The more we get what we now call ‘ourselves’ out of the way and let Him take us over, the more truly ourselves we become. The alternative is the real disaster. The more I resist Him and try to live on my own, the more I become dominated by my own heredity and upbringing and surroundings and natural desires. In fact, what I so proudly call “Myself’ becomes merely the meeting place for trains of events which I never started and which I cannot stop.
– C.S. Lewis, Irish poet, novelist, academic
Today I imagine a wise, old angel stepping down onto the top of a mountain to leave you and me a message. Seeing us caught in the modern trap of modeling our lives after others—movie stars, gurus, religious and political figures, etc—he reads from a scroll:
“How to live the life you’ve been created for:
1. Take your place. There is a God and you are not Him.
2. Your goal is becoming a vessel of God—not self-determination. As a vessel, the love of Jesus flows through you, using your unique gifts and calling. You join Him in caring for others and healing the planet.
3. Becoming a vessel gradually destroys the debris that buries who you really are.
4. Your heart, the deepest part of you, is the highest form of reality. This is the true universe. Get in touch with it.
5. Communicate with God in the quiet of your heart.
6. Go deeper in trusting God. Let Him direct, unfold, open doors.
7. See your unique life story unfold and get it down. Record it—journal, 3 x 5 cards, graph paper, canvas, video recordings—however. Don’t let it float away in oblivion. It’s the only life you’ve got.
God redirects you away from the noisy din of what others say and do and shows you your way, the life you are capable of living as His vessel.
Live your life forever.”
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photo credit: RubenPS (creative commons)
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@gloriabethrose
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