As soon as we step into The Arena, the spirit that accuses, deceives, and destroys attacks.
We know the seven deadly sins, and we can see shades of them all in ourselves. Every violation, every shadow, every seed of injustice and exploitation is within us. And as humans, we are the kinds of beings who could consciously nurture those seeds. Let us not pretend.
The moment we become conscious of the external corruption plaguing and destroying life, we look inside, and we shudder. The problem is not just “out there”. The problem “out there” is the totality of all the problems, hurt, and lack of integrity in individual human beings and in our Collective Consciousness, manifesting itself at universal scale.
If we all transformed and became the kinds of people we know we were created and destined to be, the problems “out there” would vanish, for we would All Become the kinds of people who no longer manifest such horror and suffering in the world.
We desperately need to be cleaned up, elevated, and transformed in the same Way that society and our world needs to be cleaned up, elevated, and transformed. After all, we are one of the species that is causing it to be this way.
The moment we open our mouths to speak, the torrent of shame rains down. Who are you to speak? Look at what you have done! You are disqualified! Why would anyone listen to you?
I reject that voice and break its power by Power of the Spirit of God.
If the qualification is perfection, who can stand?
If the standard is perfection, who can stand?
We are all disqualified. We all fall short of the Perfection of God.
And yet the Source and Sustainer of life offers the hand of Love and Fellowship to re-qualify us by healing and transformative power of the Spirit within us. The loving Mother and Father reaches down in love, brushes us off, and tells us to get up and keep trying.
It is damn hard to be a human. Especially a human mired in the decaying Culture of the Old World. Especially a human whispered to the pervasive voices of malevolence trying to drag us down into their pits.
If we are afraid to misstep, to make mistakes, to get it wrong, to fall down endlessly as we try to learn to get off our knees and walk and run and perhaps even take up wings like eagles and soar towards our Destiny…
…we will miss a lifetime of opportunities to discover and to grow. We will miss the opportunity that the One has provided us to try. To grow. To fail. To fall down. To get up. And to discover that Success is precisely that Process of Progress.
And most importantly, to learn how to rise no matter how many times we fall short. Though we fall 7 times, we will rise 8 times.
There is no great doing without setbacks and failures. If young humans cannot stand up and walk without falling and crying a hundred times, how can we expect ourselves to manifest enlightenment and wise, right action as a unified Spiritual Body impelled by the Spirit of God without trying and failing over and over again?
The credit goes to the one who is actually in the arena. A thousand scoffers stand on the sidelines and laugh at the one who is in the arena, covered in dust and sweat and blood. Crying bitter tears of frustration and pain, that sear as they fall fueled by the jeering ignorant crowds.
And yet how else can we learn to do the impossible? How else can we escape from the tyranny of what we believe is achievable? How else can our Spirits and Minds rise up soar with God, to see with Wisdom the New World that is possible, and the Logos that could be spoken to bring it into Reality?
Whatever shameful and horrendous thing you have done… whatever dreadful failure has set you back… whatever thing you are most embarrassed of… Whatever secret lurks in the shadows and haunts your mind...
In various degrees we have all been unfaithful, we have all abused someone, we have all said horrendous things we are ashamed of, we have all killed someone, we have all broken our promises, we have all been gluttons and drunkards and addicts, we have all squandered the gift that was entrusted to us, we have all wrecked and betrayed our relationships, we have all harmed another for our been benefit, we have all wished or inflicted harm, we have all taken what is not rightfully ours, we have all failed to be as responsible, watchful, and conscientious as we should have been, we have all messed up our families, we have all been untruthful, we have all allowed fear or greed to lead us astray, we have all improperly channeled our sexuality, we have all said vile things, we have all been ignorant and insensitive to how our words and actions affected the weak and oppressed, we have all feared and discriminated against one that was different than us, we have all enjoyed privilege at the expense of another, we have all failed to stop and help one that we saw was suffering, we have all run away from battles that we should have fought, we have all fought battles when we should have brought peace, we have all passed by one suffering on the side of the road, we have all stepped on someone to gain something, we have all betrayed truth, we have all been hypocritical, we have all been arrogant, we have all been careless, we have all broken the universal law in more ways than we could possibly count.
Even if haven’t actually done those things, we have expressed their spirit in words. Even if we haven’t expressed their spirit in words, we have expressed their spirit in thought. And even if we haven’t articulated them into thought, we can occasionally sense the spirit that would think, do or say something like that within us.
So let’s drop the pretense.
Let’s all admit to One Another that we were horribly broken, misguided, immature, and misled. Let us admit to one another that we have gone through dark times where we deeply and tragically departed from the Way.
And when we depart from the pathways and Patterns of Life, we harm. We do so much damage to ourselves and others.
Whatever you have done, the same seeds of the spirit that animates human beings to do things like that is also in us. We are also human, and as difficult as it is to admit, we humans are the the ones who have inflicted all the worst tragedies and malevolence upon One Another.
It does not make you a bad person. It does not disqualify you. It does not doom you to the eternal hell religious rulers try to damn you with. It does not mean that you are beyond redemption and reconciliation.
For there is something even more powerful within you. A Light that is so strong that the Darkness flees before it. A Spirit of Light, Life, and Love that is actually able to triumph over Evil. A Divine Spark beckoning you upward and out of the mire and suffering.
The only unpardonable sin is to betray that Spirit, which is the Spirit of God.
If you can still feel that Spirit tugging at your heart, beckoning you upward, if you still long for Light, and Love, and Goodness, if you can still wonder if God and Society could ever Love you and welcome you back...
...I have Good News for you. God loves you. I love you. Welcome back.
Everyone willing to do their best to abide by The Rules, live by the Spirit, and play The Game with integrity is welcome in arms of God, and the domain of Lionsberg. Ask, and you shall be forgiven.
A Prayer something like the following will set your feet back on the Way. The words do not matter, it is the heart and spirit crying out to the Spirit of God that matters:
"Heavenly Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth,
Hello again. I have been lost for a long time, and have sinned against You, Nature, and Society in so many ways.
Thank you for your Love, and for your eternal promise of Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and At-One-Ment for those who genuinely seek You and return to You.
My heart and soul longs for your Spirit, Presence, Power, and Love in my life.
I dedicate my heart, my soul, my life, and all I am to you.
*Please forgive me for my sins, as I now forgive all those who have sinned against me.
Please fill me anew with your Spirit, and cleanse me from everything that is not of You. I long for Your Spirit and Your Love to live through me.
May Your Kingdom come, and Your Will be done, in my life and on Earth as it is in Heaven. I return to You, and rededicate my life to Your Purpose.
Congratulations. Welcome back. You are forgiven. Now - a future of walking with God, day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment lies ahead.
If you want to know what it looks like to walk with God, look at the Most Faithful Prototypes who have lived. The most famous is Jesus, for very good reason. Start your search there, and remember to live by the Spirit, and be wary of the religious wolves dressed in sheep's clothing. You will find that Jesus was not too impressed by the religious leaders of his day.
Forward to 13.21 Embracing and Acknowledging the Light and the Darkness
Back to 13.19 The Embarrassing Shadows of Our Past
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