It’s Sunday morning and I only have a few minutes to write.
I woke up thinking about how sloppy I am with my diet, and that one aspect of my life shows me MY MIND. It doesn’t just mean I’m simply sloppy with my diet. IT MEANS I’M SLOPPY. PERIOD.
I have been vegetarian for 7 years, and for the past two years I have been getting instruction to stop eating dairy, cheese, and eggs. They make me sick. But I still continue to eat these things, using terms from the bible and A Course in Miracles to justify my actions. I say “nothing I see means anything” and “take no thought for what you should eat or drink” and “I’m under no laws but God’s.”
That is child’s play. Here I am receiving specific instruction – BE VEGAN – and choosing consciously to go against it.
This is only one example, personal to me. You probably have areas in your own life where you have been told what to do and are resisting.
I’m thinking of Jesus. He tells us exactly what to do. It’s in the bible, spelled out in black and white. Love each other. Love God. Don’t judge. Give.
Are you doing these things without exception?
Are you loving everyone you see and meet? Are you loving your enemy? Are you forgetting the grievances? Are you forgiving every situation, no exception?
There was a book published recently called: The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible.
I haven’t read it yet, but from the reviews I get the sense that the author A.J. Jacobs was not really living like Jesus. Rather, he was trying to LOOK like Jesus, rather than BEING like Jesus. Big difference. There was an article in Marie Claire magazine of a reporter living biblically for two weeks, and it was the silliest thing I ever saw. She wasn’t living biblically at all. She was trying to dress and act like she was living 2000 years ago. She stopped taking taxi cabs. She walked everywhere by foot. She went to bars dressed in a brown sack. The bible does not make you stupid. Come on folks. You don’t need to wear a brown robe and sandals and not wash your hair to “follow the bible as literally as possible.”
That’s mockery.
If you want to follow the bible as literally as possible read Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, and do exactly as it says. It’s uncompromising.
No exception.
This is not a contest to see who is the most righteous or innocent or perfect.
The prize is that you will begin to see miracles in your life. Jesus is very specific. He gives rules for instruction and he promises that if you follow them, you will be in Heaven. There will be no more fear in your life. Life will be effortless and easy. You will be able to ask for things and receive them.
Love your enemy, love God, love yourself, love your neighbor … and life will be transformed into Heaven right before your very eyes.
Where do you begin? By looking with honesty at where you find yourself today. You don’t have to look at the past to dredge up old mistakes. Just look at where you are today. Find the areas where you are slightly off the mark. Look at where you are still trying to “have it your way.” See where you are making excuses, or justifying your actions.
The beautiful part is that you can’t fool yourself.
You can say to your friends and neighbors: Look at me! I am following Jesus exactly. I’m doing exactly as he says. I’m not judging anyone. I’m giving all to all. I’m the perfect demonstration of the message of A Course in Miracles. I’m living my life in perfect harmony.
But are you really?
Are you happy all the time? Does peace encompass every aspect of your life?
These are indicators that show you if you are really loving all and giving to all. Because when you follow the bible exactly, no compromise, there will be no fear. There will be only love.
There are the treasures that await you. These are the gifts that are given to you.
The best part is that you don’t have to count your mistakes or worry about how much time you have wasted. YOU CAN START TODAY. I’ve spent two years resisting a vegan diet. I’ve gotten better and better over the years, to the point where I eat about 80% vegan diet, but that’s not 100%. Do you see? There are still exceptions.
I’m not fooling anyone.
Rather than beat myself up for two years “wasted”, I can simply begin today.
Today is the new beginning.
Remember: THIS IS CHRISTMAS … THE BIRTH OF JESUS.
That’s a symbol for the birth of YOU.
The Christmas story is your story. Jesus’ birth is your birth. You are made brand new. Like a baby. Born into the world to bring light. It’s not 2000 years ago: it’s now.
Born again.
You come into a whole new moment, which is RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. You need never reference your mistakes from the past. If you are born right now, you don’t have a past. There is no memory of regrets. How could there be?
Right now in this very second that you are reading this blog post, you can make a decision that everything is going to be radically different for you, starting right now.
THIS IS THE BIRTH OF YOU.
Welcome to the world, little child.
Facebook comments:
Perhaps, as part of my yearly remaning and rebirthing, I will send out birth announcements! How fun would that be?