Taking Chances
It has been a while since I last posted to this blog. I couldn't access my blog to create new posts. But I'm back, thanks to the inspiration of "Worder." (Check him out at http://worder.blogspot.com/ )
I heard a sermon recently (November 4, 2007, to be exact) where the preacher talked about secrets. Secrets, as in secrets to being the best salesman you can be; secrets to long-lasting love; secrets to taking off the weight and keeping it off; secrets to decoding the opposite sex; secrets to the physics of the universe. But, the preacher said, Jesus's message to His followers was not a collection of secrets which would get them into Heaven; rather, the Big Secret is actually a Mystery.
I thought about that statement and the sermon as a whole. I thought about it all week, until finally I was able to pick up a copy of the sermon the following Sunday.
The Gospel reading that day was the Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:21-29): He also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with a sickle, because the harvest has come."
As the preacher I heard pointed out, Jesus here does not give gardening tips or specific instructions--no secrets are being given away here. But Jesus describes what happens in the Kingdom of God every day, including this day. If you scatter your seeds on the ground about you, they will grow. (This isn't the parable about where best to sow seeds.) You go about your life the best you can, perhaps even in spite of your best - or worst - intentions: "The earth produces of itself."
I mention one's worst intentions because so many people sabotage their own lives. People with low self-esteem are prone to flagellating themselves at every sign of hope. People who are afraid of success because success can turn into failure at a moment's notice, they, too, sabotage their own happiness. People addicted to whatever they are addicted, either physically or metaphorically, give in again and again because the addictive forces are so often overwhelming.
But despite all that - whether ignoring the seeds that are growing, trying to coax them, or trying to uproot them - the earth produces of herself. The kingdom of God is happening, and no one can stop it. It grows as we sleep; it grows while we weep; it grows even if we sow the fields with salt in a futile attempt to suppress the earth's ability to regenerate.
So, in a way, the Mystery is that God loves the world, and nothing will prevent God from bringing that world to fruition. Ignorance, fear, suppression - does that sound familiar if you have been reading the latest news stories?
But that doesn't take us off the hook. We each have a role to play in this kingdom of God, and we are to do the best we can. We must come into Consciousness with a capital "C". Just as we grow up and mature in mind and spirit, we become more conscious of who we are and of which parts we carry are not truly of ourselves. We shed layers upon layers of mistakes - our own, our parents', our Church's, our government's - even humanity's. We examine these layers as they slough off - it's a bit of a rough process, though, if you've ever watched a snake work free from her old skin. You don't even realize how constricted and "dead" you feel until that old skin comes off. And once it's off, you are amazed to discover that that psychospiritual "itch" that just wouldn't go away was God's way of telling you it's time to let something go.
When you get that itch, trust that God is taking care of the garden - it will grow no matter what, always there to sustain you. Trust that your mistakes will be forgiven (forgive yourself ahead of time, if that helps). Know that you will ultimately be safe. The kingdom of God is happening - and, no matter what you may think, you do not have the power to stop it even if you accidentally mess up your portion of the workload. Take a chance. If you take good care of yourself (work toward Consciousness with a capital "C") and leave the rest up to God, the garden will still be growing toward fruition, and you will be made new again.
Feel that itch?
It's time to let something go.
I heard a sermon recently (November 4, 2007, to be exact) where the preacher talked about secrets. Secrets, as in secrets to being the best salesman you can be; secrets to long-lasting love; secrets to taking off the weight and keeping it off; secrets to decoding the opposite sex; secrets to the physics of the universe. But, the preacher said, Jesus's message to His followers was not a collection of secrets which would get them into Heaven; rather, the Big Secret is actually a Mystery.
I thought about that statement and the sermon as a whole. I thought about it all week, until finally I was able to pick up a copy of the sermon the following Sunday.
The Gospel reading that day was the Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:21-29): He also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with a sickle, because the harvest has come."
As the preacher I heard pointed out, Jesus here does not give gardening tips or specific instructions--no secrets are being given away here. But Jesus describes what happens in the Kingdom of God every day, including this day. If you scatter your seeds on the ground about you, they will grow. (This isn't the parable about where best to sow seeds.) You go about your life the best you can, perhaps even in spite of your best - or worst - intentions: "The earth produces of itself."
I mention one's worst intentions because so many people sabotage their own lives. People with low self-esteem are prone to flagellating themselves at every sign of hope. People who are afraid of success because success can turn into failure at a moment's notice, they, too, sabotage their own happiness. People addicted to whatever they are addicted, either physically or metaphorically, give in again and again because the addictive forces are so often overwhelming.
But despite all that - whether ignoring the seeds that are growing, trying to coax them, or trying to uproot them - the earth produces of herself. The kingdom of God is happening, and no one can stop it. It grows as we sleep; it grows while we weep; it grows even if we sow the fields with salt in a futile attempt to suppress the earth's ability to regenerate.
So, in a way, the Mystery is that God loves the world, and nothing will prevent God from bringing that world to fruition. Ignorance, fear, suppression - does that sound familiar if you have been reading the latest news stories?
But that doesn't take us off the hook. We each have a role to play in this kingdom of God, and we are to do the best we can. We must come into Consciousness with a capital "C". Just as we grow up and mature in mind and spirit, we become more conscious of who we are and of which parts we carry are not truly of ourselves. We shed layers upon layers of mistakes - our own, our parents', our Church's, our government's - even humanity's. We examine these layers as they slough off - it's a bit of a rough process, though, if you've ever watched a snake work free from her old skin. You don't even realize how constricted and "dead" you feel until that old skin comes off. And once it's off, you are amazed to discover that that psychospiritual "itch" that just wouldn't go away was God's way of telling you it's time to let something go.
When you get that itch, trust that God is taking care of the garden - it will grow no matter what, always there to sustain you. Trust that your mistakes will be forgiven (forgive yourself ahead of time, if that helps). Know that you will ultimately be safe. The kingdom of God is happening - and, no matter what you may think, you do not have the power to stop it even if you accidentally mess up your portion of the workload. Take a chance. If you take good care of yourself (work toward Consciousness with a capital "C") and leave the rest up to God, the garden will still be growing toward fruition, and you will be made new again.
Feel that itch?
It's time to let something go.
posted by Elizabeth | 5:07 PM
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