Resurrection Now
12 Ways to Practice Resurrection Now
Be reborn anew each day
By Richard Rohr
Richard Rohr, one of the most influential spiritual
teachers in the world, has often addressed the challenges of ego, or the False
Self, in his work.
Knowing what not to be, however, is not always enough.
It is very helpful, but you cannot live your life or build an entire identity
around the ides of what you are not.
As such, Rohr undertakes the other half of the
equation and turns his attention to the True Self. Taking its title from a
Gerard Manley Hopkins poem, his new book Immortal Diamond: The Search Our
True Self, explores the deepest questions of identity, spirituality and
meaning.
He helps his readers discover who they really are and
how they can live as their truest self every day. Remaking yourself is never
easy, but it is something that you must do if you are going to live your best
life.
Otherwise, you are simply going to be acting out the
imitation of a person who does not exist. Here are some ways you can live
resurrection every day and get more in touch with your True Self.
Negativity
Despite what some self-help gurus espouse, you cannot
actually stop yourself from having negative thoughts.
You will inevitably have a day where you wake up on
the wrong side of the bed and find that absolutely everything annoys you.
You can keep from snapping at others, and you can
usually claw your way back to some semblance of serenity.
That is not the same as never having times where you
are irrationally angry at a friend, disappointed in yourself or quick to
mentally point the finger at another person.
Accept that you will have negative thoughts, but
refuse to identify with negative, blaming, antagonistic, or fearful thoughts.
You may not be able to keep them from appearing, but you can keep them from
taking over your life.
I'm Sorry
Some of the most important phrases we will ever say
are the shortest. There are few more powerful statements than "I love
you" and "I'm sorry," but they are composed of only a few short
words.
That does not, however, diminish their importance. You
should also use them every time they are true. If you love someone, tell
them.
If you hurt someone, apologize to them. Few things
will do more to help bring healing than an honest apology. That said, if you do
not mean your apology, do not say it.
Wait until you truly understand what you did wrong or
how you hurt the other person, then apologize. Just as there are few things
more beneficial to healing than an honest apology, few things are more painful
to hear than an empty or false apology.
The Power of Positivity
Your mind often replays your worst moments and most
negative events over and over again.
This is likely an attempt by your mind to help you
learn from your mistakes, but it does not help. Instead of learning from the
mistake and moving on, we obsess over whatever we did wrong.
The mistake is focused on at the expense of the
lesson. In order to tap into your truest self and begin to deconstruct your
false self, stop focusing on what you did wrong.
Undo your mistakes by some positive action toward the
offended person or situation. Try and fix things or find solutions rather than
bemoaning the problem until the cows come home.
That way, everyone involved can learn from the
instance and do better going forward rather than simply obsessing over the
unchangeable past.
Lies
Do not indulge or believe your False Self — that which
is concocted by your mind and society’s expectations. It lies to you, and
everyone knows that it is not a good idea to listen to lies.
It may not be easy to do, but you will be much happier
once you have managed to deconstruct the false self that you have created.
You will be free to pursue your real passions instead
of being hemmed in by what you feel that you should care about or should
dedicate your time to doing.
You will feel lighter, freer and so much more joyful.
Start right away by identifying what lies you tell yourself and what those
around you do to build up or support the lies that society or yourself has
created.
That way, you know what you need to begin tearing down
in order to find your True Self.
Your Relationship With God
Choose your True Self — your radical union with God —
as often as possible throughout the day.
You will find that absolutely everything changes once
you have focused on deepening your spiritual connection with God. You will
notice His presence more in your life and see His hand in everything.
Once you know that God is there and that He cares
about you and interacts with you daily, you will find it difficult to feel
lonely or hopeless.
How could you when the Creator of the universe is
watching over you and guiding you in all that you do? There is no better
feeling than being close to God. So, do not delay. Make sure to make your union
with God your top priority each day.
Look Within
It is hard to live your best life and be true to
yourself when you do not know who that person is in the first place.
Before you can do anything, you need to learn who you
really are inside. This means separating out what is truthful from what
everyone has always told you or what you have always thought.
You may have always claimed you liked to run, but when
you really think about it, does running give you joy? You might find it does
not and that you simply wish it did or pretend it does.
Get rid of these false ideas about yourself. All they
are doing is holding you back and trying to force you into a box that you do
not belong in. Let go of them and seek to live a life that is honest and
authentic instead of warped by false pretense.
