Matthew 16:24-28

“For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” vs. 25

While these challenging words of Jesus have sparked countless debates among his followers, they also touch on the essential teachings of all the major religions. Humans know intuitively that the divine spark is the essence of life and that it resides in the heart of every person. Through the centuries authentic spiritual leaders from many faith backgrounds have taught that it’s possible to live as Jesus taught. 

The road to such spiritual enlightenment is difficult and simple at the same time. Essentially it means rejecting what the world teaches us about self and allowing the integration of the Divine Presence with our soul, that spark of divinity that lies deep inside. This happens, not when we try harder, but when we surrender and give up trying to be other than what we are. Often this will mean sitting in quiet meditation as we free our minds from the cares of the world and allow access to the Spirit of God. And in the sounds of the silence we will hear words of unconditional love and begin to understand that we are loved deeply as we are. We are not who the world says we are! We bear the DNA of God’s genome–and knowing that is worth more than any amount of silver or gold. In losing our life we will have found it!

Thought for the Day: When do I come close to my divine center?