I wrote this July 30, 2013, yet never published it. I decided to publish it today.

The Resurrection of Joy

 

Our Father’s love returns us to our youthful glimmer.

Remember the carefree days of summer as a child? Lunging through the screen door and your mom telling you to slow down. Breathing in the fragrance of the freshly cut grass as the distant roar of a lawn mower filled your ears. Scaling up the tree in your front lawn, and reveling in your accomplishment. Wondering what you were going to do as your mind went swimming with possibilities, especially the possibility of swimming in your friend’s pool across the street. Oh, to be a child again.

What if we could live every moment in this youthful spirit? This gift of soul is one of many we experience as we move into the kingdom of our heavenly Father. To be under his governance of will is to be a soul of a youthful spirit like a child.

As the years pass, we “grow up” and lose our youthful spirit. Our self-made mind crafted in judgments, fears, and lack starts creating a different reality. We start judging ourselves in approving or disapproving ways. We enslave ourselves to unfulfilled expectations. We strive to achieve some likeness of “success” and “happiness”. At some point, we figure our wellbeing is up to us and we need to “take control”, so our striving and toiling begins and our youthful spirit ends. We may even strive to nourish our soul, but it seems to be like filling a bucket that has a hole in the bottom. We have moments of experiencing those carefree days, but what lingers beneath is the pending “realities of life” that keep the experience of a continual youthful glow beyond our reach.

Though those carefree days seem like the distant past, they actually are our birthright future. As we enter our Father’s realm, we become a child once again and our youthful spirit returns, though far more magnificent. And for those who didn’t experience the carefree delights of childhood, our Father is waiting to give you the childhood you never had, yet far better for he loves you perfectly, and his love is yours for eternity.

Our Father’s love is close as our next breath. Although his love is ever present, it feels beyond our reach, thus non-existent in our experiential reality. We may know it in faith, in fact so much so that we are overwhelmed by it at times. And I think he gives us these tastes of his love to keep us pushing forward on our journey. But the experiential reality of his love is fleeting. Thus, why we keep reminding ourselves of his love for us. This seesaw experience is because we know it through faith and not through a oneness with him. But, if we will continue on our journey into truth and divine love, we will find this oneness, because it is the desire of our Creator, our perfect Parent, and his will prevails. His love never fails.

Our Journey

We experience our soul-life either governed by the consciousness of humankind (limited consciousness lacking divine love) or the consciousness of our heavenly Father. When we are a part of the consciousness of humankind, the self-made mind (created by the self-directed will), governs our soul. When we are a part of the consciousness of our Father, the spirit-made mind (created by a God-directed will), governs our soul. We all start in the former and when we are ready, we start on the journey into a transformation of soul that transitions us into the latter. The choice is ours, once we realize we have a choice of course. While, our journey through the dark waters of the self-made mind is important (because it serves many purposes that enable us to be a child of his reflection), it’s not our final destination.

This process of soul development is expressed in many analogies: a narrow path through a narrow gate, the growth and birth of a baby, the seed in the soil, and a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. The imagery of these analogies reveals why we are here, how our soul transforms, and our journey into oneness with the Source of life. Though these messages surround us, they often remain unheard because of the distractions of this reality. These images that our Creator put into creation are to help us to understand the process that our soul goes through as we experience this reality of contrasts, then leave it, and be united to him once again.

When we come out on the other side, we are a soul of light. We are a “soulbaby” growing in the reflection of our heavenly Father. This new reflection shines from his essence (or consciousness) that now governs our every breath, thought, expression, experience, everything. We have come to the end of one soul state in order to begin another, which is dwelling in our Father’s kingdom where his will reigns our soul.

Upon entrance into his kingdom, one of the first differences we notice is the glimmer of a child-like youthfulness in our spirit. At first, we are a little apprehensive of this new experience. Coming out of the torrents of birth pangs, and struggling out of the cocoon, we are a little hesitant as we come out of the billowing waves and upon the shore of a new land; the land of the promised soul and oneness with our heavenly Father. Yet in our soul, it feels like we are returning to the days of our youth, yet far superior, for this youthful spirit is a gift flowing from the eternal embrace of the divine love of our heavenly Father.

The youthful spirit is dim at first, but continues as a steady glow ever increasing. Like the dawning day, it starts faint and continues to expand filling every crevice of our awareness. As the light dawns, the darkness fades. The lingering grogginess passes, and we realize we are in our Father’s home and his home is now in us. A new joy and delight begins to underscore our days. Self-judgments dissolve and constraints once felt by our soul are replaced with increasing comforts and freedoms of expression. Fears are exchanged for courage and anticipation. Striving and toiling are exchanged for creativity, passion, and play.

We exit the rule of the consciousness of humankind and enter the governance of our heavenly Father’s perfect love. The dark waters below become a memory as we are enraptured into the eternal embrace of his love. This embrace sends a wave of release through our soul and we realize that the sufferings of the lower realm, though necessary for our soul formation, pale in comparison to the glories that await us.

Out the screen door we go soaking in the fragrance of life. What will the day hold? Who knows, it doesn’t matter for it will be wonderful. Our Father is here, and all that he creates is glorious! He is now the driver, not us.

Aren’t we glad we never gave up along that narrow path but kept pushing to the end through that narrow gate and into his kingdom?