So I have been reading this book and its not a mormon book, but I have found a lot of interesting things that I can see parallels with the church and it. I really like reading material and seeing movies and what not that are not really made by the church because there are so many people who spout and live and think the same things we do, yet they just don't think we are saying the same things, but a lot of it is the same. that being said, a lot is still different but I like to see the different ways to look at the same thing.
so this book is called A New Earth, its pretty good its by eckhart tolle. it's not a story book its one of those discussion new age books. but there was a passage that totally hit me the other day when i was reading at the gym.
"Resistance is an inner contraction, a hardening of the shell of the ego. You are closed. Whatever action you take in a state of inner resistance (which we could also call negativity) will creat more outer resistance, and the universe will not be on your side; (aka. God can't help you, or support you or comfort you when you close your self off to his love with the negitive thoughts you keep in your head and actions) life will not be helpful. If the shutters are closed, (our shutters that let in 'light' or you could say Christ, he did say he was the light of the world) the sunlight cannot come in. When you yeild internally, when you surrender, (come to Christ, commit to God, offer your will to his) a new dimension of consciousness opens up. (aka. a new sense of spiritual connection to that higher power/consciousness/god/enlightenment etc.) If action is possible or necessaryu, your action will be in alihnment with the whole (God) and supported by creative intelligence, (also God and Christ and their will's, which are the same purpose) the unconditioned consciousness which is a state of inner openness (as christians we call this humilty, and spiritually intune) you become one with. curcumstances and people then become helpful, cooperative. (because you yourself are so open and willing to serve others and be served yourself, a princple Christ taught, and others) Coincidences (aka. miracles) happen. If no action is possible, you rest in the peace and inner stillness that comes with surrender. you rest in God."
I just loved this passage because here is this book that is not even written by my church and I can still recieve personal revelation that enlightens and motivates my spirit and person.
I spent a good month, (unfortunatley over christmas) where i just felt like sleeping, i was depressed. I wanted to be with my friends, i felt like my identity was somewhat diminishing because some of my friends were getting closer and I was missing out on the event. And half of my friends were getting engaged or seriously dating someone (the other half are now engaged) and I am not. I felt like I had the hardest semester ahead of me, it was cold and winter, and the friends I had were not really the kind where I just felt so connected to them. I was so engulfed in the throughts of my head i was resisting those that were trying to uplift me, those that provided advice to feel better, the ones who told me the honest truth that i was being silly that my friends did love me and that I simply needed to open my eyes and see it rather than talking to myself and my own thoughts.
This book mentioned this story of the author seeing on the subway in london this lady who was seriously talking in an angry way to empty seats next to her. The author followed her and the whole way she talked to the air, and when he realized she was going to the university library he himself was going to he was shocked to think someone like that would be going to a place like that. He then realized that we are all like this women, minus the fact we dont say everything we are thinking out loud. but how many times do you sometimes think something and realize you jsut said it out loud? the only difference is we stay in this social definition that says that is crazy to do. But really we are always 'talking' or thinking thoughts in our heads.
when i read this i realized how powerful these thoughts can be and how dangerous they can be if you let them take over your 'world'. I realized I was living in my thoughts and they were negative and not helping me progress to be any better or even just be. my head was identifying myself with negative things. I realized the only reason i felt so depressed was because somewhere in my head I got the idea that my identity, who i am, had to do with the people i knew, and my relationship status, and how close I am to my friends, and who much they love me. I realized that this was not me at all, in fact that was a lot of crap that was fuzzing the actual me.
I dont know I just liked that God was able to reach me in a way that provided truth that was not directly related to the church, and yet I was able to see the churches principles and doctrines that it teaches in this message. I feel like so many times people think that we as mormons only look for truth in our own church, and granted sometimes we do because we feel it is the clearest source you could say, but we forget there is so much beauty and truth out there that is all just saying the same thing. To love. To love god, to love your self, to love those in the world, to love those who were in the world, to love the earth, to love the life youve been given etc. and then to remember to give credit to the being who is responsible for it all. That is God. There are so many questions about why God does or doesnt do what he does. but sometimes those questions distract us from the greatest possble thing we can do and that is love him.
It sounds cliche and warm and fuzzy but its true and I just felt like adding to the piles upon piles of truth and testimony of truth.
the church i belong to, is something I treasure so much in my life, but ultimately it is the Love of God and when i Love him back that brings me happy, its simply that that love usually leads me to the Gosspel taught by the phrophets and appostles of the church of jesus christ.
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