Long ago, I read a book authored by a friend and guide. He suggested that the process of learning to live in Divinity’s presence began with seeing with one’s heart, and then, only then, with one’s mind. I struggled to understand how this worked in my life. It was only through an intense moment of pain, that another friend left me with an observation.
“Do you realize how moments of intense pain occur when one is overwhelmed by the pain? Perhaps accepting, even opening yourself up to everything you are experiencing (nice as well as painful) will create an opportunity for you to accept what already is.”
John and Tilden never met. To my knowledge, there was no connection between the two threads in my life and yet, decades later, I find myself paraphrasing their guidance in a single string as a reminder to myself and as a suggestion to others.
Life likes to remind me that there are three truths when it comes to sight.
Avoidance, visually and audibly, to what is uncomfortable or difficult is natural. An old writer said it directly; “Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.” (James 1.23, 24) I wish this was not an accurate assessment, at least in my life, but it is often true.
Being willing to experience what one sees as well as what one hears opens one’s mind up to insights and guidance. Rediscovering the wonder of recreation and new beginnings can be found in the dawn. When this touches my heart before my mind, restoration occurs within and without.
Hard truths are only understood through one’s heart. In my growth, trusted friends can tell me what no one else is permissioned to say. I close my eyes, and their words wrapped their arms around me in love. When I see the truth they describe, even in the rawness of the mirror, I find hope in Divinity’s promise of restoration and life.
