This morning I came across this beautiful verse and it comes at such a wonderful time. I was just speaking to my therapist this morning about how old mental scripts die hard and indicated that I am feeling like I’m doing a good job counteracting them with action and/or words. If you’ve read some of my post “How’d these words get in my head” about how the negative messages within your head aren’t really your own, you’ll see that I struggle with negative messages, as many of us do, that tell me to “shut up and play small.”
When I read these words this morning they rang true. When we love and believe and God, we cannot stay silent. We cannot keep who we are to ourselves because who we are is not for our own benefit, but for the benefit of others. To stay silent and keep who we are as a person all to ourselves becomes greed. We are, in essence, hoarding away our knowledge, experience, talent, and humor so that others cannot benefit from what we have to offer. I don’t think that is what God had in mind for you, me, or anyone on this planet.
When we truly love God, we love and honor ourselves. We understand that we were created from love and wish to live our lives in love. To truly love God means that you honor God’s creations, including yourself because you know that all life contains the spirit of God within. God is the giver of life and life itself, so all life contains a glimpse of God. It means that you value and respect others’ differences because you know that they are just a different representation of the one eternal source. It also means that you speak up for any of God’s creations who haven’t yet found their own voice and the truth of their own worth. We stand in love against laws, people, or institutions that dishonor any one of God’s creations in hopes of enlightening others back to love, and therefore back to God.
I write and speak because I love God and I desire to see a world that honors life. I want my daughter to grow up in a world where kindness matters more than what kind of purse you own or what kind of car you drive. I want her to live in a world where authenticity matters more than how many “likes” you have on Facebook or how many followers you have on Instagram. I want her to see a world that has compassion for those who are less fortunate and seeks to lift others up rather than keep them down or contained in structures and institutions that breed poisonous mindsets and therefore behaviors. It’s important to me that she be valued simply because she is alive and not solely because she has a high paying job, a pretty face, or can fulfill some need for someone else.
It’s also critical that we speak out for renewal and restoration of the environment. Don’t we want our children to grow up in a healthy place full of life and beauty instead of pollution? Don’t we want them to have healthy food to eat and clean water to drink? Doesn’t it concern you that the supermarket is full of manmade, processed everything?
Speak! Believe in the power of love. Believe in the power of God. Speak! Believe in the power of your voice. Believe in the power to effect change! Speak! Believe in your ability to make a difference in the lives of others. Believe in your ability to provide joy, love, and peace. Speak! Believe in a better world and speak it into existence. Believe in a better you and the ability to become. Speak!
What are you currently hoarding away from the world? Why are you being greedy? We need what you have to offer… sharing is caring!