Now when he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them, saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5: 1-12)
It had been one of those days in life, when you hear of 15 people you love who are all experiencing those life-altering challenges and pains of mortality---parents getting diagnosed with cancer, diabetes, or heart disease, children suffering from autism needlessly, marriages falling apart, pharmaceutical and illegal drug relapses stealing children from their parents and parents from their children and spouses from each other. One of those days. The best way to explain how I was feeling was deep sorrow.
And so I asked Father God and Mother Holy Spirit, "How do we live on this earth without being completely overtaken by sorrow? Every day I walk this earth seeing the inconsistencies, inequalities, and loss people are experiencing as the enemy steals, kills, and destroys them and it makes me emotionally brokenhearted. Honestly, it's exhausting and deeply painful to watch."
They offered a quick reply: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
It was that moment the disciples often experienced when Jesus would throw a parable on them and they would sit there on the ground staring at him, hoping...waiting...begging for some kind of explanation of what he just said for their lacking minds to be able to understand. I waited...
Then I heard, "Start seeing others [especially those you're in closest relationship with and are wanting love back from them] as they are in their eternal lives. Start seeing them as our eternal son or daughter, who they are in completeness, perfection, and wholeness. Truly I say to you, see them all as the "butterflies" that they are. (*Please pause and read this blog post to understand what I mean by "butterflies" and "caterpillars.") This life, these light and momentary "losses" are but a blink in eternity and they will not experience loss in eternity because of the inconsistencies, inequalities, or pain they've experienced on earth."
They went on to tell me more about "comfort", "This is how their [people you know and love] hurtfully-spoken words won't sting or hurt you anymore; this is how you free yourself from partnering with any offense; this is how you actually receive the love from them that you're really craving."
That was the statement that sent me over the edge---it all clicked. It was my "ah-ha moment". That's when I realized I was asking them [the people I am in closest relationship with] for a kind of love that isn't possible as a "caterpillar." I have been craving (or perhaps I was purposefully designed to crave) a kind of love that is truly whole, perfect, complete, not selfish in any way. You know, that kind of love that is always patient and kind with you, love that does not envy, boast, and is not proud. Love that always honors you and is not self-seeking. Love that is not easily angered and the kind that keeps no record of wrongs. Love that does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love that always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. That kind of love that never fails.
We read those words in Corinthians as some "to-do list" to try to live up to, like the description of the Proverbs 31 Woman that you hope today, just maybe, you'll look more like than you did yesterday. But what I'm talking about isn't the "to-do list"; I'm talking about that deep yearning in each of us to be loved--fully, deeply, perfectly loved, not only from God, but from the human beings we are in closest relationship to.
It wasn't until they said it that way that I realized I was hoping for, expecting, and asking for a perfect love from someone in their still imperfect state. And then Father and Mother comforted me in my inmost being with their reply...
"Lauren, you CAN receive that love from them, now, just here...in the kingdom of heaven."
Since then, when I have felt disappointed in my relationships with those I love deeply or feel that craving unmet, I come back to this truth and remember those comforting words my Father and Mother spoke to me. And I intentionally make a choice to see the person I love in their eternal "butterfly" state and I talk with them, share my heart with them, hear their heart for me, and I walk away from our time together filled up and refreshed with that craving met.
Since then, it's also given me a reality-check on creating an environment in my relationships where the person in front of me doesn't feel me begging them for something they simply cannot give me in their "caterpillar" state. Honestly, it's made loving them so much "easier" (that is, seeing them from their butterfly state) because they are truly such lovely and easy-to-love people in that state. They aren't wounded or bruised or lacking anything and they aren't treating me in a way that stems from that pain---the wounding, pain, or lack simply doesn't exist in them any longer.
Since that conversation with Father and Mother, I have been deeply comforted in that place and have come to experience people in heaven in ways I have longed to know them here on earth.
