Easter Morning Reflections

Growing up in San Francisco my mom used our ‘water closet’ as a posting station for inspiring quotes and reminders.  One quote has resurrected in my life ... and I remember it because it was my brother’s favorite.  I have come to appreciate it only recently and it is the impetus for this offering on Easter morning.

“The greatest game I’ve ever played was all inside of me.

There was a contest hard to win, with only God to see.”

I never understood why mom (or my brother for that matter) liked this quote.  In retrospect it’s probably because I was enculturated to only perceive God as outside of me.  And yet all my searching has inevitably led me inwards to find the gold... so yes, I do see that realizing and activating the God within is a great game of hide and seek.  And in fact, all great spiritual truths lead us in this direction as the singular bridge that unites us with Source Love.  Knowing our unity with the Divine Creator is the elixir that transmutes the toxins of fear and separation.

I have never liked the expression that this life is an illusion.  We can be disillusioned for sure, and not be living within the realization of a greater reality.  But I don’t see the value (or truth) of denying our manifest reality.  I love manifest reality ... the physical realm is rich with communion and the gifts of the senses are to be savored, enjoyed and shared with all creation.  Yet as within so without... and life experienced through the lens of fear seems to cast its shadow on all we experience.  There is an illusionary element that distorts our vision when we are lost to the God within.  I have to admit that at times it feels like heresy or arrogance to claim myself as an expression of God.  And yet to run from this, to deny this gift as a co-creator is to miss the opportunity to participate fully in what it means to be the Word made flesh.  

 My brother passed into the Spirit realm just 6 months ago and I take huge comfort (and satisfaction) in knowing that he won the game!  Following his terminal diagnosis were some of the most joyful moments of his life because in his words he finally understood... he finally “learned to love himself. “  And through his great epiphany the world came into full color... he couldn’t help but love all he witnessed.  His advice to me was not to wait to die to live!  Life awaits in all its beauty and don’t wait for circumstances, relationships, health, finances, etc to define success or failure. 

In life, it seems the real game, the real challenges are to be met within our willingness to accept help when needed, stretch our comfort zones, explore new horizons, and simply keep plugging away at what love asks of us through the process.  Forgiveness is the Master key, the key of the Master  Jesus... “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do” was his final prayer.  Our choice to forgive ourselves and one another is not the domain of the egoic self ... it requires resolve and grace and is so often a process of release into freedom.    Yet it is the key that unlocks the magnificent heart of God within us to sing her song.

The winning circle may not look or feel as we might imagine... for it is far greater than the mind can conjure up.  But the heart knows the path and the destination.   And so many of our loved ones in the light of Spirit abide in this brilliant arena as our personal cheerleaders.   God herself is at the finish line.... as well as at the starting line and all the distance between the two.  The track and training ground are all the opportunities to grow the muscles of loving as we move into the winner’s circle and take that full breath of Presence.   

Finding the God within teaches that peace does not await nor depend upon what is swirling about us.  It is not dependent upon approval or affirmation.  Life’s challenges can plummet us into a deep dive... yet there is a pearl to be unearthed in the process.  Resurrection is rising from the depths and allowing the light of dawn to illuminate our path.  

God within is alive, always present as the expression of our highest and best Self.  It is our journey to accept the hospitality offered and take up residence in this reassuring abode.  In this homecoming the illusional reality that we are separate, or unloved, or unsafe is finally dispelled and we are set free to discover the kingdom of heaven within our own very human beating heart.

    “The greatest game I’ve ever played was all inside of me. 

There was a contest hard to win, with only God to see.”