We all have a desire to love and be loved, but nothing in this world can wholly satisfy that longing. Only the hope found in God’s love can even come close. We are all alien beings living in an alien world. Our souls long to return home, and through Christ, they can.
The purpose of darkness is to cover up light. The purpose of light is to expose darkness. The two coexist cyclically in the physical (or visual) world, but beyond what we can see with our eyes, they are constantly at war.
Our consciences are the voices inside our heads that tell us right from wrong, and therefore, interpret what we cannot see.
Our minds are like light switches that are wired to our hearts – in order to turn light on within, we must freely choose to flip the switch. We must learn to engage our hearts, so they can produce the energy required to power the light that brightens our minds.
However, because our consciences reside within our minds as part of our physical bodies, they are also part of the imperfect (or fallen) state of man. This means that over time, if light is not produced within our minds through observation & intentional self-study that is guided by the heart, then darkness will gain a foothold. When darkness holds the majority within our hearts and minds, the amount of light inside becomes increasingly harder and harder to find…..
For more on Light, check this out!
In Capernaum, near the Sea of Galilee, Jesus was speaking with his disciples about heaven. When the disciples inquired about who was the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven, Jesus welcomed a child into their presence and replied, “I assure you that unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven. The greatest in the Kingdom of heaven is the one who humbles himself and becomes like this child.” (Matthew 18: 3-4)
After reading this, I began to think. How does one humble himself and become like a child? What child-like characteristic(s) must one possess in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? In writing my list of “necessary” traits for the faith of a child, three stood out:
If we are not curious, we will never learn.
If we cannot forgive, light-stifling darkness will slowly begin to consume our hearts and minds, as our subconscious [unbeknownst to us] secretly dwells on the resentment that remains as a side effect of harboring negative feelings toward another entity.
And finally, if we allow these negative emotions to control us without conscious knowledge of the darkness that is gradually building inside our minds over time, we will begin to weaken and bend until we are no more useful than the keyboard I am typing this on. We become like puppets, or ‘robots’ as I like to say, our minds being manipulated by the world around us.
All of us have “robot-isms” – it is our human nature. However, unless you are able to recognize this fact and routinely acknowledge its presence, all while maintaining enough curiosity about its existence, in order to consistently seek out knowledge with the intent of continuously bettering yourself – you just might not enter the Kingdom of heaven (per Jesus).
….but how do you find your heart? Start listening to your conscience and obeying its commands. That simple.
Find the beauty in yourself.
“The LORD loves what is righteous and just; his constant love fills the earth.”
In reference to, “his constant love fills the earth,” what exactly is God’s love? The love that is known by most of us as human beings is not the love of which this verse is referring. This love is an effect of the presence of the Holy Spirit, God’s witness and protector of man. Without it, what would be here to convict us of guilt or show us the good in the world?
We can know the Holy Spirit is present, when we clearly see and participate in the spreading of God’s light. Ways of doing this could include empathizing and forgiving others, remaining objective in social interactions, observing our behavior in order to catch the wrong we are doing and turn it right, so that others might model their behavior after our own, resulting in the incremental “betterness” of ourselves and those surrounding us. These selfless acts, and ultimate spreading of light, can only be attained through the indwelling of a deep agape love in the very core of our beings; in our hearts (or souls).
Therefore, God’s “constant love fills the earth,” by the continued presence of light, hope, and goodness in the world. His Witness teaches us to love, by compelling us to do what God loves – that “what is righteous and just,” so that God’s love will continue to spread throughout the world, and “fill the earth.”
Related:
Who Is The Restrainer? -gracethrufaith
The Key To Happiness -mytwisteddream
——————————————————–
I am *finally* adding content to Quotes – Reinterpreted, a category whose title I’m considering rethinking. The quotes I plan on “reinterpreting,” are really just how I interpret them and apply them to my life; they are words that I derive inspiration from. So why not start out with the most important intangible gift, we as humans have received? Free will…
Free will is known as the ability for human beings to choose for themselves, the direction his or her life will go. Most of us do have the ability to choose how we take our coffee, our favorite color, and even what kind of car we drive. However, before we can freely choose our life’s direction, as an individual, we must psychologically awaken our minds from its natural state of sleep (or sin state.)
While in this natural state, we are asleep to the manipulation of outside influence on our lives. These outside influences do not necessarily have to be as intentional as propaganda. Things like sharing interests with those close to us, or relying on guidance from family members, are both external influences that can sway us in one direction or another. Don’t get me wrong, of course similar interests bring people closer together, and we should value and respect the opinions of our family members, especially if our actions affect them.
Where most of us are unintentionally misled, is when we allow others to dictate our actions because we want to “fit in,” or to avoid conflict or hurt feelings with family members, by going along with important life decisions, that are not necessarily in line with our heart’s desires. When we rely on others to discern our likes and dislikes, or to make our decisions for us, we begin to ignore our own conscience, put it on autopilot, and proceed with our lives as they are led by the world.
That being said, back to my interpretation of this quote – Choose to follow your heart; don’t leave it to chance, because chance is just as bad as not having a choice at all. You must first realize that you have a choice, and not allow yourself to be blindly led by others. Family and friends tend to look out for our well beings without considering how this protection will affect us long-term. You must always remember the natural state of sleep we are born into, and consider the chance that those trying to help, just might be sleep walking.
Gypsy Musings of the Soul
Twisted Dream 