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Purpose
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The purpose of these email reflections is to stimulate the God-given longing we all have for that which is truly life-giving, and to encourage sacrificing the lesser, more immediate "satisfactions" for the greater, in all areas of life, so that one may Live and share that Life with others!
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Phone: (574) 533-2812
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Hello ,
A couple of weeks ago I did some ego-spirit contrasting, suggesting that the only route towards the freedom we long for is through letting go of ego concerns by trusting spirit. I'm continuing that in this email.
- Sheldon Swartz
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Ego vs. Spirit II
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 "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life." - Jesus, in John 6:63
The ego tries its best to convince us that it has our well-being in mind, but there's nothing further from the truth. The only thing the ego is looking out for is itself, and its survival depends on its ability to convince us of the importance of its concerns. If it fails in that task, it dies. It tries to convince us that concerns like, how do I appear, what impression am I making, will I have enough, do I belong, do I have anything to offer, am I loved, and will I be ok need to be taken very seriously in order for us to live well. (addressed in issue #26)
If Jesus said the spirit gives life and the flesh counts for nothing it seems that perhaps the concerns of the ego ought to be questioned! With a little reflection we become aware that if these ego concerns dominate our awareness we are in a prison that gets smaller and smaller.
For instance the common ego concern, "do I belong?" tempts one to think that one doesn't, and that one needs to, and that one should try to. To the degree that one is living those beliefs, one is not being oneself and there is no chance of becoming free as long as that ego concern dominates.
Isn't it true that the people who seem to belong well don't really seem to care about whether they do or not? Or, putting it another way, doesn't it seem that the people who aren't making an issue of whether or not they belong generally seem to be an excellent part of whatever group they are interacting with?
That's because the ego is lying when it suggests that one should be concerned about belonging. It is shutting out spirit that is saying, "I am everywhere, part of everyone. I belong everywhere."
Let's look at another ego concern: "I have to prove myself." Like, prove that I am smart, successful, competent, perceptive, sensitive, strong, Christian, etc., i.e., whatever one feels one has to do to be able to fully relax and just live one's life.
Isn't it apparent that this ego concern feeds on itself and gets hungrier the more it is fed? If one believes one needs to be more or better than one is at the moment in order to be accepted or free, that will not change once one achieves a higher level of success at whatever one is trying to get better at. The ego will say, "Just a little more, please" and hope the person doesn't catch on that the ride is going far away from the good place, maybe even towards a hellish place.
Another ego concern that I'd like to reflect on sometime soon is: "Will I get credit? Will I be recognized? Will I be remembered?" While spirit knows that it is complete without needing answers to any of these questions, the desire to leave a legacy that one is remembered by can hinder one's freedom to live the life one is meant to live. There I go . . . I said I wanted to reflect on that sometime, not now!
"God, it is so freeing to know that you need nothing from me in order to share Yourself and your gifts with me, and that you actually enjoy doing that, because you are Love. Can I more frequently have moments when I really "get it" - and totally loose touch with any ego concerns I have and live and give freely out of the spirit freedom that is available? That would give me joy. You, too, I think! Amen"
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