Jim’s Blog

It seems that a lot of emphasis is placed on “becoming.” For instance, becoming a better person, becoming a better Christian, becoming more spiritual, or becoming more Christ-like. “Becoming” becomes a way of life by which we try to improve ourselves by becoming better that we presently are. It seems that the typical way of “becoming” a better person is through ridding ourselves of habits, addictions, apathy, and other taboos which are not to be included in the lives of the truly enlightened.    

The main problem with this erroneous thinking is that someone always keeps “raising the bar.” I have sat in church staff meetings when the senior pastor has said…” Our people are getting a little slack in their Christian walk, so we need to think of some ways to raise the bar on what it means to be a good church member and a good Christian.” After nearly throwing up, I gave some serious thought to the sickening proposal. I quickly deducted that trying to become more spiritual is a lot like trying to become more pregnant, or more white, or more black. You either are or aren’t.   

The only thing you can become is more consciously aware of who you already are. Once we truly accept the spiritual principle that there is only One Life and that Life expresses Itself as you, me and everyone else, we can then accept the Truth that what is true of the One Life, God Life, is true of my life. Why? Because what is true of the Creator is true of His creation, and what is true of essence is true of the form which essence takes. There is really not a “my life” to improve or become more anyway. God’s life is already complete and since His life is my life and appears as my life, the completeness of His life is the completeness of I call “my life.”   

So, once I become consciously aware of His nature, and realize that His nature constitutes my nature, I now rest in the fact that there is nothing more to “become.” All that is left is just to be who I already am, which is all He already is, expressing Himself as all that I am.   

Trying to become something you think you’re not is work, struggle and frustration. Simply being who you already are is rest, joy and peace. Moving from becoming to being is a journey you’ll eventually want to take. The scenery is a lot more beautiful from the higher elevation. 

(photo by po-pad)