We know, for instance, that if our earthly dwelling were taken down, like a tent, we have a permanent house in Heaven, made, not by man, but by God. In this present frame we sigh with deep longing for the heavenly house, for we do not want to face utter nakedness when death destroys our present dwelling — these bodies of ours. So long as we are clothed in this temporary dwelling we have a painful longing, not because we want just to get rid of these “clothes” but because we want to know the full cover of the permanent house that will be ours. We want our transitory life to be absorbed into the life that is eternal.
— 2 Corinthians 5:1—10 J.B. Phillips New Testament
“Reflections From Infinite Mind”
Our Most
Precious Gift … p 72
Thinking persons — those who ever question, seeking a better way, who value their own humanity and that of others, are all too familiar with the struggle to “Know Thyself,” our most precious gift. There is but one guidepost in the process of coming to know ourself: The divine light of the soul, in itself God’s presence within.
Herein lies the rub. Our whole way of life is one given over to satisfying the needs, real and imagined, of our bodily senses, with little or no regard for our spiritual needs. The two — body and soul — while quite distinct, are yet interdependent and in need of care.
Coming to know ourself has nothing to do with transitory thoughts of mortal mind: It is not an exercise of the intellect. Nay, it goes much deeper, into the realm of our spiritual nature. It requires of us an earnest desire to know who we are and our purpose in life. It means, in all selflessness and humility, giving ourself over to God’s care, asking that His will be done, thus to know a lightness of Being, of joy and of peace within: We are at home.
— Garry D. Kilbourn
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