Some deny themselves joy

My heart bleeds for those who deny themselves joy. Those so concerned about control that they live in fear and therefore have lost their ability to allow themselves joy. They are afraid of sharing, fearing that what they give to others will somehow deplete what they possess.

They do not understand or accept the principles God teaches us, and thus they let their ego drown out the voice of the Holy Spirit and cannot hear or receive His teaching. To live thus is worse than being stranded in the desert, alone, without water or nourishment.

It is devastating to the spirit. We cannot change them. They have to desire the change themselves. Only we can open our hearts to receive. God gives us free will and never forces us into change. He sends us the Holy Spirit, guides and messengers but without our cooperation and openness we cannot see or hear what they have come to tell us or see what it is they show us.

We might as well be deaf and blind. The ego encourages our fear, our jealousy, our guilt, and our anger. For without these there is no need of the ego. In God there is only joy and peace, total acceptance, knowledge, and love.

God will provide for all our needs in abundance. Faith and prayer are answered. Sometimes a wake-up call is necessary for people to open their eyes. Sometimes even this is ignored. For the blindness of the ego can be complete.

Even when the opportunity to experience joy is offered to these lost souls, they turn away from it, making excuses not to participate and are resentful of those that do. They do not recognize the brotherhood in those around them but instead feel threatened by them.

They look for faults instead of goodness and thus receive what they seek, as we all do. For what we believe is what we receive. Goodness is not something we practice for an hour on sunday. It is a way of life, of being, of giving and sharing. It is a joy that can only be lived with God!

08102000