From my old 1896 King James Bible, Matthew writes “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth (5:5);” but in the Old Testament, the Pslamist writes, “but the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace (37:11).” Meekness is also one of the four dignities in the study of Buddhism. Being meek is not being weak; it is being kind and bringing love into all situations which we find ourselves involved. You may be surprised how many irate people become tongue-tied when my last words to them are “I love you.”
Thomas Merton made a simple choice to live a life of personal love and communication with God when he entered the Trappist Monastery. Some of my friends in one of my reading clubs condemn his reasoning believing that personal prayer and a closer relationship with God does nothing to change society. I disagree. I am merely small cog in life’s spinning wheel. I have no political or social power the effect instant much less lasting change, but I can recuse myself in my private room and pray, as Jesus invites in our New Testament. I do believe that prayer is effective; therefor, my prayers and my nearness to God are beneficial, even in our Facebook and Instagram society.
I have come to the conclusion that joyful living is always when we are moving toward the light of God’s Love and our love of life. All is love and everything I understand is Love because it comes from God through the goodness of people. I always imagine the threshold of God’s heart shining through us, teaching us to love our enemies, again and again, and again. What a wonderful world it would be!
I am blessed to have taught for approximately 25 years. I guided my high school students for 15 years through European history and basic economics in New Jersey and for approximately 10 years teaching history and literature to freshmen and sophomores, Actually, first and 2nd year students in a Virginia community college. My only regret is that I did not start to do this as a younger man. Whereas, then at age 50, after a lifetime of studying and then teaching history and then evolving into a literature professor using the great literature of the world to help explain human history there were a few things that I learned.
Mankind was given an absolutely marvelous brain by God; but refuses to use it. Man seems to indeed live by impulse rather than wisdom. For example, and please don’t get me wrong for they do some great deeds, and I’m not condemning them, but many of the great religions of the world are built on select groups, led by consciousness, and resolutely, mythology. And these groups are destroying the beautiful creation that God made in which he put mankind in charge. I say this, for many, many people are left behind to suffer, needlessly. And the cause of this suffering is withholding the necessities of life, food, clothing, housing, and proper medical aid.
Although I now teach not in a classroom, but through my writing I try to awaken the hearts and minds of a greater audience, or let’s say a greater classroom. When I first entered the world of teaching, I tried not to go into it with clouds over my eyes. Realizing that we do not teach people, you open their minds to other new and different ideas. I look at mankind and its institutes of religion although I have condemned them earlier, I am optimistic. We aren’t always perfect. But eventually we do catch on to the realities of the world. We can’t really blame ourselves because we are inculcated by the great moneyed institutes, but if we open up our hearts and minds to see that poor person lying on the side of the road, beaten down by society, to the one that only the Samaritan stopped to assist. I read in the Old Testament, and maybe you can call me an Old Testament Christian, but there are 10 basic commandments that God asks us to follow. There is also an ancient Hebrew custom that says do not turn away the stranger. When he comes to your house for help, invite him in. It may be God calling.
On a local level, I see many churches, many different faiths getting together, helping those in the community who are in trouble. Which in the long run can possibly save us as a species. But this has to grow upwards, it has to grow up to the ultimate stage, into the country. We cannot allow the homeless to suffer. Our country is too wealthy. We must convince the politicians, the churches, the wealthy, and then we’ll see. To realize that the building that you dwell in is not the important thing. Outward appearance seems to rule all facets of government and church. . . and family. The simple Hut will do the same thing; has the $20 million building or home made a better family, or government, or church? No, it is the works done inside that matter.
I think upon my relationship with God. And realize that I am one very small peanut. Or better yet, I am one grain of sand. On the eastern beaches of Virginia. Insignificant. As an individual grain of sand. But I also know that when the when all of us grains of sand get together we can do great things. I look at the beautiful sand-filled beaches, of New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, and the people who love. . . that’s Love! Turning their toes into the warm sand. The children who loved to build sandcastles. What a wonderful thing for all of us grains of sand to do. We protect the shores. From the violent oceans. So, it’s grains of sand joining together. We’re not only protected. Active. But we’re productive. As grains of sand, we also do something much more important.
