In I Kings 19 we read that Elijah took refuge in a cave on Mt. Horeb, his life being sought by Queen Jezebel after he destroyed the prophets of Baal. In the cave, Elijah lamented that the people of Israel forsook their covenant with God. He felt alone and depressed.
God called to Elijah, telling him to come out of the cave and "stand on the mountain before the Lord." God wanted to make a connection with Elijah, but knew that Elijah had to be in the right place mentally, before that would happen. God will continually call to us, too, regardless of where we are or what condition we're in, but he won't be able to communicate with us until we are in the right state of mind, listening to the right thing.
Verses 11 and 12 of I Kings 19 speak of the things that we might usually believe contain the messages of God: powerful winds (current cultural norms and the tide of public opinion?), earthquakes (calamities in nature?), and fire (passions and desires of the mind such as power, greed or popularity?).
But an old adage warns, "Prominence does not guarantee validity." Just because something is in our face regardless of which way we turn, doesn't make it right. The voice of God does not speak through the majority of people, natural disasters or the collective ego of any group. The voice of God is heard through the heart - the still, small voice that Elijah heard once he was able to put all those other distractions aside. Once he let them pass, he could hear the still, small voice - the gentle breeze.
God may gain our attention with some event or happening, but we can't make a true connection with him until we look inward to our own heart. Paul reminds us of this in Romans 10: 8 as he quotes from Deuteronomy, "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart." Jesus mentions the same thing as he described the coming of the kingdom of God in Luke 17:20-21, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will it be where they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."
How can we "leave our cave," put the noisy distractions aside, and come to a place where we can listen to the ear of our heart? Certainly, the distractions of this world are many, and they are strong. But stronger still is our own ability to practice present moment mindfulness - shedding any images of the past that trouble us, and fears and worries of the future that grab our attention - enabling us to see what is before us clearly, and to hear what is coming from our heart. This is one key to the kingdom.
We gain present moment mindfulness through practice - lots of it. We live each moment with "piercing eyes" and "piercing ears," really seeing and listening to what is going on around us, seeing and hearing deeply. We take time to be in the present moment, savoring each sight, sound and touch we are experiencing. We ask ourselves questions: "What am I really seeing right now?", "What am I really hearing right now?", "What am I really feeling right now?"
We learn to discern between distractions and truth. And after a while, we begin to see life as it really is. We come to realize that God's love is permanent and that physical things and situations are impermanent, and that all things are really connected in some manner. We come to realize that if we had been born and lived the life of the other person we are talking with, we might be exactly as that other person is right now.
Present moment mindfulness brings with it a greater understanding of life, and that nurtures deeper compassion and love for others and for this world. It helps us to shed the dysfunctional egos that envelop our souls. It is then that we are actually hearing the still, small voice of God coming from the kingdom in our heart.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
On Being a "Born Again" Christian
The presence of the kingdom of God is clearly all around us - we can see signs of the Creator in His animals and His plants, and in the stars and the clouds moving through the sky. If we really look, we can see His work everywhere. Scripture tells us that the kingdom of God is within us, too. (Luke 17:21)
The kingdom of God may be all around me, even inside me, but I don't always feel it or live like it is there.
Nicodemus, a Pharisee, came to Jesus with this same concern. He said to Jesus, "We know you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these things that you do unless God is with him." Embedded in his statement is the question he wanted to ask: "How can I get God to be with me - how can I be in the kingdom of God?"
Jesus answered him by saying, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Nicodemus, taking this literally (and thereby missing the lesson) responded to Jesus, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'" (John 3:1-7)
The kingdom of God is certainly within each of us, and we can find it there when we look deeply into ourselves, putting aside the busyness of daily life, and quieting the noisy ego that is placing continuous, unreasonable demands on our time and psyche.
But to realize the fullness of this kingdom, to ignite it, to experience the richness of it, I suggest to you that we need other people to bring it to life. The kingdom doesn't work well alone. Yes, it works easier when we are with people of like mind; friends, partners, groups, networks, communities, churches, neighborhoods - for Jesus points out that "wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I am there also." (Matthew 18:20) It erupts in love when people meet and are able to connect at a heart-to-heart level. Maybe you've felt this at times in the past when you're with the right people, and where there is nothing in the way of deep understanding and knowing of each other.
But the kingdom can also be brought to life when we're facing a person we may be having difficulty with, someone who is frustrating us, or with whom we are in conflict. We can activate the kingdom of God even in these situations. How? By being born again.
