POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE

It’s so easy
to look around
and envy people who appear to be
more “privileged” than we are.
We need not look far.
Seems, at any given moment,
just about anyone
will fill the bill.

But stop right there.

You are by far the most privileged person you know.

You are the only one who gets to determine
The who,
the what,
the when,
the where,
the why…
of you.

You get to determine
the direction of your life
in this—and for that matter—
every other moment.

Sure, there are outside influences,
external forces,
extenuating circumstances.
And some of them
come pretty close
to being “givens.”
Givens over which you seem to have little or no control,
givens that govern,
givens that will get to you...

if you let them.

But all,
and I mean all of them,
are external, right?
And, being external,
their sway and swagger are only
as great (or small)
as significant (or insignificant),
and influential (or inconsequential),
as expanding (or constricting),
as empowering (or disempowering)
as you choose
to let
or make
them be.

My point is simply this:
Internal is where it’s at.
“Internal” here defined as our inner state of well being
where the point of our personal privilege resides.

Oh,
some have more wealth,
some have more status,
more opportunity,
more beauty,
talent,
youth,
friends,
ad nauseam

—or so it may seem.

And yes,
some have fewer troubles,
some have fewer issues,
fewer problems,
fewer setbacks,
obstacles,
bumps,
bruises,
bills.

Ditto.

But, may I remind you
no one else…and I mean no one else,
enjoys the inexplicably deep personal privilege of being you.
No one else is the unique "one and only" individual you are.
No one else is the one-of-a-kind expression of life’s love you are.
No one else is the inimitable microcosm of the universe you are.

No one.

So stop stomping on everyone else’s personal privilege.
Instead, focus on living in—and out—
of your own.

And for that matter,
stop stomping on your own personal privilege.
You’ve sabotaged yourself long enough.

It stops here.

It stops now.

This is it.

From now on,
every time you feel the urge to sabotage
the incredible point of personal privilege with skin on it that
you and you alone are—

Stop!

Take a deep breath.
Maybe even sigh deeply once or twice.
Let go of it.
Regroup.
Reset.
Lovingly, forgivingly, compassionately
look yourself in the I

and admit it:

Life is hard
That’s just the way it is,
It's the way it usually comes
—even on a good day.

Then,
pick your point of personal privilege up off the floor.
Breath slowly…deeply….joyfully…into it

and go…

kiss the world.

“…and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39)

HOW TO LOVE YOUR LIFE

To love our lives
we must do for life
what Life does for us.
Truly, it is our high privilege
and holy purpose
to do that which,
by its own model,
Life begets and beckons us to do.

Life gives itself to us,
sacrifices itself for us,
while it cherishes us,
forgives us,
nurtures us,
defends us,
humbles us,
celebrates us,
rejoices in us,
empowers us,
encourages us,
watches over us,
advocates for us,
uses itself up for us.

In other words,
ultimately,
bit by bit,
moment by moment,
and day by day. . .

Life dies for us,
rises up in us,
lives on through us.

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the Life.” (John 11:25)

LOVE'S LOOKING BACK

O Invisible yet everywhere,
there is no “where” that you are not.
You are the essence in everything,
the infinite in every “every.”
Even now,
you are here.

You gaze at us
And we at you.
And when we do
we gaze into your very face,
into the face of God,
into the face of Life,
into the face of Reality,
into the face of Truth,
into the face of Being,
into the very face of Love.

O Invisible yet everywhere,
we can miss the sheer nearness of you.
Or worse, we can miss the you-ness of you.
Unaware,
while busied to the point of distraction,
or myopically intent upon our delusions,
or unfamiliar with the far flung reaches of seeing,
we can miss you.

And,
we can miss the you that is looking back at us.
And with it, we can miss your look of love—
the original look of Love.
And,
we can miss the you that is
longing to connect with us,
that is hoping we will see the you who are the "is"
in all things.

Still, you invite us to see
into yourself.
into your self
to perceive,
to experience,
and to know the you--
in all that is,
in all that happens to us,
in all that we do.

And when we see this you,
the invisible becomes visible!

When these moments come--be they but glimpses
in which we realize that it’s really you we are looking at—
with each of them,
you bless us,
you fill us,
you quiet us.
you keep us.
For we are actually seeing love
And it’s you looking back at us.

“The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”  Numbers 6:24-26

ONLY YOU

Write the poem only you can write.
Build the bridge only you can build.
Tell the story only you can tell.
Be the friend only you can be.
Sing the song only you can sing.
Pray the prayer only you can pray.
Follow the dream only you can follow.
Give the gift only you can give.
Believe the miracle only you can believe.
Take the chance only you can take.
Bear the burden only you can bear.
Bring the joy only you can bring.
See the light only you can see.
Change the world only you can change.
Share the peace only you can share.
Take the path only you can take.
Live the life only you can live.
Be the person only you can be.

WITH...YOU

This new “breath prayer” came during the night while I was trying to get back to sleep. With it came the thought of using my breath and breath prayer as a means of carrying my meditation thoughts into my day, my actions, my Life. Here are some thoughts that came on this theme of with you...

