Illuminating Words: The Jesus I Know
Duplicitous Forthright
My daughter loved magic. We surprised her one year by taking her to a magic show. The deceptive tricks and activities kept us mesmerized, pondering how the acts were achieved! Fond memories and a good time!!! What I experience today reminds me of the magic show, our lives filled with deceit and truth.
Duplicitous belongs, to challenge what emerges as forthright. Forthright belongs to challenge what emerges as duplicitous. We continue to be at war with ourselves. We are asked to rid ourselves of deceit and empty words, see Ephesians 5:6 and 1 Peter 2:1. (Ephesians 5:6 deceit from empty words, wrath of God for this disobedience. 1 Peter 2:1 rid yourself of deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander). We war with each other about the Kingdom of Heaven, we argue about the terminology for basing our conceptual frameworks of our divine connections. We consider it deceitful, duplicitous, depending on our point of view.
The Jews and Christians as religious groups both support the 10 commandments. Islam acknowledges the bible as an early revelation of God, but do not accept the absolute authority of the Bible. Islam and Jewish religions separate by following the different sons of Abraham. We have allowed our differences to become magnified. I recall an article in The Christian Century, published Sept. 21, 2015, a rabbi and an imam share a story of hope about the differences between Isaac and Ishmael. The article concludes how the differences between religions are political, and both these religions can await the arrival of the Messiah. Christians believe the Messiah arrived, while Jewish and Islamic followers describe Jesus as a prophet.
Each religion is forthright in their history, their truth, their value systems. We politically point out our differences and magnify them. We glorify our own point of view and demean those who believe differently. Muslims call out Christianity for its roots in paganism, Christians call out Jews and Muslims for not believing in Jesus as the Messiah. We can include the differences in and between Buddhism, Hinduism, Shiite and Sunni Muslims, the list can become endless.
Yet, the Jesus I know gives me so much hope. Whether one is awaiting the Messiah or if one believes Jesus is the Messiah matters not to me. Duplicitous belongs to challenge what emerges as forthright, forthright belongs to challenge what emerges as duplicitous. The Jesus I know asked of us to love our neighbor as ourself. Arise from what is your truth, what is true for you. Live your truth. While you live your truth, allow someone’s who truth is different to live their truth. John 8:31–32, Jesus speaks of truth, and allowing truth to set you free. Be free in your truth! Truth has many viewpoints.
We are the problem regarding truth. John 3: 1–2 describes us all as being children of God, when Christ appears, we shall be like Him. Be like Christ. What does that mean? We can continue to war over My God is better than Your God, valuing what we believe as “right”, “The Way”. We can allow differences, Jesus as a prophet or Messiah still can connect us to our divine abilities even if we believe differently. Some religions await the Messiah, Christians await the return of Christ. Perhaps the message is within us, to light the way for us each in our own individual way, while supporting others who may be different. John 12: 36, while you have light, believe, become sons of the light. Then Jesus hid. Further in John 12, 47–50, the verses share concepts that Jesus was not here to judge, but to save, Jesus was here to share the word that we all have eternal life. Be like Christ.
We are all light. We are all sons and daughters of light. We are eternally connected. Our earthly words can be warped, shifted, forthright to some, duplicitous to others. I value differences. When my voice is silenced because I am different, I distance myself. That is not lacking love for another, it is loving myself enough to more strongly connect with those who allow difference. There is truth in every belief if we look far enough with loving hearts. Perhaps the message of Jesus is to keep us looking within our hearts, to keep riding ourselves of our own evilness, to shine the light on the deceit within and love with more forthrightness. For none of us are without “sin” 1 John 1: 8. We all have a commitment to await, await and strive towards our reconnection, our unity, our Oneness. Love heals, the Jesus I know taught love. Simple, yet challenging. Love is magic, beyond the illusion of our separateness. Heal the harms, light the way. Thank you for sharing your light Alana Suskin and Hatham Younis, rekindling the light from 2015. The magical, loving connection.
The theme of my writings embed mystical Christ: Love, Acceptance, Forgiveness. The Power of Words to heal.
Gifts from the opposites (there is no light without darkness) = Love. Jesus taught us love.
Gifts from paradox (2 differing truths embrace truth) = Acceptance. Jesus taught us acceptance.
Gifts from pausing (process the emotions and thoughts, reconnect to higher divine beingness, go and sin no more, let go) = Forgiveness. Jesus taught us forgiveness.
If you are struggling with unworthiness, the need to forgive and replace hatred with love reach out to trusted sources. Become free of what weighs on you. Kathy Mortensen: Minister; Intuitive Guide; Master Reiki Practitioner; Certified Master Practitioner of Mental and Emotional Release®. Email: whenbelongingshines2021@gmail.com.
