LYNNE CLARK BRUNSON
"I AM COME THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE LIFE, AND THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY."
JESUS
"DON'T PLAY LIFE SMALL - THERE IS ABUNDANCE OUT THERE. DON'T SETTLE FOR CRUMBS."
SHANE SCOTT
How many of us live a life of abundance? And what exactly does that even mean? Jesus mentioned it...and I believe that most Christians think that what He said in chapter 10 of John, talking about giving us life, was a reference to a life after this one. But I've discovered, and firmly believe, that Jesus was talking about THIS life...not the next one. He came to give us Life, and a more abundant Life.
Here's what I discovered in Desert Solace, and on my recovery path since then...this Life that Jesus offers me is so much better than the darkness I lived in as an addict. It is full of light. Full of Love. Full of...everything good. It's much easier, and this Life flows so much better. Are there problems, challenges, bumps in the road, and some crap to deal with? Sure. But in recovery I have learned that when stuff happens, I can recognize it, choose to not make up a story about it, choose to not take it personally, and then "push through", as Shane would say, to the other side of it.
The most important thing I have experienced is that I get to choose. Always. I can choose Life, and I can choose Abundance. My other option it to choose a life of "lack." And that's where I lived for many, many years. What's a life of lack look and feel like? No fun...whatever I had was never enough. Never good enough. Never big enough. Not new enough. And not only was it not enough, I wasn't enough. And living a life of Lack comes from Fear. Did that in any way make me happy? NO. Of course, I lived much of my life "unconsciously"...not really paying attention. And as a result I created a life of "never enough." And it sucked, as well as fueling my addiction. Because when it's never enough, I just want that pain and disappointment to go away, and I could numb that with porn and sex. But it's been said that "If we're always drinking from that well, and we are still continually thirsty, then maybe it's just the wrong well." And...yes it was.
So when Jesus talked about a more abundant life, He wasn't talking about us having more stuff, or more money, or a bigger house, or a nicer car. He was talking about things that really matter...things that are of significance in both this life and forever. More Peace. More love. More Confidence. More Joy. More Happiness. More and better Connections...with family and friends and all people. We've all met those people that just radiate light, right? You can see it, and feel it, when they walk into a room. It's palpable energy, and there is no mistaking it.
I love the story told by M. Catherine Thomas about her friend who for the first time met Spencer W. Kimball. She walked into the room where he was and instantly felt a powerful, real energy of Love. And it was coming from him. It filled the room and impacted everyone in it.
Where does that come from? Yes, some people are just naturally that way...that energy has been part of them their entire life. But for most of us, we must choose it and we must work at it. We can be "conscious creators" of our lives. We can wake up every morning and choose the Life that is offered to us by our Father. We can choose to live a life of abundance...meaning we can be grateful for whatever we have. And that's sometimes not an easy thing to do.
David O. McKay talked about our responsibility...I like the word opportunity better...to choose the energy we radiate. And every person...no exceptions...radiates energy. He said "It is not what he says...it is not what he does. It is what he is...every man (and woman) has an atmosphere which is affecting every other man. He cannot escape for one moment from his radiation of his character, this constant weakening or strengthening of others." And once again, I get to choose this energy, every day, maybe multiple times a day, as I live a conscious, abundant life. I can choose to be the guy at work that's not going to complain. I can choose to start a conversation with the new guy at work or visit the new neighbors. I can choose to live a Grace-full life. I can choose to serve others and to love others, and find abundant life as a result. Does that mean I "fake" happiness. No. But it does mean I can be aware of my energy and that I can own it. And I can change it, while still being authentic and real. Faking life in any way simply does not work...
All my life I have compared. I used to sit in church and think "Why do I have this problem? Why don't those men sitting on the stand have a problem with porn? How do they do it? I wish I could be more like them..." Or I'd compare my abilities to pretty much everyone else. At work I'd compare my store's numbers to others, and would either beat myself up if they weren't as good, or would look for anything to make myself feel better about my results. When Kristen and Adam were young, and I was doing a project around the house, I'd get so angry when I struggled with it. Then they'd inevitably say "Do you want us to get Mark to help?" Then I'd get really angry! Mark lived across the street and was one of those guys that could pretty well do anything, and do it well. That certainly didn't describe me...and I wasn't happy about it!
So in recovery I discovered that this underlying issue was "I just wasn't good enough." And I would constantly compare to make myself feel better (not often), or feel worse ( most of the time). Sounds completely insane, right? It was. And yet so many of us live this way. I believe is was Thomas S. Monson that said "Comparison is the thief of joy." Why? Because as long as I am comparing, I will never be happy, and whatever I have, feel, and am will never be enough. And it's a crappy way to live.
Here's the difficulty in all of this...We live in a capitalist society, right? And the foundation of our entire economic system is based on...wanting more. More clothes. New styles. A new car. A bigger house. A promotion at work. A bigger paycheck. New golf clubs ( ME!). And that list is never ending. So how do we navigate through all that...wanting more and wanting bettter...while staying grounded and choosing abundance no matter our circumstances? Living in a sense of Gratitude. We read and hear about gratitude all the time in the scriptures, in talks at church, etc. But how many of us live that way? How many of us, especially with social media fueling our feeling of lack and comparing ourselves to other people we don't even know (insane, right?), choose to be grateful for what we have? Sure, when we pray we always start out by saying thanks to God. Grateful for the food, grateful for our parents, grateful for our kids, grateful for our health, grateful for the church, blah, blah, blah...But are we? I really never was.
I've discovered that I can live a life of gratitude and still live in this economy. We love our home, and Marilyn loves to decorate it. I enjoy the car I drive, and I can afford it. Does that mean I can't want something better? Not necessarily. I love what Raymond Holliwell wrote in "The Law of Supply"..."As we are able to think and to realize more abundance out of what we already have, we shall not only expand our thinking, but receive more abundantly." So living in a sense of gratitude opens us to more...and it's not necessary to live a life of Lack...feeling that we just don't have enough. Living open to all possibilities allows us to choose joy in what we have and who we are.
I learned an important principle from both Lynne and Shane at Desert Solace..."Be, Do, Have." Most of us live "Have, Do, Be." What's that look like? When I Have something (a new job, more money, a new house, a new husband, plastic surgery, a new hair style, some new clothes, a pool in the back yard...and that list is endless), then I will Do ________(fill in the blank), and then...I will Be happy. So instead of living a life of Gratitude and Abundance, we are living a life in search of happiness, joy, love, or confidence. Eckart Tolle wrote that if I'm searching for peace or joy, I'll never find it. It's not something to be searched for or pursued, it's something to be chosen and created. And I can choose it despite my circumstances, and there are so many inspiring examples of people who have done exactly that.
So "Be, Do, Have" works differently. And more importantly, it just works. As I choose to Be (peaceful, joyful, happy, grace-full, open, loving, etc.), then my behavior...what I Do...will naturally follow, and I will Have whatever I really need. As Shane would say so often, "Results don't lie." Choosing my personal Energy, choosing to be open to all possibilities, choosing to be happy in the journey and not just the destination, choosing to not let things outside of me define me, and choosing to live in a state of gratitude...and being very focused, intentional, and conscious about it...allows life to flow through me, blessing not just me but all those around me. It's a different way to live...to Be...and it's so much more enjoyable. And it just works better. I am what I focus on, and if I'm always focusing on "More"...of anything...I an living in the future, and I will never be happy. But I can choose to live. Now. Live in the Now, the present moment, and be grateful for it. I can learn, and have learned, to love "What Is."
Comments
Post a Comment