We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
These words are familiar to us, yet do we recognize all of what they are saying?
The freedom that the drafters of the Declaration of Independence were declaring and claiming for this country had already been given; already were the inalienable rights of everyone created in the image and likeness of God.
It is vital to recognize that our right to be free, unlimited, under no bonds, or binds, or restraints, nor limitations was not something that was created when men put pen to that document but arose in our Being when we were created in the image and likeness of God. We are first and foremost spiritual beings, with the birthright of freedom.
And while freedom is inalienable from our true self, it is often separate from our awareness, apart from our experience, lost upon the false self that is caged by self deception.
As we celebrate freedom which came from the Declaration of Independence in 1776, consider how this historical event is an insightful metaphor for our own internal pursuit of liberty.
Just as the men and women of those original 13 colonies sought to establish self-determination, is it not equally essential to our spiritual awakening that we dissolve the tie with any other external power that has held sway over our lives?
Like the King of England, our ego mind often reigns supreme over our thoughts and affairs and we have suffered the tyranny of a long train of (its) abuses and usurpations. We have placed the crown upon our senses that they might have the last word on reality. In return, we have been given a meager appraisal of life's possibilities. We are taxed without representation by levies of fear and doubt. Yet the truth is that we have assented to these oppressive practices, even while railing against them.
These truths are self-evident when we come to know our true spiritual nature. Created in God's image and likeness, we have always had the inalienable right to self-determination. Our free will empowers us to cast the deciding vote on every issue. We enjoy the liberty to find peace and enjoy a land of plenty upon the very ground of our being. Yes, we can live in freedom. No revolution is necessary. We have had it all the time. Each of us is free to dethrone false authority, declare dominion over our lives and reclaim rights guaranteed by Heaven's authority.
Let us remember the Declaration of Independence, not only as a reminder of the freedom that came to a nation, but the inalienable freedom that is Divinely gifted and inseparable from us. We can make this declaration of freedom each moment to remind ourselves of our right to choose to live in liberation or bondage.
This Sunday we conclude our Ways and Means of Spiritual Mastery series of lessons, with the focus on freedom, with a lesson entitled, Breaking the Ties That Bind Us. We will look at all the ways that we give up our freedom, such as fear and anxiety over the past, the future, and delusion of self in the present moment. Jesus said the Truth will set us free. If we are willing to declare independence from the mind that binds and blinds, we will see the greater truth beyond the limitations that our physical eyes show us. We will be able to lift up our eyes to the inner gaze of Spirit.
About Me
- Rev. Larry Schellink
- Unity Center of Davis is an inclusive spiritual community that honors the many paths to God and helps people of all faiths apply positive spiritual principles in their daily lives.
Subscribe To These Weekly Inspirational Messages
Posts
All Comments
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Embracing Human Love
"When you come to know yourself, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the children of the living Father."
-Gospel of Thomas
Most of us came to know ourselves early on through the way we were seen and treated by our parents. What they saw in us became what we saw in ourselves. How they responded to us shaped our self esteem. Like it or not this way to self discovery and self image is the way it is for us humans. It seems tragically flawed from the start. Or is it?
On the surface, it seems blatantly unfair that an innocent child is subject to the vagaries of his parent's dysfunctions and imbued with a sense of self reflecting their deficient self images. I have my sad stories of growing my self image, and you have yours. We are a huge majority I suspect. I once saw a cartoon, depicting a large conference room with hundreds of chairs, and only two people seated in the room. The banner over the stage read, "Society of Children of Functional Parents."
There being so many of us in this quandary of rectifying our self image as adults, I believe there is an enlightened perspective within this apparent stigma. Unless you believe that the human race must evolve to the point where parents are perfect psychological specimens before there is hope for happy children, read on.
You may suspect that there is a spiritual twist about to happen here. You would be right. For those of us who believe in a higher power, and affirm that the universe (God) is constantly conspiring for our greater good, we look to see the light within the blight. We don't believe in mistakes, no matter how unjust life appears. We believe that every situation in life can lead us to grow spiritually.
