True spirituality is as rare as true bestiality in human beings. And those few who achieve it are those who are terribly aware of the perils of spirituality—who know, as the Romans warned us, that a corruption of the best becomes the worst.
Sydney J. Harris (1917-1986)
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
~ from John 7
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
~ from 2 Corinthians 4
Oh beloved, it is true. Every religious bone in our body tries to keep ourselves clean. We listen to the messages in our head and soul. And we let the bogus voices of the world influence our thinking as well.
Be strong!
Lean into life!
Just say no!
Be good!
Look inside yourself!
You can do it!
Believe in yourself!
Have faith in your abilities!
Be all you can be!
Self-confidence is everything!
Yet the wretched man we know we are, knows – simply and profoundly knows – that all of these messages are both powerless and meaningless. They are attractive to the flesh and soulish mind of a man. However, just as many poisons are sweet, the “positive” messages the world deals out only bring corruption and corrosion to our spirit.
And yet again, we know something is true. The beauty within us wants to fade. We can go stale so very quickly, as roots of bitterness and shades of dullness manifest in our lives. We know we need strength from somewhere. We know we are always on the edge of falling apart. However, this knowledge is the best news we know about ourselves. For, in knowing that we cannot keep ourselves from being corrupted by the world, we can then look for the Answer.
In making us new, Jesus creates a new center within us. This new inner man (potentially) grows and matures all the way out from the inside. But, it is no longer me trying to improve myself, it is actually and really and truly the very Person of G_d living and working within me to make me like Himself. And being G_d, there is no end to His strength at work.
Can we see it? Instead of me trying to build some thin shell of protection against the corrosive effects of the world, He places an inexhaustible headwaters within us. And these Living Waters flush the junk out and away from us – from the inside. This effect goes even further, in that we no longer have to “protect” our own selves from the world. We can live in it, but not be of it, or live off its bitter dregs. Our lives can even have a healing effect on the world around us!
So. How about you beloved? Tired of trying to keep yourself free from the corrosion of the world? How about trying it the way that works? Let those rivers flow. They are real, and they are free!