Everywhere together we could feed and house the poor. As people living in the world. On Earth today. Economists say that there are between 6:00 and 7:00. Billion people. That’s a hell of a lot of grains of sand. Think of the good that we could do if we emulated the sand on the shores. I live for the day. We understand that one grain of sand is no different than another grain of sand. One person is no different than another person. One group of people is no different than another group of people. We share one common goal. And that is to survive. On this rock where we live, this rock called Earth, I pray that we all can in our individual faiths and beliefs recognize the divine mystery that man’s relation with God is for all of us. Not just the select few. Our intimate relationship with God calls all of us to love the outsider and care for those forgotten by society—the ones who are rejected and tossed away by our ignorance and selfishness. Can we truly live on an Earth that struggles to be alive? God willing, we can.
Sometimes I wonder whether or not. What I’m thinking is rational. Christianity. Worships the Triune God. I find that to be repulsive sometimes. It’s more mythological than real. Do I believe in God? Yes. But there is one God. Only one God Not a three in one God. Holy Spirit in Jesus, Jesus the Son of God. That hurts me to my very core. That splits off the importance of God as far as I’m concerned. Why is it that we have to belittle God the master of creation. Why is it that we have to take something as important as God and bring him down to our insignificant level. If we believe what’s written in the Bible, and I understand that Bible was written by mankind for the purpose of mankind. It says in the Bible that God created man in His image. This is a statement to lift the importance of man over all other creatures; it has no real sense of reality. If I am created in God’s image? Now if I think about that. I look in the mirror. Can I see an image of myself? I don’t see myself. I see an image of myself. A reflection. An imperfection. But not myself. Seeing myself is impossible. Because it’s not me. So, therefore. If I’m an imperfect image of what the ancients tell me God looks like. I’m not God.
However, what I am, and what you are, is a perfect child of God, created as a part of His creation, which is perfect in His eyes, but maybe not our eyes. But, then again, our eyes are not perfect. As an imperfect physical creation of God, as with all of His other creations on Earth, my body has a purpose. And when that purpose is complete, my body will return to the earth, as all the other creations of God do, to fertilize and/or make room for the next generation of the population to inhabit the Earth.
The difference is, as mankind does, I have a functioning soul that will last for eternity as a part of God. It has never left God, therefor it will last forever. This is the perfect man created by God, the one to last an eternity. Will I be aware of this when my body perishes? I do not know, but I do know that my soul, the most important part of me, will go on.
I watch the very morally weak leaders of our country parading in and out of the public’s view as if they have just celebrated the Eucharist at their church of choice. They want us to follow their lead and respond in like ways to their every move. But we know better; we have a much better way!
We know that God’s way silently flows through us and spreads to others, from heart to heart, group to group, and ultimately all around the globe. All people regardless of race, origin, sexual orientation, are worthy and deserve equal rights to have the chance to pursue their personal desires.
These are certain things I think about daily. Our souls define us; they are our true essence. However, we shall not forget that these leaders are also children born in the image of God and cannot be all bad. We must afford to give them the respect we would show to any other human on this planet. The wounds caused by the greed of this government and the lasting scars can be and will be healed by our love toward each other. With hard and considerate work, the churches of all faiths will step up to supply what is needed to live for all those who have been stripped of the necessities of life.
This is God’s way and what Jesus and prophets of other faiths mean when they say to love thy neighbor or welcome the stranger into your home as a friend.
It is time to take charge of your mind, and as a result, take charge of your body!
It is time to become welcome in your own mind and body. Why allow yourself to be conflicted by all the news and trouble that others bring to you every day. Take the time to be in yourself knowing who you are and who you love and who loves you. Forget being distracted by ambition. This only brings you more frustration, more anger. Your family and coworkers are individuals who share the same frustrations and anxieties. Instead of responding to them with anger, try responding them with love, or at least a little tenderness.
Your responses of anger and frustration please no one, including yourself. However, they do have long lasting effects. The short-term effect is the possibility of everyone just walking away displeased with nothing getting accomplished that day. However, the longer-term effect is that your coworkers may feel that you can no longer be trusted or respected. They learned that there’s a sharpness about you making them wary of you with a defined line that cannot be crossed. They no longer trust you and may no longer wish to be in your company.
