Connection

December 29, 2023

How do we remain connected to God? Many spiritual seekers ask this. Even those of us committed to our spiritual journeys experience ebbs and flows in our connection to the Divine. Mother Teresa's letters reveal that, surprisingly, even she felt hopelessly outside the Love of God.

"As for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see, — listen and do not hear — the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak… I want you to pray for me — that I let Him have a free hand." Mother Teresa.

If we are human, our psyche and many other powerful forces can block our Divine connection. For example, our inner critic can be so extreme that it hypnotizes us with self-doubt and guilt. Being captivated by and focused on our "badness," we lose our Divine connection. Then, in shame, we run from the garden and lose our connection to a loving God.

In my darkest moments, my mind takes over, and I doubt everything: myself, others, and even God. I wonder if there is a Divine being because so many things have been almost too hard to bear. I have made many misjudgments and have been disappointed with others. But as soon as I re-establish that connection to that beyond my mind and my ego, I see things in a light of hope. In that light, I know there is a God because I am a part of that divine being, even when I forget it. I see that self-doubt is okay as long as I do not self-condemn. And I realize in the light that no one can be who my ego always wants them to be, not even I.

We have the best chance of beginning and preserving our connection to God by journeying inward into wholeness and outward into the world. Our private, daily spiritual practice maintains our connection. When we feel disconnected from God, we also need the support of others who will believe in us until we, once again, believe in ourselves.

Inquiry: How do you stay connected to the Divine?

Dear God,

In the times when my prayers seem to bounce back, I ask for you to have a "free hand with me." Amen

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