Mar 23, 2016

God is Love (8)
1 John 4:8

Love does not boast (2)
1 Corinthians 13

The God we have come to know and love is not one demanding we bow and worship at all times. No, God does not need our bowing and groveling, God does not need anything from us, as a god who is insecure with itself would be. The only reason a person would need to boast, be it a god or anyone else, is to reassure itself that it is the best of all. No indeed, since we now understand that God is the All in All, there is nothing we must or even can do to appease God, since God needs nothing at all from any of the parts of creation to be whole and complete in and of Itself.
So, why do we bow before God? We bow before God for ourselves, not for the sake of God. Our driving force in this life is usually controlled by our ego, our self-image, and by bowing before God we are acknowledging that we are not the ultimate source of our being, but that the Spirit of Creation and Life that we call God is the true source of Life. Our biggest problem we have is our self-image as the source of all we do. Our ego demands that we (or our ego) take credit for all we are and do, and that there is no greater being beyond ourselves. Oh yes, we claim piously otherwise, but deep in our hearts we take and rejoice in the credit that we are our own source, and therefore all we say and think must be the ultimate truth. The greatest drive we have as humans, especially in our capitalist society, is “To be in control of our life.” That is, to be god.
So in order to control this unruly self that wants us to be god, we acknowledge the Ultimate Source by bowing before the Silent Spirit that is truly the Source of Life and the source of all that is in this universe and beyond, not for the sake of obeying some rule by that source, but as a reminder to our self that we are not the ultimate Source of all.
The biggest problem we have as humans and sentient beings is that we really find itextremely difficult to believe down deep in the hidden parts of our consciousness that we are not so important in the overall scheme of things, that the universe does not revolve about Me, and all should bow down before Me. (Yes, most of us think of ourselves with a capitol letter, as if we really are the ultimate being in our life, and we strive mightily to feel that we are in ‘control’ of our life at all times.) Thus we believe that for God to be really God, It must also do the extreme that we can imagine that if WE were god we would demand: that all bow down before me so I can boast of Who I Am.
But the truth is, God does not desire us to bow and grovel just because God is God. In fact, God has no desires at all: God is God, after all, and there is nothing that is not a part of that universal Being we call Life or God. What would God desire that God is not? (To desire something indicates that something is lacking that one needs.) Since there is nothing that God is not, God needs nothing and desires nothing.
God is Love, with a Love that is Life beyond measure. Like the Loving Father in the parable (called by most The Prodigal Son), God loves us beyond anything we can understand or imagine, knowing that in the end we will be rejoined with God, have a silken robe thrown over our shoulders, and the fatted calve will be given us when we return to the eternal realm, just because we are one with that we know as God, and at that point we will understand the full ramification of that statement.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me,
Bless God’s Holy Name!
                         Psalm 103: 1

Meditation

My Life, my very Being that gives me consciousness to see the glorious wonder that is before me, I bow before You, not that You demand my bowing, but to remind myself that I am only a tiny portion of the wonder of the Universe that I find myself within. I recognize that I am made of the same stuff that is the universe itself, that looking at my component makeup would find no unique difference between me, all humans, the earth, the sun, and all that exists in the wondrous extent that is in our universe and beyond. Every time I am reminded of these facts it takes my breath away, as I realize how there is only One thing, and that is You. Your existence in and out of time itself is the glue that makes all possible, including these thoughts that flow into this writing. I am grateful for this opportunity to commune with You in many of Your forms, and surrender to Your Glory so that I can come to know You in more and more ways. I am awed by your eagerness to rush to my side and comfort me, lifting me up day in and day out to see and taste Your Glory, both inside my being and outside in this paradise You have brought us here. You have given me Your unconditional Love and reveal this Love in breathtaking ways, but I know You do not need me; but I need to behold You in more and more wondrous ways. I am grateful for the time on earth You have granted me, for Your glory that is visible here is but a shadow of what lies beyond, but a glorious shadow that stops my breath when I gaze at it with all my soul.
If this posting proves useful to you, I would appreciate it if you would share it.