Have you thanked Him?
Have you praised Him?
Have you made it your priority to agree and
cooperate with Him today?
Have you taken that deep breath and listened for
what He has for you today?
1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)
The first thing I want you to do is pray.
Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.
To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will
be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you
must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with
hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the
casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark,
motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become
unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.
C. S. Lewis
Let that sink in for a second.
I was honored to share the dais recently with a physician,
Dr. Nicole Labor.
She like me has struggled with substances and via a
walk of spirituality and steps has found her way to recovery and amazing
effectiveness.
Yet it was something she shared in her talk that I
found most interesting. She spoke of a study where NARCICISM was identifiable in brain scans. In other words, technology is giving treatment
professionals a ‘PICTURE’ of selfishness and self-indulgence, of INVULNERABILITY.
That blew me away. She said that the in the brains
of folks like Mother Teresa this area would be much “less pronounced” because she was an ALTURISTIC lover of others, had
great empathy and was deeply selfless.
As one who was labeled as a narcissist 10 years
ago by one of my psychiatric squad, it was fascinating to hear that I wasn’t
just an emotional self-centered jerk, I had the physical brain map to prove it.
NOT GREAT!
LOL.
But something else that Dr. Labor shares is that
as individuals learn to GIVE of themselves, as they work their recovery, be it
12 steps or otherwise, this scan “IMPROVES”.
As selfishness is replaced with selflessness the scans change for the
better!
CRAZY RIGHT?
Not really…
(YOU CAN) be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature
spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical
attitudes] – Romans 12:2 (AMP)
And that brings us back to C.S.’s quote.
How’s your SELFLESSNESS today; your vulnerability
as Lewis labels?
Are you GIVING of your heart or have you decided
to squirrel it away only to risk it hardening?
Remember…
this is the goal: to live in harmony
with one another and demonstrate affectionate love, sympathy, and kindness…
Let humility describe who you are as you
dearly love one another. – from 1 Peter 3:8 (TPT)
So friends, today's message is clear!
Let's embrace vulnerability!
Give our love away!
It will BETTER OUR BRAINS!
And our hearts!
Have a blessed weekend!
LOVE YOU ALL
OPPORTUNITIES
for HOPE
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