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“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.” (Romans 6:8)
Does it please me, or does it not please me? Is it good or is it bad for me? Sometimes it seems that it is all about me, my preferences, my choices, my needs, my desires, and my group. Me, me, me! Results? A life centered on me as the central reference point leads to endless fears, anxieties, conflicts, guilt and shame.
Therefore, we wrongly believe that we cannot be happy without the things that we want to have. Happiness is in the future, not now. Our happiness will come if we can change the situation and people as we want. When all our desires are fulfilled, only then we will be happy. These wrong beliefs make us unhappy. Our reality is brainwashed with these false beliefs. (Anthony De Mello)
Solution? We need to keep questioning our assumptions. We need to be aware of the fact that we are programmed and brainwashed with false assumptions. To be aware of our false assumptions means “repentance.” This is a difficult, almost impossible, task. Our spiritual journeys are all about identifying these false beliefs and being transformed with the vision, in what Jesus always talked about, the Kingdom of God. (Sam Keen) Jesus says that to live, we have to die. In order to live, we have to die to our false-self and to the ways of this world. Death is necessary for life.
How do we die? There are five ways of practicing death. (Elizabeth Lesser) First, admit that we don’t know it all. This involves being out of control, not getting what we want, admitting that we do not see the full picture. Relax into the mystery of not knowing. Second, simply pray every day. Just observe everything as we ride calmly along. Thirdly, keep our hearts soft, open, lively. Grieve deeply, laugh often, live fully. Fourth, experience as often as possible birth and death. Sit with sick people; help others who are suffering. Do not shy away from what makes us uncomfortable. Finally, find the grace to love no matter what happens to us. Only then will we be able to live.
Pastor Seok-Hwan
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