As many of us have entered the adult life aching to know who we are, grasping at idols to fill voids in our self image, we usually looked for love in all the wrong places. In desperation, and at wits end to reclaim our souls, some of us have been driven to our knees. When the pain of seeking in the world got too great, we reversed the direction of our search and turned within. We were graced with a realization that before we were a glint in our father's eye we were a spark of the Divine.
When it comes to knowing ourselves there is only one source, one parent that knows us as we truly are. Only this parent can show us our essential nature, love us unconditionally, and lead us unerringly into self awareness, and that is God, our true source. Before Mom and Dad you were created in the image and likeness of Love itself. That Loving parent is constantly reflecting its love back to us and recreating us in its image. This is the fully functional parent-child relationship that we all yearn for, and can all have at last.
I've not been a perfect father to our two boys. I've done some good, and I've made mistakes. I've been there for them, and I've been absent at times. I strive to improve but I will always fall short, which paradoxically I pray will lead them to the Father which art within them.
As Denese told you last week, I spent a week building a backyard deck for Denese's mom, in Vancouver, WA. It was an act of love. It was hard work, and I came up against my limitations, body and mind. I struggled figuring it out in my head and through my hands. Most of the time, my back and wrists ached. I hit myself with the hammer a few times, and beat myself up mentally for mistakes. The end result is not perfect, and the process was flawed. But when I finished last Tuesday I was sure of two things. I did my best, and Denese's Mom felt loved by my effort.
That's how love works at the human level. Whether it's parenting or any of our human relationships, we will make mistakes, the results will be less than perfect, but if we remember to check the level of our hearts and do our best to love each other, we will feel pretty good at the end of the day.
-Gospel of Thomas
Most of us came to know ourselves early on through the way we were seen and treated by our parents. What they saw in us became what we saw in ourselves. How they responded to us shaped our self esteem. Like it or not this way to self discovery and self image is the way it is for us humans. It seems tragically flawed from the start. Or is it?
On the surface, it seems blatantly unfair that an innocent child is subject to the vagaries of his parent's dysfunctions and imbued with a sense of self reflecting their deficient self images. I have my sad stories of growing my self image, and you have yours. We are a huge majority I suspect. I once saw a cartoon, depicting a large conference room with hundreds of chairs, and only two people seated in the room. The banner over the stage read, "Society of Children of Functional Parents."
There being so many of us in this quandary of rectifying our self image as adults, I believe there is an enlightened perspective within this apparent stigma. Unless you believe that the human race must evolve to the point where parents are perfect psychological specimens before there is hope for happy children, read on.
You may suspect that there is a spiritual twist about to happen here. You would be right. For those of us who believe in a higher power, and affirm that the universe (God) is constantly conspiring for our greater good, we look to see the light within the blight. We don't believe in mistakes, no matter how unjust life appears. We believe that every situation in life can lead us to grow spiritually.
As many of us have entered the adult life aching to know who we are, grasping at idols to fill voids in our self image, we usually looked for love in all the wrong places. In desperation, and at wits end to reclaim our souls, some of us have been driven to our knees. When the pain of seeking in the world got too great, we reversed the direction of our search and turned within. We were graced with a realization that before we were a glint in our father's eye we were a spark of the Divine.
When it comes to knowing ourselves there is only one source, one parent that knows us as we truly are. Only this parent can show us our essential nature, love us unconditionally, and lead us unerringly into self awareness, and that is God, our true source. Before Mom and Dad you were created in the image and likeness of Love itself. That Loving parent is constantly reflecting its love back to us and recreating us in its image. This is the fully functional parent-child relationship that we all yearn for, and can all have at last.
I've not been a perfect father to our two boys. I've done some good, and I've made mistakes. I've been there for them, and I've been absent at times. I strive to improve but I will always fall short, which paradoxically I pray will lead them to the Father which art within them.
