Finding the Pony; A Full Embrace of Abundance
Our load will be lightened and spirit renewed when we delight in the fullness of life.
We have become such a people of more, bigger and better...quickly tossing aside treasures of yesterday in favor of today's bling. Our sense of lack has obscured the presence of incredible abundance surrounding us. It gets pretty ridiculous. Someone I know owns a perfectly good, late model smartphone, but is champing at the bit to spend nearly $1,000 for the newest release. Really. We seem to be chasing headlong after some distant pleasure that, when finally obtained, provides such transient comfort that we must start the pursuit all over again. I'm reminded of the story about two little boys being tested by a psychologist:
A researcher took two subjects, an eight-year-old privileged boy and an eight-year-old marginalized boy, placing them in two separate rooms. The wealthy kid was seated among dozens of brightly wrapped gifts and the poor kid was enclosed with great ceiling-high piles of horse manure. When the scientist returned to see what was happening two hours later, he found the boy with the presents wandering around his room with the carnage of opened presents strewn about. When asked what he was doing the child replied, "I'm bored.". Arriving in the second room, the researcher found an eight-year-old throwing horse manure all over the place. When asked what he was doing, the child replied, "Hey mister, with all of this horse manure, there has to be a pony in here somewhere."
We can do better than this. We are better than this. Our own great privilege will be revealed if only we could take a personal and corporate inventory. We will surely rediscover that the cup runneth over. In fact, there is so much extra that we could probably never be without. God has given us an abundance of love that we might do good for those who struggle and suffer. He implores us to appreciate what we have and to share our rich blessings. Jesus and every prophet make this clear. Now is the time to embrace our abundance. It is delightful. Look. There is a pony in there after all.
Seeking Wisdom On The Journey
I have learned that forgiveness is a key to happiness. I must offer it to everyone in order to be free from resentments. This letting go of resentment has proven to be a touchstone of life.
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"God will bring people and events into our lives, and whatever we may think about them, they are designed for the evolution of His life in us." ~ Thomas Keating
People come to us as mentors by surprise. One of these wise people bestowed profound wisdom upon me back in 2000. I was wrestling with problems in my life that existed in my past but that were seriously affecting the way that I related to other people in the present. I respected this fellow very much. My decision to ask for help, however, was postponed several times with a variety of excuses.
Finally, I found myself sitting in front of his desk. I felt more like a 12-year-old boy than a 49-year-old man. My words spilled out for several minutes. He listened patiently. There, it was done. The barbs and foibles, miscues and mistakes, lies and disguises all summed up in a blubbering mass of emotion. His response was heartfelt and brief.He said “If you don’t forgive yourself, you have missed the whole point.” That was it. No lecture, no judgment, no pontificating over my dilemma, just those few words. I thanked him and took them back to my apartment. Nothing has really been the same ever since.Dr. Doug Talbott’s words have guided me in my personal and professional relationships for eighteen years. They taught me to afford myself the opportunity to heal. I had to stop punishing myself for my mistakes and begin living gently and constructively in the present. I have learned that forgiveness is a key to happiness. I must offer it to everyone in order to be free from resentments.This letting go of resentment has proven to be a touchstone of life. I have learned that there is absolutely nothing that I can do to change the past. All I can do is learn from it. There is no point in holding grudges, bearing resentments or harboring ill will. All of those are heavy burdens that I (and only I) choose to carry. Their weight is too much for anyone to bear. Putting them down allows me to focus on the important mission of living well today. I can do the next right thing. I am not a victim.
Today I will listen to the wisdom of people that God has put in my life...for in it I may find divine directions.
Photo by Rob Bye on Unsplash[/et_pb_text][et_pb_team_member admin_label="Robert Kenneth Jones" name="Robert Kenneth Jones" position="Columnist" image_url="https://chaplainusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/robert.jpg" facebook_url="https://www.facebook.com/KenJonesBoy" linkedin_url="https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-kenneth-jones-8861183/" _builder_version="3.5.1" header_font_size="26px" saved_tabs="all" use_background_color_gradient="off" background_color_gradient_direction="180deg" parallax="off" background_size="cover" background_position="center" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_blend="normal" allow_player_pause="off" background_video_pause_outside_viewport="on" header_level="h4" header_letter_spacing="0px" header_text_shadow_style="none" body_letter_spacing="0px" body_text_shadow_style="none" border_radii="on|1px|1px|1px|1px" border_radii_image="on|29px|29px|29px|29px" box_shadow_style="none" box_shadow_style_image="none" text_orientation="left" background_layout="light" max_width="89%" filter_hue_rotate="0deg" filter_saturate="95%" filter_brightness="100%" filter_contrast="100%" filter_invert="0%" filter_sepia="0%" filter_opacity="100%" filter_blur="0px" mix_blend_mode="normal" child_filter_hue_rotate="0deg" child_filter_saturate="100%" child_filter_brightness="100%" child_filter_contrast="100%" child_filter_invert="0%" child_filter_sepia="0%" child_filter_opacity="100%" child_filter_blur="0px" child_mix_blend_mode="normal" animation_style="fade" animation_repeat="once" animation_direction="center" animation_duration="1000ms" animation_delay="0ms" animation_starting_opacity="0%" animation_speed_curve="ease-in-out" animation="off" text_shadow_style="none" header_font="||||||||" header_text_align="left" body_font="||||||||" body_font_size="14px" body_line_height="1.4em" module_alignment="center" custom_padding="47px|33px|0px|32px" border_width_all="2px" border_color_all="#d4cfc4" custom_margin="38px|||" global_module="26968"]Robert Kenneth Jones is an innovator in the treatment of addiction and childhood abuse.In a career spanning over four decades, his work helping people recover from childhood abuse and addiction has earned him the respect of his peers.His blog, An Elephant for Breakfast, testifies to the power of the human spirit to overcome the worst of life’s difficulties. We encourage you to visit and share this rich source of healing, inspiration and meditation.Contact Bob Jones on LinkedinBob Jones’ blog An Elephant for Breakfast[/et_pb_team_member][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]