benjaminelliott

[benjaminelliott]

Waiting On Heaven

There was a man who came to Jesus. By all accounts he was a rich man. The Book of Luke (Luke 18:18) refers to him as a Jewish Leader.

This guy comes running up to Jesus to ask him how to make it into heaven. Feeling love for the man (Mark 10:21), Jesus tells him that he needed to do one thing: sell all his possessions give them to those in need and to follow Jesus.

Now Jesus had already affirmed his actions. Before telling him to sell all his stuff, he told him that he had to abide by the moral laws of Jewish belief. The guy having been obedient to the Mosiac code, tells Jesus that he never once committed any ‘sins’ against the 10 Commandments.

The guy, apparently, feeling a bit down and out about the extra mile he had to run just to make it into heaven, turned around and walked away.

Mark 10:22 says that the man’s face fell and that he went away sadly because he was very rich. Luke 18:23 says the same thing.

After watching the man walk away, Jesus turns around and says something that amazes his disciples. He says “It is almost impossible for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”

He actually says it twice. The second time adding a visual so everyone could see what he was saying. Mark 10:25 quotes Jesus in saying “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.”

How many of us are Waiting on Heaven?

After pausing to address his disciples concerns, Jesus assures them that everyone who had forsaken their possessions- home, brothers, sisters, mother, father and property- for Love and for goodness sake, would receive everything ‘lost,’ a hundred times over.

Often times, we’ve traveled through this life waiting to be rewarded. Thinking that by simply living lives which are morally good the universe will reward us.

To some extent we’re right. By doing ‘good,’ we open our lives to receiving goodness in return. However, at times, in our acting, we can become attached to our actions’ fruit. Being attached to the fruit of our actions, we move away from our quest for goodness. Moving away from our true intentions, we abandon our reasons for being. Exchanging being for doing, we become the results of our acting good instead of our well being. In this we may see how being may be different than doing.

Jesus first opens the conversation with the rich guy by reponding to this intellectual 'flaw.’ Jesus asks “Why do you call me good?” He clears up the rich man’s misunderstanding by saying “Only God is truly good!”

It’s important to note that Jesus shows the way even before being asked for directions. When we embody the spirit of God, we think, speak and act in Godly ways.

Although he was a rich man, this paints the perfect picture of a common dilemma: How can we lead a peaceful, happy life while still being rich?

Jesus answers it plainly, we can’t.

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines rich as having abundant possessions and especially material wealth.

Being rich is different than being wealthy. When we understand this, we not only understand how to make our life more peaceful but also how to bring that peace to the world around us. In other words, we understand how to 'make it’ into heaven.

This can be shocking, especially for those of us who work hard and risked much for the things we have. Giving it all away seems, well, counterintuitive.

And it is. But that’s exactly the point Jesus was showing us. The reality in which we live, the system and mechanisms for living, are at odds with the system and mechanisms which lead to Christ, therefore to heaven.

Second Corinthians 5:17 says 'if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things pass away; behold, all things are become new. What Paul was showing us in this passages is something we should still be considering. When we follow the example of Christ, we are transformed.

What are we holding onto? How are those things holding us from becoming the new creation that we are called here to be?

In this we have to question our old lives. How do the things we own define us? Why, then, do work? For whom or for what? How do we allow this to define our expression, or the manner in which we express ourselves?

Are we living to truly experience the fullness that this life has to offer? Or are we working at the expense of that experience?

Jesus knew that by acquiring material possessions, we, at some point or another, stop seeing the beauty of our life’s true experience and become subjected to how the experience feels. We begin to look at external tools, like people and material possessions, to reaffirm who are, and allow those objects to become our idols.

We begin to lose ourselves to the experience. We become the positive affirmations and accolades that each experience brings. We start to believe that our experience adds value, makes us who we are, instead of knowing that in fact we create the experience which we seek. We, in all intents and purposes and for lack of better words, get 'caught up in the hype’.

I can’t say that I personally knew the rich man Jesus spoke to, but in many ways I see him everyday. I remember how he felt knowing that the life he lived, the legacy he built was built on sand. In the mirror, I can remember how he looked when he believed that he was somehow special, greater, more than. I remember what he said when he finally understood that his possessions, the things he had, kept him from the things he loved.

And I remember how he felt when he, seemingly on top of the world, was actually all alone.

I remember being that rich man and having to face the decision of being or not being. And I now understand how a rich man can feel so sorrowful to have all his riches.

Heaven awaits us, but many times we are too busy to answer the call. Following the trapping of this life, we spend our lives chasing after things that pass away. In believing in the permanence of the impermanent, this reality, we loose sight of the eternal, of the things we hold dear.

Jesus understood that by sacrificing the temporary pleasures of life, we gain the true things that matter, a hundredfold. And that by giving up one way of living for another, we transform our lives into a whole new form of being.

And in this transformation, we realize that all the time we spent waiting on heaven, heaven was really waiting on us..

And in this wisdom, I continue to say thank you Jesus for saving me.

- The Old Rich Man

#LoveAlways

[benjaminelliott]

Turning The Page

The last few years have been a challenge.

Whether it’s due to an astrological phenomenon, a psychosocial one, or simply due to sitting in a cubicle for too long, I find myself in a much different space than I once knew. I keep trying to figure out where it all started. The longer I do, the more I realize that I’ve always been traveling this path.

