Representatives within Being, part I

Sept. 29

 Speaking last night with some very close friends. 

The question came up of how common it is for those engaged in “spiritual work” of one kind or another to think they are better than others. This is not just common to religious fundamentalists, who are often infected with this disease. It comes as a packed suitcase with nearly every practice, and human beings are in perpetual danger of traveling everywhere with it. Every group of practitioners seems to think they are the chosen people of one kind or another.

What is forgotten today is that everyone is chosen. Even the worst of us have been chosen by God as his representatives within Being. We are asked to inhabit this life and honor it, regardless of its conditions.

The conditions aren’t going to be good. No one ever said they would be.  No one, however, said they would be bad either. They exist as themselves without these labels. It is what takes place within us that characterizes their nature; and as agencies of God himself, we become responsible for what takes place within us in order to characterize. A faculty of discrimination emerges; and we, not God Himself, assume ultimate responsibility for the good and the bad by engaging with conditions.

The less concentrated and balanced one’s attention is, the less likely it is one can honor the conditions of being. Discrimination becomes personal and selfish without balance. Balance, in its own turn, is conferred by Grace (the inward flow of the Divine) and humility. If these two forces (humility dependent upon Grace, as always) are present and active, human beings are always aligned with the good. Yet, of course, because of the collective delusions of mankind, most of the time human beings believe they are aligned with the good before they ever have even the first understanding of Grace and humility. This, of course, provokes the opposite: one thinks one is special, one thinks one is better than others. The fundamental effect of Grace and humility is self-evident: under these influences, one does not think such things. It ought to be the first understanding in us—not the last.

If one stays close to oneself, pride is an easy thing to see. Each one of us carries it on our shoulder for all to see; yet we never see our own pride, we only see that of others. If we see our own pride, the first thing we feel is shame. Beware of those with no shame. It is an essential component of Being; I speak here not of selfish shame, which is related to inner considering, but unselfish shame, which drinks in the inward flow of Divine Grace, and sees how one is lacking. If we drink this, we drink wine, not water. It fills us with the Holy Spirit and we know how we are: not better than others, but in need of being better than ourselves. If I am in need of being better than myself, I perpetually strive to align myself more perfectly (perfection is a very distant—in fact unattainable— goal) with God’s Grace, which can help me. I can’t help myself. If I think I can, already, the pride is at work.

 I have to begin again every day on this, because I am not easy to educate. I can learn this lesson 10,000 times and it is only after that that perhaps I will learn it properly on time number 10,001; and then it’s nearly certain that on time number 10,002, I have to begin again, because I forgot yesterday’s lesson. Do you understand what I'm saying?

 If I learn to submit to the Grace of God, which allows humility to be born at the expense of me as I am, then I remember my lessons. I never remember the lessons of Grace and Humility because I’m a good student or have a good memory or have finally understood something; I only remember them when Grace arrives and engenders humility in me.

 Well, of course, this isn’t exactly what we talked about last night. But most of these thoughts follow on it.

May your heart be close to God, 
and God close to your heart.

Lee

Lee van Laer is a Senior Editor at Parabola Magazine.