“We are closer to God when we are asking questions than when we think we have the answers.” Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
Spiritual wisdom is God’s supernatural thoughts that may enlighten humans with the wisdom to say unconditional “yes” to all the conditions of existence in this secular world. Saying “yes” is difficult, if not impossible, because the will is strong, but the flesh is weak. So, all humans need grace, which is the spiritual wisdom within all humans. Grace is the greatest gift from God, and it is free for all.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2: 8)
Yes, grace is something freely given to you, something totally unearned and undeserved, and something never to be repaid. But there is a catch: You must discover, embrace, and apply that “free” gift to your everyday life. Due to the lack of understanding of the mystery and the significance of the wisdom of that free gift of grace, or the refusal to believe in something that is too good to be true, many people just cannot and will not find that free gift of grace in their lives.
Indeed, many Christians read about grace, hear about grace in Sunday sermons, sing about grace in their hymns, and even believe grace in their heads, but they never fully live in the free gift of grace. They simply do not have the faith to live in the grace.
What you need is living in faith—faith that God has forgiven you for all your shortcomings and wrongdoings. Likewise, you should also be more forgiving and accepting toward others for all their shortcomings and wrongdoings—just as Jesus said: “…freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). As a recipient of the free gift of grace, you must be gracious toward others, and this is not an option, but a demand and command from God.
Spiritual wisdom plays a pivotal role in defining what is “true freedom” and what is not.
“True freedom” gives you the freedom to choose what you “think” and “believe” is right, and then you take the right action and do it. But “dysfunctional freedom” helps you make the wrong choices, leading to your wrong actions with dire consequences.
So, always open your mind to receive your wisdom through asking many self-intuitive questions related to your “freedom” with reference to some of the truths of ancient wisdom, conventional wisdom, and even spiritual wisdom if you are a believer.
However, your “freedom” of choice can happen in different scenarios:
· Your freedom to choose what you earnestly “think” and “believe” is right, and then you take the “right” action. The consequence is positive.
For example, you are very compassionate toward disabled children, and you have the freedom to set up a site to do just that. Your right action is evidenced by support from all walks of life.
· Your freedom to choose what you earnestly “think” and “believe” is right, and then you take the right action. But the consequence is negative. For example, you are very forgiving, and you have the freedom to forgive all the wrongdoings of your former coworker. But, instead of expressing gratitude for your forgiveness, that former coworker decides to file a lawsuit against you with lies and many false accusations. The negative consequence of your right action may create your “bondage” of “remorse and injustice” affecting your future “freedom of choice.”
· Your freedom to choose what you “think” and “believe” is right, but it is in fact wrong with all negative consequences. For example, you are engaged to be married soon, and you find yourself in a sexual environment with another individual. You have the freedom to comply to your sexual desire with the thinking that it is not “adultery” and not “wrongdoing” because you are not yet married. The consequence of your wrong choice is your attachment to the bondage of recurrence and repetition in the days to come.
· Your freedom to choose what you “think” and “believe” is wrong, and yet you want to do it because your mind tells you to, and you want to see the consequence. For example, you know shoplifting is wrong. But you have the freedom to do it because your mind tells you that you need it and that you can see if you can get away it. The consequence is: If you are caught, you can give an excuse or explanation; if you are not caught, shoplifting then becomes your bondage.
The different scenarios above may show you that the boundary between what is right and wrong is often indistinct and intangible. So, your freedom to choose is not easy, and you must ask yourself as many questions as possible. In other words, spiritual wisdom may help you get your "true freedom."
Find out how to get your spiritual wisdom to know your "true freedom" of choices: FREEDOM with BONDAGE.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
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