“But for the Grace of God go I”

Walking the way we talk. When we espouse one thing but act in a contrary manner not only does it make us look untrustworthy but also opens the door to all manner of spiritual disease and a seeming disconnect from reality. Wishing to be happy but seeding unhappiness, wanting to be loved but unwilling to demonstrate love, demanding respect while being disrespectful, holding truth and fairness as essential while speaking falsely and treating others unfairly are all examples of spiritual disease, a demonstration in conflict with stated intention. These are gross examples, easily identifiable and addressed if an individual truly wishes to change.

Then there are the more subtle forms; condescension and self-aggrandizement couched in seemingly well-intended verbal asides, comments and actions. One of which, which I found particularly painful since I had used it often was “But for the grace of God go I.” The phrase always made me a little uneasy, though for years I could not suss out why. When the truth finally hit I became physically ill and spiritually unsettled. Consider the full import of the phrase: it implies there are those beyond God’s grace! And fortunately I'm not one of them!  Really? That some are “chosen” in some way, greater in God‘s sight than another? How could that be possible? I wrestled with this for a time, looking for a loophole to crawl through, but they all ended in the same place, base condescension and the spiritually corrosive “holier than thou” sensibility.

Wayne Dyer suggests we “think from the end.” Applying this concept here, no one stands above another and if we believe that in anyway anyone is beyond Grace, then we set ourselves up for a life of disharmony at odds with the truth of being.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

The Secret, Wayne Dyer, Serenity, Enlightenment, Zen, Emmet Fox, How To Be Happy, Golden Key, Pope Francis, Chopra, Jesus, Einstein, AA, McRaven, Healing Path

Old Friends

How many Spiritually based websites or pages do you follow? How many spiritually themed books are on your bookshelf, by how many different authors? Perhaps Chopra, Fox, Dyer, Gibran, maybe Schuler, Wilkerson, Grizone and Warren are a few of them? How about the heavy hitters, The Bible, Vedas, Torah, Bhagavad-Gita, Koran or the Book of Mormon. These apps, pages and books are fine and helpful, but without action, demonstration in purpose, nothing of any lasting value is achieved, any more than reading about diets results in weight loss. Being informed and inspired is fine, but nothing concrete happens until we take action. Knowing when to stop seeking and start doing can be a difficult and often fearful transition. Commenting on the play very different from being on stage.

When I wore a younger man’s clothes and was far more impressed with myself I would look at my bookshelves loaded down with spiritual tomes with a sense of self-important satisfaction. Believing knowledge equaled demonstration, I had convinced myself that I not just talked the talk, but walked the walk. I could not have been more wrong. When the truth finally hit, it was devastating. I had a head full of knowledge but had put precious little of the “great truths” I said I believed in into action, and what I had put into action was inconsistent and haphazard at best. I was the antithesis of spiritual truth, talking the talk but not walking the walk.

So participate in and study the things that sing to you Spiritually, but instead of always looking for something new, return to an old friend and give it a look with the new pair of “glasses” your living experience has provided you with.

Today I “keep it simple.” I revisit a small group of authors who have touched me over the years. Some of these books I have read for decades and though I have traveled their path many times, I continue to find fresh insights for my spiritual vision, as yours, improves with age and action in purpose.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

The Secret, Wayne Dyer, Serenity, Enlightenment, Zen, Emmet Fox, How To Be Happy, Golden Key, Pope Francis, Chopra, Jesus, Einstein, AA, McRaven, Healing Path

The Truth Of Limitation

Teachers of spiritual principles agree on this point: freedom comes when limitation is overcome. On the surface the differences in approach from one school of thought to another can often seem dramatic if not downright contradictory, but in essence they are all tools to address the same thing, our perceived loss or missing connection to the Source which provides clarity, direction and serenity in our lives. To be clear: We are not/cannot be disconnected from Source, for we are comprised of Source. Flesh is ephemeral, but our spirit, soul if you prefer, is eternal, has always been, will always be, was never born and can never die. We choose to believe in a gulf or lack of connection out of fear and the seeming unfairness of life. Our ability to comprehend the totality of existence with our limited understanding of the miraculous leads us down the paths of denial and often into spiritual make believe. It is seemingly easier to hold that we are living at the whim of creation or conversely chaos, therefore taking no responsibility for our lives, than to live in purpose, coming to grips with the truth that we are where we are because of every choice and decision we have ever made. Fear modulating between what if there is no God to God will punish me for I have chosen and/or acted poorly.

In truth: When we know who walks beside us everyday, on this path we have chosen, we will never be afraid again. Just as every child is connected to their parent by blood, we are connected to Ultimate Source in Spirit. Arguing over the title of this Source is one of the Adversary's, Fear, greatest tricks to keep us locked into the bondage of self, Limitation ascendant.

To free ourselves from the self-imposed fetters on our spiritual life we must strip away the lurking fears holding us back and step out in faith, the faith generated from the certainty of our true connection with Source. Living any other way is existence restricted, fear rather than faith dominate, living in the light desired but giving in to the carnal always beckoning shadows of a hundred faces of fear, which is the handmaiden of limitation. We overcome limitation by standing, though often trembling, in the light, proclaiming our love and steadfast belief in our connection to the miraculous.

 

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

The Secret, Wayne Dyer, Serenity, Enlightenment, Zen, Emmet Fox, How To Be Happy, Golden Key, Pope Francis, Chopra, Jesus, Einstein, AA, McRaven, Healing Path