I once looked out on the world wondering what I had to offer. What should I be doing? Where should I be going? Who would I become? I spent a good bit of time questioning, searching, wandering, looking for purpose in life. I was unsure about who I was, so I looked to others to measure who I should be.

Well, dead that in 2017 and forever for that matter.

I hear that our purpose in life is to experience our soul’s highest ideal for itself. And that by coming to this world, we incarnate into a physical body to express and experience that purpose.

As we move into another year I find myself moving away from my many questions and coming into an understanding of the world and my place in it. And I’m thankful.

But before I move, forward though, I’d like to leave behind a few things that I believe have kept me from truly understanding my purpose:

I. Competition

Competition kills.

Each person has their own unique purpose. Those collective purposes are meant to be woven together into a beautiful tapestry in the sky. When we understand this meaning, we understand that our individual and collective freedoms reside in our ability to cooperate, to act jointly.

In the mythical story of Adam, Eve and the garden of Eden, God places ‘a flaming sword turning every way’ along with ‘cheribum,’ or angels, to ‘guard the way to the tree of life.’

The metaphorical ‘flaming sword’ is a direct nod to mankind’s motivation and drive. If you notice the sword turns everyway, that is ever way except the intended way, the way to the tree of life. It guards it. Lest we continue forever with the bullshit.

This flaming sword represents a form of energy.

Kundalini is a word that has long since been used to described a latent form of energy ‘coiled’ at the base of the spine. When this sleeping energy awakens, it travels up from the base of the spine to the top of the head causing a 'transformation of consciousness.’ This tranformative process is said to lead to spiritual enlightenement.

Considering its aliases, 'fiery serpent, solar serpent,’ 'coiled one,’ its easy to understand the connection to the subtle 'serpent’ which speaks to Eve. When you consider the serpent’s punishment: the whole crawling on the belly forever thing; you can easily equate that to the base of the spine where the 'coiled one rests.’

The personification of the serpent, like all allegorical tales, reminds us of a important lesson: use our creative, superhuman powers for good. Resting in the realms of money, power and respect, our satisfied serpent stops short of higher conscious states like Love.

Our collective, conscious will, synchronistically represented by a flaming sword, has been driven in every direction those lower levels of consciousness could bring us. Always at the risk of our own happiness.

Lest we stretch forth our hands and begin to act jointly as caretakers of every living soul in this world and the world itself , we will never know the promises held for our individual and collective future.

2. Religions

Notwithstanding the entire thesis above, I’m finished with religions. Not in the singular sense of the word - the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. If you think about it, that exactly what we just talked about above.

I accept the wisdom that comes along with religious philosophies, I’m just rejecting the controversy between them.

We are on ONE planet. We are ONE on this planet. We are One. Regardless how we got here, if we don’t conquer the forces that divide us we are doomed to be conquered by them. Isn’t LOVE the name of the game anyway? If so, wouldn’t that make our divisive conversations ungodly?

#ijs #JesusIsAHippie

3. Institutions

The human being is the only institution as far as I’m concerned.

4. Jobs

I’m looking forward to living life on purpose. With that being said, I’m invoking a no cheat code. No busy work, just My Father’s (Mother’s) business.

In other word’s, God gave me a purpose and that’s my only business.

5. Distractions Racism. Sexism. Classism.

Any ism that decides to pop its head up to further distract and divide people from the true issues ailing our society are left behind.

Anything not aligned with Love is a distraction.

6. Fear; Guilt and Shame

I am an eternal soul traveling through a temporary experience. Everything that I have experienced has led me to this moment. All my life experiences are working together for my highest good.

I’m thankful.

7. Doubt.

I am the truest expression of the Divine. I am The Creator’s child. I embody the will of that in which serves my greatest purpose and grandest design.

I Am The Way. I Am The Truth. I Am The Light. ——————————————————————————–

That about sums it up. Enjoy the New Year!

#LoveAlways

[benjaminelliott]

Riding alone at the end of this lane saying goodbye to 2016 and to being the same. Peace and Love.

#ToBeTrue #TBT

Familiar Devil, Distant Angel

We’ve met before.  I know it, at least I’m pretty sure. You’ve been by my house, stood on my steps. I think I shut the door. I apologies for the partial lies. You have to pardon me, he’s not who or what I’m proud to be. Or who I am, but you saw that for a second.  Short enough to move on, but long enough to still feel rejected.  I just didn’t notice you.  Honestly, I just didn’t know it was you. In all the inner honesty, I simply didn’t notice the truth.  Should’ve figured the signs, the sweet, soft voice, kind heart, and beautiful mind.  Should’ve considered you mine, your presence was peace and that’s beauty defined. Too busy trying to find fault, but overlooking the truth, that kinda defines fault.  And you, consider you confused by my ill timed issues, he’s loves me, he love’s me not tends to take on some tissue. Until you take back the miss you’s, never notice you’re misused. Ushered in by actions you took the back seat, too busy being someone else to be the man you need.  Plus, I was a man with needs.  Just didn’t know they could fulfill with you, and that’s real indeed. Suppressed emotions that I couldn’t focus was guarded by pride which left me hopeless.  Left me toasting, burning from a familiar devil which keeps keeping you at bay.  A Distant Angel and I keep keeping her away. But I repent, eyes to the sky awaiting for your re-descent. So, if you decide to descend, again, to sit beyond the steps with this sinner.  I’ll worship thee, better yet I’ll worship your sender.