How many blessings have you counted?
As you get older you face the reality of not knowing what will happen next. You are walking through your twenties amazed at how much of life is a surprise and nothing like you imagined the surprise to be. You notice your evolvement in society and just how your perception of it dictates your own reality.
Enlightenment or awareness, wisdom, open mindedness, knowledge, and learning all encompass the art of growing. Age is but a number, but perception throughout the attainment of that number is where life begins to grow and build you into the being of whom you are. Are you aware?
Reality is we could never truly be aware at all points in life, but we can understand. Enlightenment isn’t a religion, it is and only is your reaction to your actions. How you handle yourself in times of bliss, chaos, pain, and true fulfillment of desire gage the enlightenment of your reality and existence.
By nature we have a desire to know and understand. But what is it that we are yearning so hard to uncover. We look to wisdom all throughout our lives. Always following examples that have been laid before us by others older and wiser. Wisdom is a mystery. Wisdom is not of the world, but of God and the only one who knows the thoughts of God is the Spirit. Trying to obtain true enlightenment and wisdom therefor would be to understand the Spirit. To understand the Spirit one must know where the Spirit originates from, and just who it was that taught the greatest wisdom and truth of life. Hear (read) me out.
Can you imagine a love so pure that no matter what happens you still love. The kind of love that does not hold a grudge. The kind of love that forgives and forgets what was done to have to give that forgiveness. The kind of love that blesses when it is cursed. The kind of love that reaches out the left hand when the right was just cut off by the one being offered the help. Can you imagine a love so pure that it would do anything to try and relate to you just what it means? If you have children you have a tiny glimpse of what this love may be, if you have a dog, you have a tiny glimpse of what this love may be. Imagine that child, that dog that you love so much and you would do anything in your power to provide the ultimate safety for. You would never harm them, or set them up for failure. Imagine a human love like that of being a parent, it’s a lot of love isn’t it? God knew the only relatable understanding would be the bond of an earthly family so He gave a piece of Himself to this world in the form of a son, He gave who most of us know as Jesus.
I want to pause and expand on history for a moment.
In biblical times, as a boy you were given the opportunity for an education. This education was of the high priest. You would learn of the word of God and you would study its doctrine and teachings. As you progressed through the stages of teachings you would pass or fail and take up an occupation of trade (i.e. fisherman, carpenter, merchant, etc). If you made it through the studies and were able to speak with the high priests in the manner in which was deemed acceptable and holy, you took up the yoke of that priest and became an apprentice to him to carry the weight of one day you yourself being a high priest. Only the best of the best made it to this point in the studies. You had to prove yourself, you had to be worthy.
Let’s pick back up.
Jesus was sent into this world from a virgin birth by God. Without even knowing his worth as a mere babe, he was immediately being sought after by high officials to be killed. Could you imagine a fear so grand instilled in you by an infant babe? It seems foolish to believe so strongly that this babe meant so much. Jesus was not an ordinary child, but God’s son and as a child exemplifying a peace and love that is not understood by human minds. As a young man Jesus made his way to John the Baptist who God had chosen for the baptism of Christ. Even with this simple coming together you see one of the many predestined acts of the old testament coming into reality. When the Heavens opened after the baptism of Christ, Jesus set out on his purpose. Jesus, a man more holy than any being, would hold the regard of that of a high priest. By social standers he was to walk a life of a clean and wholesome environment only surrounding himself with others of the same accord. This was not God’s purpose of sending His son. God sent His son for one reason only, to save the souls of those who have been deemed unworthy. With a world full of sin, He wanted it known that works were not a testament of your acceptance. Social standing was not a testament of your acceptance. Your past was not a testament of your acceptance. God sent His son to show and remind us just who He is. God sent His son to reintroduce love into the world.
I grew up in a believing family, I went to a christian school, I went to church, and I labeled myself as a Christian from a very young age. I know a God of wrath and damnation. I know a God who didn’t put up with anything. I knew a God that said follow these rules because that is what that religion says must happen to be accepted. As many of us have experienced, we feel almost scared to walk into a church for fears of being judged or not accepted because of the way we dress or how we smell. Like that of biblical times we had forgotten how much we were loved and how grandly we are supposed to love others, and have been conformed by this world and the social standards of what is and is not acceptable.
Jesus didn’t go to the high priest and ask them to join him for his journey of reintroducing his Father and winning souls over to the ultimate peace. Jesus went to the carpenters, fishermen, and tax collectors.Jesus went to the men and women who have been told they were unworthy. Jesus was ridiculed for those who chose to walk with him, but he knew what it would take to truly understand the message he was trying to establish. Brokenness made new, he knew to truly grasp what love is you had to be desiring it with your whole heart. So Jesus showed compassion to the weak and love to the unloved. He used people others had given up on to show his power and trueness. He saved soul that were evident of being saved to show the world that Jews and Gentiles were all the same and all and have the opportunity to worship the same God. Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice of his life to offer the only sacrifice that would then need to be given to reach our God. He shed his blood so we would never need to shed blood again to reach out to God. He died for us and from his death he rose and gave us all the ultimate gift of the Holy Spirit to live within us and guide us throughout a life of chaos and pain.
This may seem ridiculous, and I know it is way to brief of an overview to truly grasp or see its true worth, but I briefed on this to share with you something I have come to understand. Growing up I lived in accordance because I had to. I never thought I was without God, but I truly didn’t hold God in the justice He deserves. All my life I viewed Him as a religion, a set of moral rules to follow. I viewed Him as a list of things I had to measure up to to be deemed worthy. It wasn’t until almost three years ago that I began to realize how much of God I didn’t understand. God not only sent His son to show us love, but to help us understand how badly He wants a relationship with us, a relationship though Jesus. A relationship with Jesus is possible on many levels because like any relationship it is personal. Who God is to me, will not be exactly who He is to you. Prayer and constant involvement within the word of God, the Bible, help you to understand who He is and what He is seeking from you. And all He is seeking is for you is to know Him the way He already knows you. All of this is said because enlightenment is not a religion, it’s part of a relationship. When you begin to have a personal relationship with Jesus, your heart and mindset changes. You begin to want what God would want for you for others. When you experience the love of Christ your love for others begins to change. Your love for yourself begins to change. Repeatedly though out the New Testament Jesus is asked what are the commands we should keep, and repeatedly he answers, “Love God, Love others.”
Enlightenment, awareness, knowledge, wisdom, and any synonym you can place in the list is only a form of understanding and practicing love. To truly love, you are able to be aware of your actions and your evolvement in the world around you. To truly love you are able to learn more with an understanding heart. To truly love you have a piece of the greatest wisdom obtainable to man. To truly love you can see the inevitable existence of something more. To truly love you have found that true peace that is only offered by Jesus’s death. To truly love is to truly understand the greatest sacrifice God ever gave, because without that understanding of just how grand God loves we would never understand how to show love to those who hurt us. Without knowing God we are blind to the fact that every sin no matter how big or small all hold the same weight. It is almost impossible to forgive and forget, but with the understanding of who God is and who His son was for us, we are broken down to the realization of how deep love goes and how deeply it saves and cleanses everything it touches.
The beauty of knowing God is knowing just how to be humble and accepting we are all equal members of the same body all called to an individual relationship with Christ and our part in society. Until we realize we are all in this together, in this with God, life is going to continue to throw us so many curve balls our gut continuously warned were coming. It isn’t easy living in Christ, it doesn’t prevent all the valleys of life to be flown over, but it does help guide you to the quickest peace existing.
True enlightenment is not only knowing yourself, but knowing God and His role within you.
To Be Honest In America 