For me, being born again is the act of deeply looking into the heart, history and hopes of the person I'm with. It's being able to put myself aside for awhile, and live the life of the other person to the point that it almost feels as though I was born that other person. I visualize myself as having been born in his or her life, growing up as they did, in the conditions that she or he had. If I've listened deeply to them, and I've looked deeply into their heart, I'll understand better where they're coming from, I'll gain a sense of why they're thinking the way they do, and I'll understand better what they're facing in life. I may realize that I would have ended up exactly as they have if I'd been born when and where they had been born.
With this deep understanding I gain about the other person, compassion begins to grow in me. I learn to accept who they are. With understanding, compassion and acceptance comes love. Who I thought was an enemy becomes a brother or sister. I see that I am indeed connected with them, and am like them in many ways. We are told to love our enemies, because as soon as we do, they are no longer our enemies. We enter the kingdom of God when we reach this level of understanding.
Being born again means taking the time to deeply listen and deeply see the other person as though we were that person. This takes patience, and time. It means asking questions instead of telling. It means observing rather than showing. It takes humility and a good sense of self. Being born again takes practice. I need the practice. Today I will begin to try to practice this better.
How many times must we be born again? Well, that depends on how many times we interact with another person. Could be quite a lot! We aren't born-again Christians because we claim to be born-again Christians. We're born again Christians because we are born again, and again, and again... (Think of all the birthdays we can celebrate!)
By being born again we can see the kingdom of God, not only in ourselves, but in the other person as well.
"Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32 )
"Seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you." (Luke 12:31)
The kingdom of God may be all around me, even inside me, but I don't always feel it or live like it is there.
Nicodemus, a Pharisee, came to Jesus with this same concern. He said to Jesus, "We know you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these things that you do unless God is with him." Embedded in his statement is the question he wanted to ask: "How can I get God to be with me - how can I be in the kingdom of God?"
Jesus answered him by saying, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Nicodemus, taking this literally (and thereby missing the lesson) responded to Jesus, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'" (John 3:1-7)
The kingdom of God is certainly within each of us, and we can find it there when we look deeply into ourselves, putting aside the busyness of daily life, and quieting the noisy ego that is placing continuous, unreasonable demands on our time and psyche.
But to realize the fullness of this kingdom, to ignite it, to experience the richness of it, I suggest to you that we need other people to bring it to life. The kingdom doesn't work well alone. Yes, it works easier when we are with people of like mind; friends, partners, groups, networks, communities, churches, neighborhoods - for Jesus points out that "wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I am there also." (Matthew 18:20) It erupts in love when people meet and are able to connect at a heart-to-heart level. Maybe you've felt this at times in the past when you're with the right people, and where there is nothing in the way of deep understanding and knowing of each other.
But the kingdom can also be brought to life when we're facing a person we may be having difficulty with, someone who is frustrating us, or with whom we are in conflict. We can activate the kingdom of God even in these situations. How? By being born again.
For me, being born again is the act of deeply looking into the heart, history and hopes of the person I'm with. It's being able to put myself aside for awhile, and live the life of the other person to the point that it almost feels as though I was born that other person. I visualize myself as having been born in his or her life, growing up as they did, in the conditions that she or he had. If I've listened deeply to them, and I've looked deeply into their heart, I'll understand better where they're coming from, I'll gain a sense of why they're thinking the way they do, and I'll understand better what they're facing in life. I may realize that I would have ended up exactly as they have if I'd been born when and where they had been born.
With this deep understanding I gain about the other person, compassion begins to grow in me. I learn to accept who they are. With understanding, compassion and acceptance comes love. Who I thought was an enemy becomes a brother or sister. I see that I am indeed connected with them, and am like them in many ways. We are told to love our enemies, because as soon as we do, they are no longer our enemies. We enter the kingdom of God when we reach this level of understanding.
Being born again means taking the time to deeply listen and deeply see the other person as though we were that person. This takes patience, and time. It means asking questions instead of telling. It means observing rather than showing. It takes humility and a good sense of self. Being born again takes practice. I need the practice. Today I will begin to try to practice this better.
How many times must we be born again? Well, that depends on how many times we interact with another person. Could be quite a lot! We aren't born-again Christians because we claim to be born-again Christians. We're born again Christians because we are born again, and again, and again... (Think of all the birthdays we can celebrate!)
By being born again we can see the kingdom of God, not only in ourselves, but in the other person as well.
"Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32 )
"Seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you." (Luke 12:31)
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