As Denese told you last week, I spent a week building a backyard deck for Denese's mom, in Vancouver, WA. It was an act of love. It was hard work, and I came up against my limitations, body and mind. I struggled figuring it out in my head and through my hands. Most of the time, my back and wrists ached. I hit myself with the hammer a few times, and beat myself up mentally for mistakes. The end result is not perfect, and the process was flawed. But when I finished last Tuesday I was sure of two things. I did my best, and Denese's Mom felt loved by my effort.
That's how love works at the human level. Whether it's parenting or any of our human relationships, we will make mistakes, the results will be less than perfect, but if we remember to check the level of our hearts and do our best to love each other, we will feel pretty good at the end of the day.
Be YOU, Be Here, Be Now
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." - Henry David Thoreau
Being ourselves as fully as possible, honoring our embodiment, and bringing our attention to this present moment are the keys to truly being alive and fulfilled in this lifetime.
As I write, Larry is in Vancouver, Washington building a new deck for my beloved 78-year-old mother. Larry has wanted to get back into woodworking and building with his hands. So when mom spoke to me about wanting a deck in her back yard, and knowing Larry was yearning for hands on creative self expression, it seemed a perfect match. From our brief conversations, they are having a fabulous time building, creating, and connecting together. What I know right now, is Larry is fully alive and in the moment, not thinking of anything else (measure twice, cut once, right?)
As for me, I have our kayak loaded on the car, our dog prances about, ready to run through the forest, as we prepare to drive up to Tahoe and immerse ourselves in the beauty of the high sierras tomorrow. That is, if this article gets written.
This Sunday we explore the theme of "Be You, Be Here, Be Now". Wanting to practice the theme of the Sunday message before it is delivered; I need to practice being fully myself. That means I need to get very quiet, and like Thoreau what works for me is walking the forest, resting in nature, and listening to the Great Spirit within.
It is a time in which all of us are called to experience our true selves; to leave the false self behind, and become reacquainted with our essential self. Remember what Oscar Wilder said, "Be yourself, everyone else is taken!"
It is part of our mission at Unity Center of Davis that we embrace our humanity, and at the same time, express our divinity. This is authentic spirituality--the ability to experience and express in both worlds. The authentic self is our essential self. This is our real identity, the under-the-surface, straight-to-the-core identity. This is the identity beyond the body that knows itself as spirit. This is the you and I that truly knows how to live and love.
Then there is the masked self, the one who shows up uninvited and disconnected from all life, not knowing where to go or how to respond. She's the one that when you leave the meeting or party everyone (including you) and says, "Who was that person?"
Sunday, we will explore these ideas in greater depth: How can we live more deliberately? What is authentic spirituality? How do we express authentically? How can we be more ourselves? What is our assignment here on earth?
As I return from the forest, I know I'll have a fresh sense of self to share a genuine message on authentic spirituality. We'll look at ways of becoming reacquainted with the YOU that truly knows how to live and love.
Being ourselves as fully as possible, honoring our embodiment, and bringing our attention to this present moment are the keys to truly being alive and fulfilled in this lifetime.
As I write, Larry is in Vancouver, Washington building a new deck for my beloved 78-year-old mother. Larry has wanted to get back into woodworking and building with his hands. So when mom spoke to me about wanting a deck in her back yard, and knowing Larry was yearning for hands on creative self expression, it seemed a perfect match. From our brief conversations, they are having a fabulous time building, creating, and connecting together. What I know right now, is Larry is fully alive and in the moment, not thinking of anything else (measure twice, cut once, right?)
As for me, I have our kayak loaded on the car, our dog prances about, ready to run through the forest, as we prepare to drive up to Tahoe and immerse ourselves in the beauty of the high sierras tomorrow. That is, if this article gets written.
