In England we talked about sincerity in spiritual growth, and how quietly and easily hypocrisy can slide into our lives, creating facade, eroding our good deeds and causing stagnation.
As we wake from the numb slumber of addiction and avoidance, its tempting to soothe the restless soul with 'spiritual' words and thoughts that we think spell progress.
As facade cracks, pain and loneliness so long covered over, begin to seep forth, we grapple for 'control', to understand, to feel we know and we can cope.
And in doing so we can end up spending time talking, instead of growing, we loose sight of truth and open the way for hypocrisy.
As facade cracks, pain and loneliness so long covered over, begin to seep forth, we grapple for 'control', to understand, to feel we know and we can cope.
And in doing so we can end up spending time talking, instead of growing, we loose sight of truth and open the way for hypocrisy.
But true joy is to be found in the other choice.
The choice of faith in the process God has designed, to trust that His Ways will have us cope the best.
True progress requires this choice, this trust.
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| Our group was small and intimate, which made for great discussion! |
The measure of our sincerity is how
often we choose love and humility in our day-to-day lives. And these
choices will germinate into actions, since they can do nothing else.
1. We will confront all issues of love and untruth in our lives meaning that change is certain
2. Error will begin to leave us which means that pain is certain
3. We open ourselves to God and to our true selves so that joy is certain
For me, this talk, this visit was good soul food. Stuff to sustain me, stuff to inspire me.
It was also great to stay with and catch up with dear people. Thank-you Mike, Fi, Luca, Angela & Peter.
Hi Guys
ReplyDeleteI was just re-reading this and it is SO awesome. I really like the three lines of certainty!! in my life that seems so uncertain and uncontrollable at times, I like that God is certain (not in my heart fully- yet).
much love to you guys.
Love
Eloisa
Dear Mary
ReplyDeleteThis talk had a most profound effect on me. I saw many things about myself in the talk and after the talk. My huge fear of receiving the truth about myself and my preference to blame the world for the problems in the world and my unwillingness to face the sin in me. My preference to sit in pain and suffering all my life and be used to it, rather than act and feel the fear of making a mistake and of not knowing what will happen in the new place. But my overwhleming emotion was devastation of the difference in my commitment to God and your commitment and the likely results of that - that I do not have and could never have that relationship unless I was prepared to move internally and to move meant to face the huge fears in me that I had built a life to avoid. I was sincerely depressed that this was it - as the song says - I'm on the Road to Nowhere. Surely mankind's deepest sorrow - our lives are wasted, we mean nothing to ourselves or anyone else.....There's another addiction popping up - my life has to have meaning.....How depressing it is to feel that something you thought you wanted you don't really want at all.
I'm afraid there is no happy ending ( how I do love happy endings with all the ends tied up neatly). I am facing the truth that I wasn't prepared to be that committed to maybe have my life fall apart, to be ridiculed by the world and family and friends and that I have constructed a life where it feels like I don't have to face my loneliness, my fears, rejection, poverty, lose relationships. ....And yet as you did when you encouraged me to experience my fear of rejection and still ask for truth when I had initially rejected it, there is the still small voice calling me to feel all of this ....Rome wasn't built in a day....that it is possible to experience terror and survive. Who knows where that might lead.
With Love
Amanda
Hello Mary,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this talk, i am sorry to myself for not making this, But wow for me it was an soul opener, and since i have allowed myself to fall into honesty with self more and more and allow all the pain to surface more and more things are changing in my life, most beautifuly i have started to understand the power of love when it is sincere towards my brothers and sisters, how it impresses upon them and touches their emotions in a way i cant realy describe but i feel it and they feel it and transformation starts to happen. Taking responsibility for my part in the world rather than rebelling or denying has been so transformative for me. My desire to confront my fears keeps growing and i am truly grateful for the sledgehammer between the eyes in the last 2 talks you have done here. And thank you to the people who donated and made your travels possible. Much love for you all , Laura xx