http://www.care2.com/greenliving/where-is-god-leading-you.html
Where is God Leading You?
Adapted from Why is God Laughing? by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2008).
Desire has become a huge problem for modern people. Two forces pull us in opposite directions. One liberates us from old values. The other wants to preserve those values. The resulting polarization can be seen in every sphere of life, especially the social and political realms.
Churchgoers feel righteous, responsible, and obedient to God’s will. They view anyone unlike themselves as devoid of values, and therefore unworthy of God’s love. By denying God to all those who have strayed from the path of righteousness, the devout are unwittingly taking on themselves a role that belongs only to God.
This schism can also be seen in our inner conflicts. At bottom, the pull of old values is restrictive. Its God is judgmental, and his demands are not to be flouted. In other words, spirit exists to rebuke the flesh and keep its appetites under control. The force of liberation, on the other hand, evokes a God of tolerance who loves his creation and asks only for love in return.
To heal this schism, we need to realize that God makes no demands and sets no particular limits of any kind, on thought, word or deed.
At the beginning of the path, it doesn’t matter whether you are devout or atheist. What both sides have in common is constraint. The prevailing condition has a narrow vision–we all share it. So, how does God want us to grow, in what direction, according to what guidelines? None. You get to grow the way you want to, by following your own desires.
You are already growing the right seeds. The things that deeply interest you play the role of God; you feel an irresistible attraction to them. The visible world in all its details is a symbol for God. You can gaze at the sky on a warm June day, stay glued to TV looking at football, or watch your infant child asleep in the cradle. Whatever captivates you is also trying to wake you up. A friend of mine put it more bluntly: “If you don’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t matter where you start.”
An impulse of love, if followed wherever it leads, will become richer and more intense, and in the end it will reveal itself as divine. An impulse of gratitude will do the same thing, as will compassion, kindness, charity, faith, devotion, appreciation, art, and science. Wherever the human mind wants to expand, God will be waiting at the end of the line.
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12 comments
add your comment »"You get to grow the way you want to, by following your own desires....God will be waiting at the end of the line." This statement seems pretty clear...there are many paths and one destination. And it is a joyful statement because it means you have nothing to fear and ultimately can't go wrong.
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JFree I appreciate your explanation. I love the word Almighty God,although there are many false gods. I was reading through the Scriptures a few days ago where I found the passage "...the fool has said in his heart, there is no god..." I found that passage to be interesting. There are some who will question anything, for those people, I have a question: "why is that when you open your mouth, you can only move the lower part, and the top remains constant?" or, "why can't you remember the moment you were born? Why would you deny an almighty God, when you cannot even explain the things that are physically attached to you?
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J free, If all those capitalized gods were replaced with life I'd understand what you were talking about. When you put god in there it implies that it's a being. Do you see god as a being that is directing life? Does everything exist within the dimension of the creator being? Where did you get this idea? What is its source?
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To be honast I do not particularly like the word God....I was brought up as a catholic however I think all religions and beliefs are equally important.
Putting "God" in front of everything is very imposing and confining for me. I prefer just breathing and being open and aware for the truth in whatever shape of form it comes...
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The answer to your question Doug Wilson, is that GOD, is LOVE. LOVE exists within matter, energy, space and time and therefore these things are all part of GOD as well. GOD is everything that exists and the fact it is all good. Even a child suffering, is good, compared to an oblivion without the child at all. The suffering child is part of GOD, and so is your compassion for the child, and however this compassion motivates you. A rain drop is also part of GOD. If you look deeply enough into any aspect of reality, you will marvel at its intricacy, and find connections with every other aspect of reality. The creation story is party or GOD and so is evolution. GOD is all that you know.
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I always wonder and will always wonder what people are referring to when they say god. I never have any idea what they're talking about. Is this the god from the bible books? Is it a god from another story? Is this a creation story? It's a good story, but is it true: literal? I don't see how it's supposed to be a literal interpretation since no one could know these things. How could someone know this?
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Well, my persuasion is that there are two major forces, one is inside, the other is outside bringing about illusions to make one feel that it is inside, and it will come in if permitted to do. But permission must be granted. The strongest will always win.. Feelings of gratitude for me, are more stable than implusive desires. Impulsive love is too tricky. I can never go again for "if it feels good, do it" There is definitely a difference between worrying and being wise. Thank you Dr. Chopra for this article, it reaffirmed my position.
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....the date on the posts...December 31, 1969....back to the future??!!!!
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Sometimes I think we know all the answers...we just dont know the right questions.....
Thank you Deepak, your words and impulses are very profound and also healing.
Thank you.
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Reply to Samer ... I think the answer is in the beginning of Deepak's message. There are two forces within us. I think of it as a God force and an ego force. The God force is our true spirit, stripped of the trap of outside influences. That is, being seen by others as successful, popular, rebellious, sickly etc. Those are not our identity.
A nun I had in the 2nd grade said something that has stuck with me to this day..."You can do whatever you want to with your life. You have free will. But you're going to know when your choice feels right for you. If you follow that, your life will be very good. If you don't, it will not be as good." Free will is our greatest blessing and our greatest burden. The key in the first paragraph, is "by following your own desires"--the ones that feel right at the core of your being--in your soul.
Of course it can be expressed in unhealthy ways. There are a lot of people out there who don't get it. Like Tolle says, "Be in the now." Worry is wasted energy.
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