Do you wish to have love?
If you wish to have love, you must leave love.
Mechtild
of Magdeburg
___________________________
narcissism
being overly focused on the self
on one’s own wants
own needs
own ego
does not work
I am not talking about healthy self-esteem
an appreciation of self
I am not talking about healthy boundaries
where one keeps the predators from eroding and destroying
I am talking about that prioritization of one’s own self
That “me first”
America First
Party First
Place that consumes and devours all around it
I believe if Jesus were hanging around today (in the
flesh)
he would actually say “Christianity First”
is a problem
just as he struggled with that attitude in the religious
zealots of his day
the problem here is that if we are looking inward
we can’t see the people around us
if we are always protecting we can’t reach out
if we are always taking
we can’t give
if we are always grasping for adoration
we can’t adore
if we are always seeking power
we can’t empower
if we are always seeking to dominate
we can’t serve
Jesus is always presenting us with paradoxes
it you want to live, die
if you want to be full, empty yourself out
if you want to receive, give
it is the odd economy of God
we are seeing, in real time
what happens when we get selfish
when we hug money to ourselves
we get economic inequity, and people go hungry
and are homeless
when we refuse to consider others
Covid-19 runs rampant, and kills
when we refuse to leave our comfort zones
racism flourishes
when we refuse to allow controls on our guns
children die
when we make it all about ourselves
we pile pain upon pain
and some of the pain is ours
as we end up “cut off” from others
if we want to be secure and safe, we must reach out
if we want to receive, we must give
if we to be respected, we have to offer respect
If we want power, we have to empower
if we want real power, we have to empower those around us
if we want to be fulfilled, we have to serve
for in the economy of God those who die shall live
those who are last shall be first
and love comes, only when it is given away
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