Darkness and doubt surround you as you look for a way to escape. A door opens, but pride and selfishness bar the entrance. On your quest to find the light, will you chose to brake that bar?
What does it take to break it?
Lets start out on this truth seeking adventure together and find out!
FINDING THROUGH LOSING
Matthew 16:25
I like how it says "FIND". Because as you look at the needs of others, you find your true life, and in so doing save it.
I love the paradox of finding our lives through serving others. I think that's what coming out of the box is all about. You can't uprightly serve others when you're in the box. I say 'uprightly' because, inside the box, your motives are selfish, so if you do something for someone with selfish motives, it isn't truly serving them. It's all about the intentions of your heart.
OH NO?
As I was reading, to be honest, I got a little worried. I saw all the examples and motives of being inside the box, and I noticed so many in myself. "But that means I'm in the box all the time!" I speculated to myself. It was, at first, a little discouraging. But as I read further, I regained hope. I realized the simplicity to the process of getting out of the box, and the liberating joy it brought.
It wasn't as complicated as I cut it out to be. All it takes is focus. You must stop seeing others from your limited view of selfishness, and start seeing them as people with feelings. That view expands so many more opportunities, and allows so much more joy.
MOUNTAINS AND MUCK
I like to imagine it like this. When you are selfish, or view some one as 'in your way', it is like taking a jump off a mountain into an unclear, clogged, obscure pond of muddy water.
Being out of the box is like standing on the mountain. Your view and possibilities are endless and beautiful. Then suddenly you see somebody as an object and start treating them like one, and you find yourself in the mucky pond. You may feel a thrill at first as you soar down, but that is a fake pleasure that doesn't last and when you lie in the filthy water, reality slaps you in the face.
But we don't have to take that insensible plunge. And if we do, we can always get back on that mountain.
GETTING IN OTHER PEOPLES SHOES.
It's interesting how we need to step into others shoes, and in so doing, find our own.
So how do we step into others' shoes and try to see people as they really are? What should or shouldn't we do to see people perfectly?
To see people as they really are, we must not make our actions contrary to that vision.
Changing others doesn't work, and trying to fix others' problems won't fix your own.
To really see people as real people with divine potential and worth- and act on that- we must look at ourselves, and try to fix our own faults. There's another paradox!
In pondering our own weaknesses, we stop blaming others, and that helps us see them as real people because we aren't treating them like objects.
PARADOX SANDWICH!
So I guess it's kind of a cool paradox sandwich.
When we lose ourselves in the service of others, we find out what true living is. And when we choose to take ourselves out of the box by focusing on improving our own weaknesses instead of blaming others for theirs, we see other people as intelligent beings and then, we can treat them as such, and find and become our true selves again in so doing!
It's a wonderful process of losing and finding, improving our OWN weakness, to see others' strengths.
As we correlate our actions lovingly according to our perception of others' divinity, we can lose ourselves in the work and find God's kingdom in our hearts, and build it here on earth.
Matthew 16:25
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
I like how it says "FIND". Because as you look at the needs of others, you find your true life, and in so doing save it.
I love the paradox of finding our lives through serving others. I think that's what coming out of the box is all about. You can't uprightly serve others when you're in the box. I say 'uprightly' because, inside the box, your motives are selfish, so if you do something for someone with selfish motives, it isn't truly serving them. It's all about the intentions of your heart.
OH NO?
As I was reading, to be honest, I got a little worried. I saw all the examples and motives of being inside the box, and I noticed so many in myself. "But that means I'm in the box all the time!" I speculated to myself. It was, at first, a little discouraging. But as I read further, I regained hope. I realized the simplicity to the process of getting out of the box, and the liberating joy it brought.
It wasn't as complicated as I cut it out to be. All it takes is focus. You must stop seeing others from your limited view of selfishness, and start seeing them as people with feelings. That view expands so many more opportunities, and allows so much more joy.
MOUNTAINS AND MUCK
I like to imagine it like this. When you are selfish, or view some one as 'in your way', it is like taking a jump off a mountain into an unclear, clogged, obscure pond of muddy water.
Being out of the box is like standing on the mountain. Your view and possibilities are endless and beautiful. Then suddenly you see somebody as an object and start treating them like one, and you find yourself in the mucky pond. You may feel a thrill at first as you soar down, but that is a fake pleasure that doesn't last and when you lie in the filthy water, reality slaps you in the face.
But we don't have to take that insensible plunge. And if we do, we can always get back on that mountain.
GETTING IN OTHER PEOPLES SHOES.
It's interesting how we need to step into others shoes, and in so doing, find our own.
So how do we step into others' shoes and try to see people as they really are? What should or shouldn't we do to see people perfectly?
To see people as they really are, we must not make our actions contrary to that vision.
Changing others doesn't work, and trying to fix others' problems won't fix your own.
To really see people as real people with divine potential and worth- and act on that- we must look at ourselves, and try to fix our own faults. There's another paradox!
In pondering our own weaknesses, we stop blaming others, and that helps us see them as real people because we aren't treating them like objects.
PARADOX SANDWICH!
So I guess it's kind of a cool paradox sandwich.
When we lose ourselves in the service of others, we find out what true living is. And when we choose to take ourselves out of the box by focusing on improving our own weaknesses instead of blaming others for theirs, we see other people as intelligent beings and then, we can treat them as such, and find and become our true selves again in so doing!
It's a wonderful process of losing and finding, improving our OWN weakness, to see others' strengths.
As we correlate our actions lovingly according to our perception of others' divinity, we can lose ourselves in the work and find God's kingdom in our hearts, and build it here on earth.
You have such an insightful blog. Thanks for sharing. Reading blogs is my hobby and I randomly found your blog. I enjoyed reading your posts. Interesting! All the best for your future blogging journey.
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