Inside of us we hold the infinite, magnanimous power of the universe. That’s right. The power that created everything lives inside of you and I. However, mankind has not yet come to a place of truly understanding this gift. And yes, it is a gift, the greatest gift we could ever receive, given to us by a loving Triune God who continually draws us towards himself.
Looking around the earth we see heartache, pain, love, and joy all being experienced simultaneously by mankind. Given that God is all love it makes sense to our human minds that we experience the happy moments in life. However, how can we explain the hard times? In my work I see client after client suffering, and sometimes it simply doesn’t make sense. That is, until we dive in and find the root issue. Experience has taught me that the root issue is the result of thought patterns that are not congruent with the plan God has for our lives. So what does this mean?
Well, God had an original plan for mankind. He had plans to prosper and bless us. He had plans for our good. Life in the garden before the Fall was blissful indeed. Then sin entered in and we now have the world we have. We now believe things about ourselves that are not true in the eyes of God. Many of these beliefs I discuss in my Nine Faces of Struggle.
Has God changed his mind? Does he no longer have plans for our good like he did in the beginning? Does his plan include heartache and pain? Of course not! He still has great plans for each and every one of us. However, we are going to have to reach out to heaven for a little assistance overcoming the obstacles holding us in bondage.
We must remember that God is one thing – he is love. We must also remember that all things can be used for God’s glory – even (especially) our pain and heartache. Out of his love he gave us our free will, which in turn has created a space for sin and death to enter in. However, death is not the end of the story. In today’s first reading Saint Paul beautifully articulated the story of life. We may be afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, or struck down, yet, none of this has the power to steal our life because the power of God can be found within “earthen vessels” – inside you and I.
For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. – 2 Corinthians 4:11-12
Understanding Earth and Heaven
It is important to understand that earth is not an isolated space that is separate from heaven. Earth is not “down here”, while heaven is “up there”. Both are connected and fused together. There is one universe and in it, heaven and earth exist together. Our Triune God, the unmovable mover, reigns in both. However, heaven is much bigger than earth, while at the same time existing within each and every one of us. Remember, Jesus told us that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
Rather than being separate from heaven, earth is a unique space that is intimately connected with heaven. That’s right. Earth is a space where we can easily and openly connect to heaven. Think of a telephone here. On your phone you can call a friend or loved one – even though you may not entirely understand how your phone allows you to hear a voice on the other end. The communication between earth and heaven is much the same. Through our prayer (the divine telephone communication system) we can connect immediately with heaven. Yet, we must pick up the phone and make the call!
The Breath of Life
To help grasp an understanding of the intimate connection between heaven and earth I invite you to think of heaven as the air your breath and earth as your body. The air is expansive, like heaven. It is outside of you while simultaneously existing inside of you. You draw the air in with your every breath and then your cells receive the life-giving oxygen they need to live from the air. This air brings life to every cell of your body. Once in your cells the air removes the toxins in your cells to move them out. You release these toxins with your exhale, which the air in turn absorbs and the earth purifies. Through prayer we breathe in heaven into our cells. As heaven enters in it will detox our cells of toxic thought patterns that are not congruent with God’s plan for our lives.
Connecting to Love Through Prayer
We will experience suffering in our lifetime my friends. No human being escapes heartache and pain. Yet, we have been set free from sin through Jesus Christ. We have a direct line of communication with life itself – and that connection is called prayer. Prayer is internal my friends, something we experience inside of our hearts. And this internal nature allows us to grasp the fact that God, the creator of the universe, lives within us. A journey towards God is always an internal journey that leads us home to our true self. This true self is lovable, loved, and worthy of living the live God originally intended for us to live. Yes, God’s plan in the beginning still holds true today – God didn’t change his mind. His plan is for all of his children to live a life full of goodness and happiness and he gave us a direct line to himself – prayer.
Breath of Christ
I invite you to practice a little meditation I came up with a few years ago. It brings in life-giving oxygen, while, also opening the divine phone line to heaven. It’s quick easy, and most of all, it brings peace of mind and heart. Here is the link: Breath of Christ
A Special Message to My Brothers
Happy birthday to my “baby” brother Richard (Rich) Bullard today! And Happy Birthday to my brother Robert (Bob) Bullard (our middle child) last week! And, I thank them for the birthday wishes they gave me last Wednesday! Yes, we all share June birthdays within a 10 days of each other. Pass the birthday cake and let’s celebrate our family!
May your family be blessed my friends in Christ. – Carolyn
Sacred Heart of Jesus – have mercy on us.
Father God – consume us.
Holy Spirit – enter in to us.
Mother Mary – pray for us.
Saint Paul – pray for us.
