I profess to be a Christian man. I believe that part of my calling in life is to seek truth, understand truth, apply that truth in my life, and ultimately share the truths I am trying to live with others. Let me be clear, I do not profess to be perfect. I know that I will be an unfinished product, a work in progress until the day that I die. Personally I believe that the power of Jesus Christ’s atonement is what makes it possible for me to learn and grow from my choices and the mistakes that I make.
As one who believes in God, and in His Son, I seek to understand and live the teachings and commandments that they have set forth. While at times the commandments of Christianity seem to be stifling and limiting, I know that they actually help to pave the pathway to greater peace, joy, and freedom in living.
One of the guiding principles to our philosophy at Love-Strong is that richness in living requires a pursuit of authentic connection with a higher power. In Exodus chapter 20 the lord spells out his 10 commandments. Verse 3-5 in the King James Version says
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God”
In reading those words, the next question that comes to mind is “Why”? Is God really just Jealous? Are we supposed to have a relationship with Him that resembles that of a controlling and abusive man and His abused and battered children? I personally think that this commandment is given to us as a result of God’s love for us and desire for our happiness.
I am currently reading Pema Chodron’s book The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times. I find the book (written from a Buddhist background) to be full of amazing insights on peace, healthy living, and compassion. I find the perspectives shared about the benefits of struggle and suffering in our lives to be beautiful and full of truth.
Near the beginning of the book, Chodron makes the point that much of life is unsteady, uncomfortable, and chaotic by design. This is uncomfortable for us and we seek ways to create stability. She discusses a concept called the 3 Lords of Materialism to illustrate how we often cause more suffering for ourselves in pursuit of stability by pursuing these 3 Lords (or “Gods” as the biblical commandment states).
#1: The Lord of Form: This represents how we seek to find stability through the use of external sources. We feel that we can find stability and happiness by pursuing physical items, riches, achievements, etc. We fill up our time and our lives with the “stuff” of toys, noise, and accomplishments only to find that the things we are pursuing are ultimately never enough and we are ultimately left running in an endless hamster wheel of exhaustion and fear. The things that we are using are not the problem, it is the way and reason that we use these things that is ineffective because we are prevented from embracing reality. This is an interesting thought in context of the Christian belief that “God Hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind”.
#2: The Lord of speech: This lord represents how we use our beliefs to create certainty in our world. It is ok for all of us to have our own beliefs. The problem comes when we have to impose our beliefs on others because we are feeling uncertain and do not want to embrace the need to at least look at the possibility that we could see another perspective. If we find ourselves needing to be “right” or just certain we may be operating under the influence of the Lord of speech. The risk that we run when we get caught up in all of the ‘isms’ and stereotypes that we subscribe to is that in the process of building the walls of so-called security with our beliefs, we may also be creating our own prison cells. We may become so trapped in ignorance and surety of our beliefs trying to feel secure that we ultimately starve ourselves from continued learning and connection with others.
#3: The Lord of Mind: This third False God comes into play when we try to avoid uneasiness and discomfort by seeking altered states of mind. Nearly all forms of addiction are operating with this slave driving God at the helm. The more that we seek to avoid reality by seeking alternatives, the more we actually choose increased suffering in the long run. Not only can we become slaves to these altered states, the more we try to use them, the less they actually work. That is the true nature of addiction.
All of these Lords of materialism are enticing because they promise us what seems to be an easy path through life by avoiding the reality that part of life includes pain, boredom, and suffering. Perhaps God was trying to tell us that learning to trust the plan that He put in place called life is for our benefit and growth with all of its ups and downs. Maybe when He asks us to put HIm first he is actually pleading with us to let Him be the source of comfort, support, and meaning we can turn to when life gets hard. In learning to embrace reality, it is my belief that we actually suffer less in the hard times and find more satisfaction and joy in the good ones because we are more tuned in to living and more full of hope that whatever experiences we are having are for our good.