DO WE NEED JESUS CHRIST?

Why do you we need Jesus Christ?  I had a revelation about this, as I was watching a movie about a society that completely lacked Christianity.  Where was the charity, the kindness, the generosity, the forgiveness?  Where was the trust in God, where was the faith?  There was none of this. 

 I woke up today really understanding how essential Jesus and his teachings were and are, for us personally, and also in the world at large.  He came when some people were ready for his message and teaching.  Obviously lots weren't.  He came when it was time and the world needed him desperately, and this is still just as true today as it was then.  But what he has brought our world is priceless.  Ironically, it was while I was in University studying Anthropology taught by an Atheist professor, that I learned that it was Jesus who brought the concept of Charity into the world at such a strong level.  He made it a virtue, an essential virtue, one that goes hand in hand if one is to be in God's favor.  

He also taught about forgiveness at a level never seen before.  He taught that to be truly followers of God, to go to Heaven, to live in happiness even, we needed to practice forgiveness, charity, purity, generosity, selfless love and kindness.  I have personally witnessed and experienced how communities really are very limited in their desire to love, and capacity to love, when they lack the presence of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit that helps us follow Christ's teachings. 

 I get now why He said he is the way, the light and the truth.  For with out him, the natural man/human/survival animal part tends then to run the show, both personally and in in the world.  With out him self centeredness is quite normal, natural, automatic even.  But when we are dedicated to running our life by the teachings of Christ,  we then feel compelled to live a much higher, lighter, brighter, kinder, more beautiful life, filled with virtues that our natural man/human self don't understand. Jesus Christ brought the message that we are incredibly blessed when we live virtuously.  We don't need to simply live in survival, dog eat dog etc. that in fact we will be more blessed as we live virtuously.  I have personally experienced this, and I do believe that is why our nations have prospered so greatly.  North America has been run by Christian principles and therefore has been blessed greatly by this.  Even those now that reject Christianity, or don't follow Jesus Christ directly, still often live by the virtues he taught, because they have been brought up in this society which has been ruled by Christian principles for centuries.  

He also taught that love is not just an ideal, but love is a verb, a way of life, and that with the teachings and presence of Jesus Christ in our life and in our society, as well as the help we receive from the Holy Spirit, we are able to love way way beyond what we think is humanly possible.  Yes we needed Jesus Christ, and we need him now, as much as we ever did, both personally and in the world at large.  In the Name of Jesus Christ Amen! 

Where Is Peace?

Well as some who know me, know that I am an extremely happy, vibrant, and enthusiastic person.  At the same time sometimes I have found myself quite anxious and tense in life. I think tension sometimes can seem so normal that I don't even notice it.  I remember there was a time when I was seeing a massage therapist weekly and she told me that my shoulders were really up, that I held them really high.  I could not understand what she was talking about, I denied this and thought she was crazy.  It wasn't until she relaxed me that my shoulders came down, then I understood just how high and tense my shoulders were.  

I think peace is the same.  When anxiety and tension are normal, fear is normal, worry is normal, we don't even notice them after awhile.  We don't notice any of this until we get a breath fresh air in the form of PEACE.  Then we realize just how tense we have been.  For many the belief is that peace must be found.  That peace is missing in our lives unless we "find" it.  I remember Jimmy Hendrix asked his audience in his last concert if anyone knew how to find peace, and if so if they could tell him how.  When fear is our constant companion and emotional state it really does feel like peace is no where in the vicinity.  Some people have gone to great lengths so that they might feel even a moment of peace.  I know for myself I have often equated peace with boredom.  In fact I use to purposely take really boring jobs just so  I could feel some peace.  But this was not the same thing.  I was once in a group where a woman expressed something similar; she didn't really want peace because she equated it with boredom.  

So what is peace really, and where do we find it, and is it ever really lost?  Well all I can tell you is what I discovered for myself.  First of all, peace does lie with in us, its part of our divine nature.  We can do things to feel peaceful, to experience peace.  Its not something we have to find, because its not actually missing.  Certainly we can, and I have done things to block my peace or not experience peace, but that does not mean its not there.  Like the sun behind the clouds, its always there just waiting for us to feel and experience, for us to embrace.  

So how do we do that?  Well there is the physiology of peace and then spirituality of peace.  We can take deep, slow, gentle breaths and bring ourselves into peace.  We can stop forcing, pushing and straining.  I am doing this more and more and yes it does make me feel peaceful for sure.  When I am peaceful in my body and emotions it feels right, that this is how I am meant to live.  My body unclenches, I begin to feel relaxed, I often notice how tense I have been and it feels wonderful to feel this peace and relaxation with in me, and feel my body let go.

  Now for sure feeling this kind of peace is something we all can do.  However, that kind of peace will be very short lived if we do not also seek to spiritually experience peace.  This is the peace of God, of spirit, of heaven.  It comes from living right.  It comes from being honest, living in integrity, being loving, kind, harmonious, generous and helpful.  This kind of peace comes from praying, meditating on God, reading scriptures, reading, watching and listening to positive, inspirational things.  It comes from focusing on the good with in ourselves, with in others and with in life.  This kind of peace comes from treating ourselves and others well.  The more we allow ourselves to live in goodness and express goodness, the more peaceful we feel. As we follow the Spirit the more peace we feel and experience in life. 

 Peace is always here waiting for us invoke and unleash it.  I am starting to make peace a priority in my life.  I realized recently that my enjoyment of life is limited if  I am not experiencing peace through out my day.  And of course through God we can experience the "peace that passes understanding". In fact I have often received the message from God when I have been praying that I need to practice peace throughout my day, and that the more peace I practice, the more peace I allow myself to experience, the more peaceful my life will be.  That my inner life directly affects my outer life and it all begins inside of me.  In the name of Jesus Christ Amen!