{"id":373,"date":"2013-06-14T10:33:31","date_gmt":"2013-06-14T10:33:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/yourbestlifenow\/?p=373"},"modified":"2013-06-14T10:33:31","modified_gmt":"2013-06-14T10:33:31","slug":"looking-for-god-outside-yourself-is-like","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourbestlifenow\/2013\/06\/looking-for-god-outside-yourself-is-like.html","title":{"rendered":"Looking for God Outside Yourself is Like…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Gold-Bars-in-Fort-Knox\"<\/a>“If God is everywhere,” writes Fr. Richard Rohr<\/a>, “then God is not anywhere exclusively.”<\/p>\n

Hold this thought in your mind this day…no, everyday…and see what happens.<\/p>\n

I suspect, among other things,<\/p>\n

1. You will begin to honor spiritual truth wherever you find it – not just the truth which may come through your tribe or denomination or group. There is but one spiritual \u00a0truth, although it may be known in a myriad of varying ways. Be suspect of anyone who insists, “I hold the truth.” Truth cannot be contained.<\/p>\n

2. True, you may hold strong beliefs or convictions for yourself. But, you will cling to none of them. Does that sound a bit like double-talk? That’s because it is. Most truth floats like a leaf on river of contradiction or paradox. It you will maintain a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing, you will grow continually. If, on the other hand, when you assume you are right and that your beliefs no longer need questioning, you can be certain you have ceased to grow. Worse still, you are most likely living outside the truth you think you know.<\/p>\n

3. Most important, “If God is everywhere…,” as of course God is, why would you look outside yourself today for the God who is near to you now…even within you?<\/p>\n

Look no further, my friend…<\/p>\n

You have all of God there is. God does not come to you in bits and pieces. So, let nothing…you inadequate religious instruction, your background or conditioning…let nothing create in you, the thought, as well as the anxiety such faulty thinking produces, that God must be sought in order to be found. The preacher who said, “Seek God while He may be found…” (Isa. 55:6) meant well. He just did not have all the facts. About this much, however, he IS right. “Now” not tomorrow…not sometime soon…”Now” is the moment to wake up to the realization, God need not be found. Nor must you seek God to find God.<\/p>\n

You cannot find Who is not lost.<\/p>\n

To look for God outside yourself is like panning for nuggets of gold while holding the keys to Fort Knox.<\/p>\n

Live in the joy of Being herself. It IS your natural state of human existence. “Thanks be to God,” said Saint Paul, “who causes us to triumph in Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15).<\/p>\n

What more could you want in life? This IS…<\/p>\n

Your Best Life Now!<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“If God is everywhere,” writes Fr. Richard Rohr, “then God is not anywhere exclusively.” Hold this thought in your mind this day…no, everyday…and see what happens. I suspect, among other things, 1. You will begin to honor spiritual truth wherever you find it – not just the truth which may come through your tribe or…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":551,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,99,224,5],"tags":[589,588,95,223,571,582,591,583,586,594,590,581,584,585,286,222,279,587,595,593,592,16],"class_list":["post-373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-awakening","category-beliefs","category-god-2","category-happiness","tag-cling-to-none-of-them","tag-convictions","tag-dr-steve-mcswain","tag-drstevemcswain","tag-fr-richard-rohr","tag-god-is-everywhere","tag-god-is-near","tag-god-is-not-anywhere-exclusively","tag-i-hold-the-truth","tag-joy-of-being","tag-look-outside-yourself","tag-looking-for-god","tag-richard-rohr","tag-richardrohr","tag-spiritual-truth","tag-steve-mcswain","tag-stevemcswain","tag-strong-beliefs","tag-thanks-be-to-god","tag-who-is-not-lost","tag-you-cannot-find","tag-your-best-life-now-2"],"yoast_head":"\nLooking for God Outside Yourself is Like... - Your Best Life Now<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourbestlifenow\/2013\/06\/looking-for-god-outside-yourself-is-like.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Looking for God Outside Yourself is Like... - Your Best Life Now\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"“If God is everywhere,” writes Fr. Richard Rohr, “then God is not anywhere exclusively.” Hold this thought in your mind this day…no, everyday…and see what happens. I suspect, among other things, 1. 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