The Biggest Mistake

The biggest mistake people make is to believe that this is all there is.

We sense that there's more, but we get caught up in the whirlwind around us - waking up too early, working too late - walking around with headphones on - obsessively busy - needing to be constantly occupied, And we let our fears dictate our faith.

It's not like that 'other world' is hiding - it's just that it can be so hard to see.

Because when we look for it we can get tricked into thinking it's only perceptible with our eyes, ears, nose, and fingers - forgetting that the spiritual life, by very definition, involves Spirit - and the existence we have beyond all this stuff that Jesus talked about.

And boy did he talk about it.

The sermon on the Mount is his first and most famous teaching that outlines what that place looks like and the kind of people who feel comfortable there.

For example, are you mourning, distressed, anxious, and fearful? Then this place is for you, because this is where you'll be comforted.

Are you meek, in other words, are you humble, considerate of others, selfless, and work to put others first? Then this is a place for you. God's kingdom is what you inherit, because that is what goes on there.

Blessed are the peacemakers, are you working to fix things, bring opposing sides together, not to divide, and separate, but to mend what's broken? This is what is practiced in God's kingdom!

And there are a list of these in the sermon of the Mount, but you get it, if life's biggest mistake is not taking seriously our essence, which is spiritual, and all that that entails, then the good news is that mistakes can be forgiven and corrected!

Eyes can be opened, the blind can see!

The message of the Gospel is live into your spiritual nature, let that peace and confidence radiate, we are blessed, as we live into who we are and that Kingdom to which we belong.

Trusting Your Gut

There's a good argument that the biggest decisions we make don't come as a result of logically weighing out the facts, but by a gut feeling, an intuition, a deep sense of which path to take.

Modern Neuroscience suggests that "gut feelings" aren't just impulsive whims—they are often the result of sophisticated, high-speed data processing by the brain.

While we like to think of ourselves as logical beings who weigh pros and cons in a spreadsheet, the reality is that our brains evolved to make complex decisions long before we developed formal logic.

In Bible terms this has been called the Holy Spirit, or that part of us that allows us to know things that we have a hard time explaining.

This is what's at play in this Sunday's gospel when Jesus comes on the scene in the first chapter of John's account.

What's interesting is that Jesus gets identified by John the Baptist, Andrew, and Peter, well before he does anything, heals anybody, feeds anybody, or even preaches: Jesus is identified not for anything that he's done, but for who he is - there is something about him that resonates deep inside of the hearts of people who are looking for him.

And what is the human heart looking for more than anything else, but love?

And Jesus, who is the incarnate, human form of love, comes on to the scene to fulfill a universe of people whose hearts are yearning for love.

It's the biggest, continuous yearning of infants, children, and adults, that we have. Love.

And it is found here, not in possessions, or experiences, or in accomplishments, power, or popularity; ; it is found in God, in love who is ever present, ever patient, just waiting to be found.

So the upshot for you and me is to be on the lookout for love, listening to that inner voice of ours, with appreciation and gratitude for all that we have, and a keen eye to identify love when we see it, and commend all who are responsible for bringing it.

Lean into that beautiful spirit of yours, that spirit self: What is love asking you to do today? Your spirit can be trusted to identify and walk with love.

But First...

It's commonly believed that the last 3 years of Jesus's life was spent in a ministry that officially began when he was baptized by John in the River Jordan.

At this event, a voice from heaven was heard, presumably God's voice, to give God's first instructions to his son.

And what's interesting is that these first instructions were not to do anything, to heal, feed, preach, or protest.

God's very first instruction to Jesus was to be - to be loved, 'This is my son, my beloved ' declared the heavens.

You and I were not created primarily to DO anything - but to first to BE an object of God's love.

Think of your dog who hops up on the couch and curls up as your heart melts in adoration of your family friend, who need not fetch, perform, or otherwise exhibit perfect obedience to score your love. You just love that doggy for being a doggy.

So this is where we get it wrong: we buy into the worldly reasoning that we are primarily here to do, do, do - to talk, to act, to build, to make, and to serve, in order to fulfill God's mission, to do God's will - that's where we get our worth, value, and reason to be loved.

The problem is that we can believe that the more we do for God, the more we're loved by God - that the priest in the collar, the donor with his name on the hospital ward, the holy man who's renounced riches and now prays 5 times a day - is somehow closer to the God, favored by God, loved by God.

But the more we own our belovedness, our total, unconditional acceptance by God, the more secure, calm and focused we can then be on what we need to do.

We can go ahead and take risks, be flamboyantly generous, be courageously forgiving, unafraid to stand up for what's right and stand down to what's wrong.

Like Jesus, the more we own our security in God, that our beginning, middle, and end are marked with God's unequivocal, love and acceptance, the more we can take risks, enjoy life, and live for others, which is the ultimate fulfillment of the human experience.

Yes, go ahead and do, but first, be!

Chris Yaw

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