Dying to Self 2

Keep in mind this is not about perfection, for no matter how hard you try, you will never reach that position in life. We were perfectly made, but not made to be perfect, if that makes any sense at all. And the moment you realize that your struggle in life has been about reaching that point where all the stars line up perfectly, you have all the money you need, the complete recognition and respect of those around you, the perfect marriage, children, and nothing bad can ever happen to you again, and still no peace comes.......then you will realize how off balance your focus has been.

I think this is why people die with regret, or fear dying with regret. It's not so much about why you are dying, or that you are dying, as much as it is about what you spent your life worrying about and missed out on the most while you had the chance. And of course at these moments, you can't do anything but feel sorry....sorry for yourself, sorry for those you leave behind, sorry for taking advantage of all the good things that you had while you were living.....just sorry. What a very sad place to be. A place I would rather not be honestly.

So....with all this being said, and letting go of the truth about reaching perfection, or not reaching it rather, how do we learn how to die to self in a healthy way, where we can honestly find a position of humility, a sense of otherness, and a spirit of giving as opposed to getting what we want? Actually, as the saying goes, the most important aspect of change, is recognizing that the desire to change is there. Like waking up to realize where you left something months ago, and now can head straight to it. You had forgotten that you had even lost it, so it has more importance or meaning to you now.

The first thing for me was to actually realize that we were all perfectly made...period.  My own personal position is that God doesn't make mistakes.....but once we hit the earth, and were given free will, it's up to us as to how much we want to depend on him to guide the way. We can even start off that way as a child, but I think the power of free will is so very strong, that we can't resist doing things our way.......no matter the end result. Now if I realize we all came into the world this way, right up front it allows me to fall back into a position of humility. I am no better or worse than the next person......we are simply the same. There is no need for me to feel less than or more than anyone. It's actually quite comforting to realize this, because there is no need to compete for position, we all have within us qualities that are genuinely important and necessary in this life. If you look at all the jobs that are covered on the earth, it makes you realize there is actually a person that takes care of each position, whether you're a banker, or a trash collector. There are millions of jobs that have to be done just to keep the world going, and magically someone shows up for each one. Pretty cool, right?

So, even if I am not able to do anything but write this blog, be there for those around me in some way, offer a sense of peace, joy and acceptance when I'm out and about.......I am in fact filling a position in life. May not seem like much to the next person, but what I do I take very seriously, and wake up each day asking myself, how can I be of service, even with my own personal limitations. I don't ask, now what I can get today......but what can I give. And maybe that's the place to start. Seemingly so very simple, but yet so very powerful at the same time. After all, dying to self doesn't have to be rocket science, it's really just about that........changing our thoughts from taking to giving, from receiving to offering, from grasping to gentleness, from resentment to loving, from unforgiveness to mercy.........well the list goes one. We could all make up our own list of what we wake up to each morning and what we push to understand or realize. What difference would it make if you decided to go from pushing to a more gentler way of being?