May it be with you as well---I bless you to see your loved ones in their "butterfly" state and receive that experiential comfort only Father and Mother can give.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5: 1-12)
It had been one of those days in life, when you hear of 15 people you love who are all experiencing those life-altering challenges and pains of mortality---parents getting diagnosed with cancer, diabetes, or heart disease, children suffering from autism needlessly, marriages falling apart, pharmaceutical and illegal drug relapses stealing children from their parents and parents from their children and spouses from each other. One of those days. The best way to explain how I was feeling was deep sorrow.
And so I asked Father God and Mother Holy Spirit, "How do we live on this earth without being completely overtaken by sorrow? Every day I walk this earth seeing the inconsistencies, inequalities, and loss people are experiencing as the enemy steals, kills, and destroys them and it makes me emotionally brokenhearted. Honestly, it's exhausting and deeply painful to watch."
They offered a quick reply: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
It was that moment the disciples often experienced when Jesus would throw a parable on them and they would sit there on the ground staring at him, hoping...waiting...begging for some kind of explanation of what he just said for their lacking minds to be able to understand. I waited...
Then I heard, "Start seeing others [especially those you're in closest relationship with and are wanting love back from them] as they are in their eternal lives. Start seeing them as our eternal son or daughter, who they are in completeness, perfection, and wholeness. Truly I say to you, see them all as the "butterflies" that they are. (*Please pause and read this blog post to understand what I mean by "butterflies" and "caterpillars.") This life, these light and momentary "losses" are but a blink in eternity and they will not experience loss in eternity because of the inconsistencies, inequalities, or pain they've experienced on earth."
They went on to tell me more about "comfort", "This is how their [people you know and love] hurtfully-spoken words won't sting or hurt you anymore; this is how you free yourself from partnering with any offense; this is how you actually receive the love from them that you're really craving."
That was the statement that sent me over the edge---it all clicked. It was my "ah-ha moment". That's when I realized I was asking them [the people I am in closest relationship with] for a kind of love that isn't possible as a "caterpillar." I have been craving (or perhaps I was purposefully designed to crave) a kind of love that is truly whole, perfect, complete, not selfish in any way. You know, that kind of love that is always patient and kind with you, love that does not envy, boast, and is not proud. Love that always honors you and is not self-seeking. Love that is not easily angered and the kind that keeps no record of wrongs. Love that does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love that always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. That kind of love that never fails.
We read those words in Corinthians as some "to-do list" to try to live up to, like the description of the Proverbs 31 Woman that you hope today, just maybe, you'll look more like than you did yesterday. But what I'm talking about isn't the "to-do list"; I'm talking about that deep yearning in each of us to be loved--fully, deeply, perfectly loved, not only from God, but from the human beings we are in closest relationship to.
It wasn't until they said it that way that I realized I was hoping for, expecting, and asking for a perfect love from someone in their still imperfect state. And then Father and Mother comforted me in my inmost being with their reply...
"Lauren, you CAN receive that love from them, now, just here...in the kingdom of heaven."
Since then, when I have felt disappointed in my relationships with those I love deeply or feel that craving unmet, I come back to this truth and remember those comforting words my Father and Mother spoke to me. And I intentionally make a choice to see the person I love in their eternal "butterfly" state and I talk with them, share my heart with them, hear their heart for me, and I walk away from our time together filled up and refreshed with that craving met.
Since then, it's also given me a reality-check on creating an environment in my relationships where the person in front of me doesn't feel me begging them for something they simply cannot give me in their "caterpillar" state. Honestly, it's made loving them so much "easier" (that is, seeing them from their butterfly state) because they are truly such lovely and easy-to-love people in that state. They aren't wounded or bruised or lacking anything and they aren't treating me in a way that stems from that pain---the wounding, pain, or lack simply doesn't exist in them any longer.
Since that conversation with Father and Mother, I have been deeply comforted in that place and have come to experience people in heaven in ways I have longed to know them here on earth.
May it be with you as well---I bless you to see your loved ones in their "butterfly" state and receive that experiential comfort only Father and Mother can give.
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