People often assume that my “day job”-- peer counseling those who struggle with bipolar disorder, depression and other mental illness --is connected with my spirituality. To this I would say that they are right…and wrong. What do I mean by this? I mean that the two are connected, intimately, just not in the way others might think.
One of the major themes I explore in The Two Agreements is that Christians must constantly prove themselves to God in order to avoid eternal damnation. Of all the many obligations and rules we must follow, the biggest is arguably the edict to “do good”.
“Generally, anyone wanting to become a true believer must go to these buildings [church] and participate in the organized programs to get themselves “right” with God and to make Heaven their home for all eternity. Too often the motivation to be church members primarily involves feelings of guilt, shame, and fear to “avoid hell at all cost!”
I contend that one does not need to help others in order to get to Heaven, for we are already guaranteed God’s love and salvation by our very existence. However, when we are in touch with our true selves and realize that we are at one with our Creator (and therefore each other), we will be moved to do good. Our service to humanity will not come from a place of fear or obligation, but out of the knowledge that in serving others, we are being who we really are.
“As the system operates at this time, we are left feeling alienated from others and our own true being, due, in large part, to our individuality. We must take it as our goal to rediscover that lost, alienated natural self and help others in doing the same. And we must call one another out by saying, “I see you. I see through your disguise. I know that you are God-in-hiding.”
Helping others elevates us to a higher spiritual level. It is not a shackle we carry as a means of proving ourselves, but an opportunity to recognize the God in ourselves and therefore recognize the God in others.
One of the major themes I explore in The Two Agreements is that Christians must constantly prove themselves to God in order to avoid eternal damnation. Of all the many obligations and rules we must follow, the biggest is arguably the edict to “do good”.
“Generally, anyone wanting to become a true believer must go to these buildings [church] and participate in the organized programs to get themselves “right” with God and to make Heaven their home for all eternity. Too often the motivation to be church members primarily involves feelings of guilt, shame, and fear to “avoid hell at all cost!”
I contend that one does not need to help others in order to get to Heaven, for we are already guaranteed God’s love and salvation by our very existence. However, when we are in touch with our true selves and realize that we are at one with our Creator (and therefore each other), we will be moved to do good. Our service to humanity will not come from a place of fear or obligation, but out of the knowledge that in serving others, we are being who we really are.
“As the system operates at this time, we are left feeling alienated from others and our own true being, due, in large part, to our individuality. We must take it as our goal to rediscover that lost, alienated natural self and help others in doing the same. And we must call one another out by saying, “I see you. I see through your disguise. I know that you are God-in-hiding.”
Helping others elevates us to a higher spiritual level. It is not a shackle we carry as a means of proving ourselves, but an opportunity to recognize the God in ourselves and therefore recognize the God in others.
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