned spine or….there is no end to the get fixed quick schemes out there. Who wouldn’t want to lose weight while eating all they want with no exercise or exercise 20 minutes a day 3 times a week and in 90 days have the butt and abs of a Greek God or hang upside down for a few minutes and solve their back problems or buy a book and set of tapes for only 3 payments of $39.99 that will magically make an unruly teenager behave etc. All come of course with money back guarantees, make sure you keep all original packaging, shipping and handling not included.

    When someone begins searching for answers spiritually they naturally gravitate to whatever is new and available at the moment. There is no end to the authors offering new and improved paths to enlightenment. How many spiritual tomes do you own or have paged through? From where I sit as I write this I count three shelves worth and I know I have more stacked elsewhere. The one constant I have gleaned from all of them is there are no shortcuts to enlightenment. The truth being a lifetime of self-based thinking is not going to disappear overnight, it requires real, consistent effort if we wish to progress spiritually. To Live on the Spiritual Basis and embrace a new way of living and thinking is a life long endeavor. The good news is we only need to tackle it one day at a time. By consistent right action, prayer, meditation and service in time we break old habits of thought and action, replacing them with a reliance on God’s love and direction. This is not an overnight matter, it should continue for our lifetime. 

    Exercise and healthy eating habits improve the quality of this life but no matter how long or consistently we exercise, regardless of how or what we eat, this flesh will fail. Living on the Spiritual Basis today pays forward dividends into eternity for: We are not finite human beings in search of spirituality. We are eternal spiritual beings experiencing the human condition, miraculously. Oh, and I firmly believe bacon avocado cheeseburgers and chili cheese fries are godly inspired, just sayin.

 

A “Pure Heart” and “Clean Hands”

    A “pure heart” means we hold unwavering to the belief in an all-embracing, Omnipotent God. “Our Father which art in Heaven.” This concept flies in the face of what many interpret a “pure heart” to mean, yet doesn’t it make perfect sense? Our heart becomes “pure” because we believe, have become convinced of the truth of the necessity to turn our will and lives over to the care of God. With this level of understanding, a “pure heart” truly becomes attainable.

    To have “clean hands” spiritually does not mean that we have never erred or made mistakes but that we have been cleansed in spirit by our continuing reliance on a power greater than ourselves, demonstrating this reliance by and in our actions. What happens to clean hands? They invariably become soiled again. None of us pass through this life perfectly but with raised consciousness we turn to Him who has all knowledge and power, admitting our fault, our hands cleansed again.

    Limitation thinking regularly bombards us from all sides, from the nightly news to seemingly casual conversations that drift into the negative; fear and limitation thinking creeps into our consciousness on cat’s paws, silent as fog rolling in. When we become aware of our heart becoming heavy, our hands soiled, we turn to God in prayer to restore our pure heart and cleanse our hands as the very gates of Divine love and intelligence open to greet us. Though we cannot think our way into right living, we can pray our way into the perfection of Spirit the Great Carpenter said was the birthright of all God’s children.

DO NOT!

Don’t Hurry.
Don’t Worry.
Don’t Condemn.
Don’t Resent.

Pretty straightforward, what more is there to know? OK, maybe a little.

Hurry? To where? “We trudge the road of happy destiny.” We have already arrived. The road is eternal, traveled one-step, one prayer, one meditation and one day at a time. Remember, in the end, the final destination for this flesh is the same for all. To borrow from Babba Ram Das: “Be here now, now be here.”
Worry? Having turned our will and lives over to the care of God when we chose the Spiritual Basis of Living as our path, what is there to worry about? That’s His job now.

Condemn? Remember the teaching on judgment? “Judge righteously and the whole world improves, condemn and all suffer for we are connected in Spirit, all children of the Divine Presence.” When we condemn we open ourselves to morbid reflection, never a pretty sight.

Resentment? It’s deadly. Nothing shuts us off from the sunlight of the Spirit quicker than harboring resentments. Living on the Spiritual Basis we have learned to pray for those who have seemingly wronged us (real and imagined) asking to be shown the way of patience, tolerance, kindliness and love. In so doing, we are set free. There is no resentment that enough prayer, meditation and service will not completely wipe out.
Living on the Spiritual Basis we have ceased fighting everything and everyone, including ourselves, for we have tapped into the miraculous. See, straightforward.

FAST FOOD GOD

     The foundational principle of reaping and sowing is at the heart of Living on the Spiritual Basis, unfortunately many pay it a nodding acceptance and then fail to demonstrate. The planting of a crop does not merely begin with the sowing of seeds. Clearing the land, soil preparation, purchase of supplies, scheduling labor etc along with a myriad of smaller details is required before planting ever begins. Additionally, after the seeds are planted vigilance and nurturing are necessary to assure a successful harvest. In short, conscientious labor and patience is required from start to finish.

    Spiritually, the curious concept of a “fast food” God is at the heart of the dilemma. Many, albeit most, when trouble comes or a difficulty arises wish to simply stop at the speaker/microphone, place their order (prayer), pull up to the window and receive their boon (demonstration), having done nominal spiritual work along the way. Having allowed the fields of their consciousness to lay mostly fallow, where wild resentment, fear and morbid reflection thrive unchecked; they wonder why they fail to demonstrate, why the meal has no savor.

    God can and does act immediately when warranted, however it requires time, patience and labor for the true crop, the lasting crop of raised spiritual consciousness to grow. We till in the fields of our consciousness, our implements prayer and meditation, our seed love and guidance from a Power Greater Than Ourselves, our consciousness watered and fed with consistency, willingness, service and an open heart. The promise is that if we steadfastly, in the face of fear and contrary thought, work to clear our fields of the negative and poisonous, sow and tend the crop we truly desire, we will reap in great measure, the storehouse of our consciousness overflowing with poise, peace and true purpose.