The same can be true of your family. Your children could become afraid of you and will not trust you, will not come to you with their troubles. And you then strike out in anger more often. They also lose you as a mentor. They ask themselves what if any are the rules in the family for you and for them. And this will affect them for the rest of their lives. Such harsh unclear rules for children at age 10 or 12 living 70 years, losing that close trust with a parent, can be and often is devastating, one way or another to the child. On the other hand, if you hold that anger and everything in it, even if you don’t feel it, answer your children in love. Conceal your anger, your displeasure. Your coworkers and your family will eventually understand the mistake, will recognize your frustration and appreciate your calmness.
But more than that, they will see the trust that you put in them. And the love that comes along with it. They will see that strong foundation of love in you. So that they will come along, I’m sorry, they will come back to you. And again, what’s wrong with problems? And when at times to build that team, they’re anxious to be on your team and support your efforts. So, at work it becomes a win-win proposition.
And at home with your family. No matter how tired and frustrated you are if you stop, take a breath approach your children with love. Take that time to take off the business show clothes. And be with your children, show them the Daddy side, crawl on the floor with them. Play with their toys with them, let them show you how to build one toy with another. All right, don’t. I don’t either! But I do let my grandsons explain them to me, maybe climb all over me. And when they run off to do something else, I look at my son or my wife. And I go, wow. Now I really don’t understand what a transformer is. And they laugh at me. As they helped me to my feet and set me back down in the chair. I know I’ll never be able to move again on my own. But, you know, I loved every minute.
Looking back on my relatively long life, in my sphere of influence, yesterday was our time for God’s perfection; and today is our time for God’s perfection. And as we stand together, claiming wholeness, not rightness, with God’s perfection as our guide, will also be our tomorrow and always.
I had one of those days yesterday; we all have them. . . occasionally. Mine don’t happen often, but when they do, they happen in a total way. When I arose yesterday morning, I felt great; my hopes were exceedingly high; I ate a real breakfast instead of just toast and coffee; then I proceeded to begin my day.
I made the mistake of going right to my computer to do the “necessary” work, instead of spending and hour or so reading or meditating. I opened my computer, got on the phone to rearrange two doctor’s appointments. Both went exceedingly well.
Then, I lost it! Instead of proceeding to something useful, I decided to decode some of my email’s (aways a mistake). I first sifted through and eliminated to periphery of junk mail, then decided to respond to those who asked about a resent blog. I opened the first, I reached into my bag of a witty but intellectual brain to find an appropriate but humorous response and. . . nothing. I found myself falling down a hole; not just a hole, but Alice’s hole, and at the bottom was the very fat and very angry Queen of Hearts. I had fallen directly into her beautiful and rich garden of freshly grown Brussel sprouts ! Ooh, and I hate Brussel sprouts.
Obviously, my productive day was over; I directly went to my TV and forced myself to watch reruns of I Love Lucy. Just to let some light into my dark day.
We must look within ourselves without any shame whatsoever; we are who we are; we are struggling through this life just as everyone else is; let us acknowledge this basic fact and do it without shame. It is a simple fact of life. It means understanding that we will have pain, and that it is only when we accept this fact and stop waging war within ourselves that we can be at peace within ourselves and share that peace with others, just as God asks.
In the Old 1599 Geneva Bible John 10:16 reads: “Other sheep I have also, which are not of this fold: them also must I bring, and they shall hear my voice: and there shall be one sheepfold, and one shepherd.” That’s a mouthful none of us need to share; simply put as my brothers always say, we are brothers and sisters all, from the same Father, only we have different mothers. Yes, we are all related.
We have a war going on inside of us. Am I good looking? Am I too fat? Should I go back to college? Do I have the right job? Am I the right sex? Am I too skinny? Would I look better with blond hair? Am I the right gender? Do I go to the right church? Why do I go to church?
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Stop! STOP! STOP! WHO NEEDS ALL THIS NOISE GOING ON IN ONE’S HEAD?
I humbly paraphrase the poet Rainer Maria Rilke by saying, be patient with the unsolved issues in your own heart for in the future God may provide the answers as you share Her Love with others.
Sometimes, just sometime, what we are is simply God’s gift, and that is perfection in Her world.
Meditating to Heal 
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