God, I forget so easily and quickly my deeper, truer self. Somehow something as simple as a breath prayer keeps me remembering this most essential point or meaning of my existence. It seems that this is what you desire of me, God; that I know and ever more deeply know that you are with me and I am with you always. Everywhere. (This certainly seems to be the purpose of contemplative prayer. From it comes potential for instant transformation here and now. Any insights or messages that may come from such prayer—the simpler the better—are often an affront to my ego, which resents having to acknowledge my need to “dumb down”—typical egoic condescending language). The very fact that this message; with you is simple and that it doesn’t somehow feed my ego gives to me pause to believe that it is soul-sourced, legitimized, true and worthy. World call me crazy but I believe that the very simplicity and novelty of it is proof that it comes straight from you, God.

We humans don’t have to wander aimlessly through the mystery of you. We don’t have to wonder in order for your simple truths to be effectual in our lives either. We, in trust, can just know this “with you” insight to be true. In so far as we do, it can be our stake in the ground, our ground of being, our mooring throughout this and each day. In other words, existentially, it can be all that matters…the sum total of all our journeying (be it physical or spiritual)—because it is the very path itself. It is one expression of the totality of our being. In comparison, nothing else matters.

Have you somehow hidden this truth from me until now? No. Never. Have I had difficulty seeing it…and remembering it? Yes. Always! Today I feel you saying that trusting in your words ”with you,” as core to human self-understanding, is all that truly matters. All else—all other “matters”, especially the ones that seem paramount in my thinking, simply pale in comparison and ultimately fade into nothingness. Nothingness! All the things I consider so vital and crucial…in light of with you…all of them seem to be so completely ego-centric…the “weight and sin that clings so closely” that St. Paul urges us to lay aside (Hebrews 12:1 NRSV).

This means with you is ultimately freeing!!! Through these two words I can see that it is my ego…and only my ego…that is keeping me from sharing what I experience to be incredible insights that you give to me/to each of us in these meditative moments. Or to put it another way, focusing all that I am on with you instantly frees and transforms me into an alternative way of being and living. “What can and will change when I ground my being (my Life) in this one single truth?” This question is so radical and the answer so expansive that, once again, I can get only glimpses of answers.

What can I do to make a difference in this self-destructing world, I ask myself. With you is one expression of the answer, isn’t it God? If I will just live this I can give up my fear and anxiety about what others think of me. If I will just do this, I can live with greater honestly and integrity. If I will just do this, I can live altruistically and with great love for all.

Do I have the spiritual courage to share these, today’s insights? They are so fresh and real, so invigorating, orienting and empowering, so utterly different from most of my (and the world’s) thinking. My ego, as usual, is speaking from both sides of its mouth saying, “Yes, Jer, put it out there. They will love you!” and at the same time, “Absolutely not, Jer! You couldn’t possibly have anything worth saying to the world!”

But there is an alternative voice…the voice of my soul (which is where you reside, God) which is speaking a very different message. It is saying, “Yes, Jer…you do have something to say to the world (as each person does)—a version of truth so personal that only you can say it—and yet so universal that absolutely everyone who wishes to do so will be able to relate to and understand it.”

“What is the difference I can make…and make now?” each of us ponders from time to time. I hear you answering that question for me today God, with...“Just share what I share with you that makes all the difference in your world.” So ironically, you’re saying that the “difference” I can make is in helping others see how we are all alike when it comes to you…that each of us in our own way, longs to understand and experience the invigoration, the clarity and the empowerment of what you mean by with you.
And that’s your deepest desire, too



“And remember, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:20 NRSV)

CLOSER THAN SKIN ON SKIN

A different kind of prayer; this is what I’m here to learn, isn’t it God. A new kind of prayer where I’m not asking, asking, asking or even thanking, thanking thanking. It's simply being with you long enough to realize that you are in me and I am in you. Instead of running away from a sheer silence, it’s staying in place long enough to let it run into me, through me. You, I see now, are that silence, God. You are not only in the solitude. You are the solitude.

We humans are always running either toward or away from you. But there is no running to be done, is there? It’s in the cessation of running that we deeply experience your presence--and just as deeply discover who we are. We discover that you are fully present, that is, present in all your fullness. In other words, you are always here, always now...so that we can be the same; fully present here and now...with you and with each other.

That's your standing invitation isn't it; for us to be fully present to, with, and finally, in you. This is true prayer, and new prayer..."new"because it makes us new. It takes some getting used to, God. Feels elusive, but it’s not. You are closer than skin on skin...closer than my breath to me…closer than each beat of my heart. True prayer is the continuous re-cognition of this, your presence...your fullness. Nothing less. And there is nothing more.

To pray without ceasing is to carry this awareness into every notion, every emotion, every action, every transaction.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances..." 

(I Thessalonians 5: 16-18a NRSV)

MOMENT OF IMPACT

God,
help me become more deeply aware
of the words that I choose
and the impact they have,
especially the impact I miss
at the moment I’m speaking them.

I use words so loosely.
I spread them about so profusely,
while striving to convey exactly what it is
that I've convinced myself
is so important
for someone else to hear.

But often, in my exuberance
to persuade others of what
their take on reality should be,
I trample bullishly
through the lush garden of their own equally
(if not more valuable)
words, thoughts, feelings.
In short, I tread foolishly upon their perspective
which might actually be
your cleverly disguised wisdom,
given to me,
through them.

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord…(Psalm 19:14 NRSV)