“… the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen …”
— Romans 1:20
King James Version of the Bible
from GOD THINGS
The Bedrock on Which We Stand … p. 26-27
Be yourself. Trying to be all things to all people hurts you more than anyone else. If you are to know any measure of inner peace you must find the way back to who it is you really are.
Find the rock that is yours alone to stand on. Ignore what others may think of you, accept who you are and give thanks for it. It is how you see yourself that matters. Know that there is none other like you, that the gift of life is yours to make of it what you will. Know too, above all else, that the very foundation of your being is your own innate goodness. Fundamental to the human condition is the fact that we are all born good, innocent of all that is soon to befall us.
For those who have lost touch with this innate sense of goodness the question becomes one of how to go about rediscovering it.
Rediscovery of our goodness is a two-fold process: at once a case of quieting while allowing the soul—the repository of goodness—to be heard. The mind stilled, even momentarily, allows us to think well of ourselves, and yes, even to love ourselves. Knowing self-love means being humbly honest with ourselves such that we are enabled as well to love others and to accept their love in return. Thus have we created the bedrock on which we may stand and rebuild our lives.
Loving another simply for who they are means opening up ourselves to that person and welcoming them into our life. Albeit, we are at once made vulnerable, allowing others to see who we really are. Nonetheless, it is only in this manner—this gift of giving freely of ourselves, a gift of our entire being and one without expectation of reward, that gives another the freedom to love us in all our humanness.
As we grow in self-respect and in self-confidence, all the while sharing our love and manifesting the goodness that wells up from within us, we come to know a compassion for others, As well, we come to know and respect the rights of others, and are less prone to judge. We have no trouble in making clear distinctions between right and wrong. We are offended by abuse of power together with the neglect and indifference shown to the poor and needy among us. Not least, we are emboldened to act without fear or favour for the common good: at one with our fellow beings.
— Garry D. Kilbourn
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