Do For Others
"It is better to give than to receive." When
you were younger, you probably heard that refrain around Christmas a great
deal. You might well continue to hear it today or be the one telling it to a
little child.
It seems odd when you are young and really want that
toy, but it is a very true sentiment. It is far better and more satisfying to
give to another person than to have them give to you.
As such, seek a life of true fulfillment by choosing
as much as possible to serve rather than be served. This will give you a
profound sense of satisfaction that, unlike the feelings that come when you are
served, will not fade away in a short time period.
Instead, you will continue to feel the satisfaction
and happiness for a long time after which will push you to continue serving
others in life.
Good
Doing good deeds is one of the most basic tenets of
living a better life. It requires you to set aside your ego and your
instinctive if selfish desire to focus solely on yourself.
You could do that, however, you would quickly discover
that a life filled only with hedonism or selfish focuses would be empty and
feel purposeless.
As such, seek to do good for others, and whenever
possible, pursue the common good over your mere private good.
Not only will you make the world around you a happier
place but you will actually find that you are happier in your own life. People
really are meant to be helpful and show altruism toward each other.
This both creates a ripple effect of happiness and
leaves those who do good feeling happier and more true to themselves.
Look After Others
No matter what you might think when you are little,
life is not all about you.
Your ego may try to convince you that you are the
center of the universe, but your truest self knows that is false. The world is
filled with other people.
You are only one of them. You are unique, but you are
not the center of the world. Live out an understanding of that truth by
focusing on others.
Help those in need in your community and reach out to
those who are in pain, excluded, or disabled. A friendly face and helping hand
can work miracles in the life of someone who is struggling.
Do not forget those closest to you either. Some people
are wonderful at reaching out to complete strangers but flounder when they are
confronted with loved ones in pain.
Show compassion, love and understanding to all in need
regardless of whether they are close friends or complete strangers.
Justice
Justice is a meaningful pursuit for anyone and
everyone. It is justice that will help people heal and succeed in the long
term. As such, seek just systems and policies over mere charity.
It can be tempting to simply write a check or throw
money at a charity and see yourself as having done your good deed or service
for the day.
While there is no doubt charities need money, simply
giving money is not always the best solution. Donate your time as well, and
find ways to help others that do not revolve around simply giving them things.
As the old saying goes, if you give a man a fish, you
will feed him for a day. After that day is over, he will need another fish.
Instead, follow the second half of the saying. Teach the man to fish so that he
can provide for himself and even help others going forward.
Your Voice
The words you say matter a great deal. You may have
heard when you were little that "sticks and stones may break my bones, but
words will never hurt me."
You likely did not have to grow too much before you
realized that words do hurt.
They hurt every bit as much as sticks or stones,
perhaps even more. At least the bruise from a stick or stone will heal in a
week. The wounds made by words can linger forever.
So, be sure that your words reflect your truest self
and not your ego. Cruel comments and judgmental statements tend to come from
your ego.
If such things form in your mind, do not let them
escape your lips. Instead, speak words that are kind and true. You only have
one voice. Be sure that it matches up with who you really are inside.
L-O-V-E
It has been said so many times that it has become a
cliche and lost its power in a lot of people's minds, but never doubt that it
is all about love in the end.
Love is what keeps us going while we are here on
Earth, and it is what will determine what we receive in the next life. As such,
never lose an opportunity to love.
Love deeply. Love fiercely. Love freely. No
matter how much you love and how many people you love, you will never run out
of love.
So, do not be afraid to share your love. Love your
friends. Love your neighbors. Do not forget to love yourself either.
How you treat yourself will influence how you treat
everyone else, so do not skimp on the self-love. Love yourself just as you love
your friends, and love your enemies in the same way as well.
Living your fullest life requires living a life that
is truly yours, not a life that someone else has imagined for you or that they
have forced on you.
That may mean undergoing a period of resurrection
where you must kill your ego in order for your truest self to grow and
flourish.
This period of time is not pleasant, but it is
essential if you are really going to live out a life that is your and only
yours from this day forward. So, do not delay. Begin creating your resurrection
today.
Richard Rohr is a Franciscan priest and popular author and speaker who addresses
thousands of people around the world each year at retreats, conferences, and
via webcasts. He is known for his teachings on contemplative spirituality,
social justice, men's spirituality, and elder wisdom. Rohr's previous
best-selling book, "Falling Upward," was called " a spiritual
survival guide for hard times" by CNN.
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