Most of us at least sense that whenever we fall into despair, lose our temper, or relive some past painful regret, we have lost possession of ourselves. To some extent we know that negative states limit our freedom because, in their dark presence, even our natural power of making proper choices is put to the test. And if our choices in such moments are (at least) in part produced by these self-limiting states, then how can what limits us help to free us of anything? It’s obvious: it cannot. What are we to do?

We need a whole new and true understanding of what “living without limits” really means. It does not mean the power to manifest endless possessions, or to access instant pleasures on demand. Even if one could achieve such ends, his or her life would still be fearfully empty for having to continually refill it with what must pass in time. What is limitless in life — that which is without end within us — is our God-given potential to transcend limitations.

When we reach the point where parts of us start to feel some kind of pain, some discomfort, it’s not that there isn’t more we could do; no, what limits us here is what we are afraid to go through in that moment.

What is it about this kind of fear that makes it so powerful? The answer may be hard to believe: fear’s power over us is nothing more than the way it causes us to forget the truth of ourselves, which is this: we are created to eternally transcend the limits of our present nature, to transform who and what we have been in the very moment it ceases to serve the good of us. But, because we have forgotten this or — more accurately speaking — because we are asleep to its power in us, we are compelled to search for, find, and then believe in “powers” outside of ourselves that always betray us in our hour of need.

Actualizing our spiritual right to live without the frustration of fearful limitations is not a question of achieving something new; it begins with choosing to end a relationship with that which has never been true. So, it isn’t a question of “What do I do?” but “What must I bring an end to?”

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