In co-union I find the poise of life—the balance between being broken and running wild; between lying down and running away; between being selfish and being selfless. Although, paradoxically speaking how can I be “self-less?” Christ did not come to replace self or to eradicate it. It is “self” that accurately bears the image of one deity or the other. On one side of paradox it is impossible to be selfless for God created me to be a self. He asks me to love my neighbor as my self. Therefore the self is to be loved, even as the neighbor is to be loved. Loving and affirming myself is right – being the best possible me (self) I can be is my grateful response to God. In doing so, Christ is glorified for it is then that His image is born again. Love needs a self to express from, toward, and through. Hence, Christ was born. Hence, I too was born. I ache for God, and yet it is God’s ache for me that sets the craving in motion. I ache to be me…this is His will at work in me.
More Paradox
This recalls His speaking to me one day about UNION …
and speaking about how divided we are. Not you and me or others, but the division within. Legion, for we are many. . . instead of ONE. Christ does away with the division and becomes our very UNION, Oneness. . . Marriage.
So I (and you) can “KNOW THYSELF” . . . in Truth. . . in Him.
“For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity . . . for to make in Himself one new man, so making peace.”
I love this truth: “I ache for God, and yet it is GOD’S ACHE for me that sets the craving in motion.”
Yes, I love Him BECAUSE He first loved me.
As far as writing a book. . .
I guess I could suggest it this way so it doesn’t seem so daunting by saying, I’d love to see what you are already doing right here, put on printed pages. Remember how we talked about this one day?
“I ache to be me…this is His will at work in me”. What an excellent statement!
Such a simple obvious truth. How many actually recognize this “ache” as something good? As God? Unfortunately, most seem to equate ache with something being wrong and want to shed it.
If folks would (just) cast off even the rudiments of the “world” that have crept in, the “ache” could then be seen for the beauty it is – Christ’s expression, God’s will, in them.
I believe you’re right, my love. I’ve heard it said that we do more to avoid pain than we do to gain pleasure. We are so quick to label life as “good or bad” that we’ve become blind to the glory of all things in Christ.