Goodness for All

In times of crisis, we all grasp for meaning, truth, and ultimately something to save us, which in the end we discover is LOVE. Love gives us a reason to keep going, to have hope for the future and it’s what we are made of, it’s our lifeblood. We all have experiences of deep, unbridled, unconditional love which we can summon when the road is dark, when we want to give up when all seems lost. There is still LOVE. There is a reservoir available deep within each one of us which spiritually connects us all as one in this eternal, infinite, all-encompassing LOVE. Some call it God or Source, or the Universe, or the Force, lol. It’s what we are made of and nothing that we do as mortals here can change that. We are all the same in spirit.

Others may argue with me and say that there are evil sinners who are gonna burn in hell, God will smite them and only the few will go to heaven if they are believers, etc. Others may say there is nothing but the physical. After we die, there’s nothing, this is all there is, cold hard facts, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

There are so many things we can experience and we believe where there is no proof, we can’t prove our metaphysical experiences, for example, or near-death experiences. There are so many constructs/perspectives and we filter everything through the mind/perceptions and our capabilities, so it’s a step removed or more from what’s actually there/happening.

There are objective truths that we all agree on or that we’d be wise to, like proven science, for example. Like vaccines do work and there is a real pandemic raging right now. If someone is trying to punch me, then I’d better try to move away, run, call for help, defend myself. There is an objective reality as well as a subjective reality.

So what do we base our lives on, how do we decide what’s the best course of action, what parameters determine how we conduct ourselves? Do we abide blindly by what we’ve been taught? Do we think for ourselves? Do we believe our actual experiences and what our inner guidance tells us, or do we play it safe, conform, follow the pack?

It gets fuzzy and confusing. What do you believe? How do you prioritize what’s important in your life? And what guides you, is it love or fear? Do you listen to your parents, peers, religion, politicians, partners, your self? Do you allow public approval or norms to be your compass and barometer? Or do you adhere to a strict moral, ethical code, based on self-sacrifice?

Where do we draw the line? What are our boundaries? What matters most?

Do most people even deeply consider life’s bigger questions, go within, self reflect and deeply connect with themselves and their truth? Do most people do some serious soul searching and get to really know what drives them? Or are a lot of us in autopilot, herd mentality, busy consumption, distraction, avoidance mode?

Maybe during this unusually constrained time, where we have more downtime, we can pause long enough to consider what we really value in our lives and set a course towards improvements. Or maybe uncover and heal some traumas that we’ve been denying, that have been unconsciously causing chaos or imprisoning us. Why not love ourselves and do the work to get better? Be truthful, honest, face ourselves, be responsible and correct course.

People question how could God allow tragedy to occur and others say it’s karma or punishment. I say God has nothing to do with it, except for the love that flows through everything. The rest we are responsible for. We have the power to determine the trajectory of our societies. We may not have direct control over hurricanes and pandemics, but we can control how we prepare and respond. We can also control actions that contribute to the degradation of our environment that increases the chances of disasters occurring. We control how we treat one another, how we funnel our resources, and if we work together to create a more loving, hospitable world for all or not.

We can work to save ourselves. God knows we’re all okay, because we are eternal spirit, always with God, no matter how it seems here. I can’t prove it, but I’ve experienced it. It was more real than anything else here. It works for me.

Spirituality helps me stay aligned with love. I have a place within me in my heart, my spirit, that LOVE which nothing worldly can touch or destroy. It is my source, my strength, my truth, my power. It’s the part of me that forgives, has compassion and breaks open wider and wider to give and receive. It’s fiercely loving and wants the highest good for us all.

It’s there, guiding deep inside us. If we only get still, quiet, go within and listen. It’s that pure love, that love that we have for babies, kittens, and puppies, that knows the truth of innocence. We’re all that pure innocent unconditional wide-eyed LOVE. When we surrender to that knowing, we can rise again and again, no matter what knocks us down.

What is your heart whispering to you now? Heed that love and peace will be your reward.

I don’t need dogma, bosses, or politicians. All I need is to listen to my logical heart, asking what is loving and true. I live by LOVE. But I gotta eat too, lol. So we’ve got to be practical in addition to being spiritual.

I latch onto what serves the truth, and that is sprinkled throughout everything here. So I siphon it through my logical heart and let love decide.

How about y’all? What guides you? How do you decide?

“Teach only love, for that is what you are.”  ACIM