This Sunday we explore the theme of "Be You, Be Here, Be Now". Wanting to practice the theme of the Sunday message before it is delivered; I need to practice being fully myself. That means I need to get very quiet, and like Thoreau what works for me is walking the forest, resting in nature, and listening to the Great Spirit within.
It is a time in which all of us are called to experience our true selves; to leave the false self behind, and become reacquainted with our essential self. Remember what Oscar Wilder said, "Be yourself, everyone else is taken!"
It is part of our mission at Unity Center of Davis that we embrace our humanity, and at the same time, express our divinity. This is authentic spirituality--the ability to experience and express in both worlds. The authentic self is our essential self. This is our real identity, the under-the-surface, straight-to-the-core identity. This is the identity beyond the body that knows itself as spirit. This is the you and I that truly knows how to live and love.
Then there is the masked self, the one who shows up uninvited and disconnected from all life, not knowing where to go or how to respond. She's the one that when you leave the meeting or party everyone (including you) and says, "Who was that person?"
Sunday, we will explore these ideas in greater depth: How can we live more deliberately? What is authentic spirituality? How do we express authentically? How can we be more ourselves? What is our assignment here on earth?
As I return from the forest, I know I'll have a fresh sense of self to share a genuine message on authentic spirituality. We'll look at ways of becoming reacquainted with the YOU that truly knows how to live and love.
And All Shall Be Well
"...All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well" - St. Julian of Norwich
Every Sunday we conclude our service with a collective prayer which ends with the words, "all is well."
How is it that we can justify such an over arching statement of well being as a community affirmation? Are we ignorant, or in strict denial, of the human suffering in our midst?
Neither is true. We are not immune from the travails of the human life. Among us are many who have suffered loss, small and great. Some have lost small fortunes, others face life-threatening illness, and some of us grieve the death of loved ones.
How then, given our losses, can we express such a collective appraisal of well being? The answer is not in the circumstances of our lives, but in the context in which they arise.
We believe in a greater reality beyond form that holds us in its loving embrace. Beyond appearances of limitation and loss, we seek to know the infinite presence of Spirit within us and around us that remains undisturbed, and imperturbable through it all.
Rather than denying reality we are determined to see reality as it truly is-determined to awaken to God's irrefutable presence in the midst of our challenges rather than waiting for heaven in an afterlife. We do this with feet planted solidly on the ground of the present moment, standing shoulder to shoulder with fellow human beings, joined by our human vulnerability and spiritual strength. In this collective posture, we muster the resolve to look courageously into the face of our human dramas and affirm together:
The light of God surrounds us
The love of God enfolds us
The power of God protects us
And the presence of God watches over us
Wherever we are, God is
And all is well
Every Sunday we conclude our service with a collective prayer which ends with the words, "all is well."
How is it that we can justify such an over arching statement of well being as a community affirmation? Are we ignorant, or in strict denial, of the human suffering in our midst?
Neither is true. We are not immune from the travails of the human life. Among us are many who have suffered loss, small and great. Some have lost small fortunes, others face life-threatening illness, and some of us grieve the death of loved ones.
How then, given our losses, can we express such a collective appraisal of well being? The answer is not in the circumstances of our lives, but in the context in which they arise.
We believe in a greater reality beyond form that holds us in its loving embrace. Beyond appearances of limitation and loss, we seek to know the infinite presence of Spirit within us and around us that remains undisturbed, and imperturbable through it all.
Rather than denying reality we are determined to see reality as it truly is-determined to awaken to God's irrefutable presence in the midst of our challenges rather than waiting for heaven in an afterlife. We do this with feet planted solidly on the ground of the present moment, standing shoulder to shoulder with fellow human beings, joined by our human vulnerability and spiritual strength. In this collective posture, we muster the resolve to look courageously into the face of our human dramas and affirm together:
The light of God surrounds us
The love of God enfolds us
The power of God protects us
And the presence of God watches over us
Wherever we are, God is
And all is well
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)