5.1 - No Opposing Force
“The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe.”
I realized something somewhere in my sleep last night between my snores, snorts, twists, and turns. I know it happened during sleep because it presented itself as a memory when I woke up—not a dream but a memory. It wasn't one of those scenes where your high school math teacher is riding a bicycle built for two with a giant teddy bear and suddenly lifts into the air. Or the one where you find yourself in Publix with no pants on and a loose front tooth. It was simply the following thought: there are no limitations, none, and no opposing force holding us back. Actually, there is a natural process on our side, helping us grow and continually unfold.
An Example from the Garden
In my garden, I grow tomatoes, squash, and Brussels sprouts. These plants benefit from a system of universal forces that are already in place to help them grow - photosynthesis. The code has already been written within them. No one is trying to stop them from flourishing. Nothing is holding them back from producing their unique fruits.
The same idea applies to both you and me. The system is already in place, and the code is already written within us. The laws of the universe are working in our favor, helping us to become the best version of our unique selves. There is no opposing force, only distractions and false beliefs that we pick up along the way. Similar to how sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water flow through the unique DNA of each plant to produce its fruit, the spirit desires to flow through our distinctive code. Our job: relax, focus, and allow. Take a minute and think how you would feel if that were actually true.
Well, it is!
“Behind every face, there is a secret hidden life. But there are no two humans in the same world. We all inhabit the same world physically, but internally, each world is completely different, so no one else sees the world the way you do. No one else sees it from the perspective that you do. No one else has the same narrative building as there is within you. And even though similar things have happened to you, as with other people, the context they find in your heart and mind and narrative is different from everyone else. No one else can look out for your inner life but yourself. So, in a certain sense, if you don’t look out for your inner life, nobody else can.”
Another Revealing Healing
5 After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.2 Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. 3 In these lay many ill, blind, lame, and paralyzed people. 5 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” 7 The ill man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am making my way someone else steps down ahead of me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.I've always been intrigued by spiritual healing and have several questions about it. Does it really work? How does it work? Where does it work? And why don't we see more of it? I cannot accept the idea that it only worked in the past but not anymore. Since it is spiritual and timeless, if it ever worked, it should still work today. Right? I am interested in exploring this topic further, but I have to admit that my doubts have increased after our experience with Millie. Nonetheless, my curiosity remains strong. If you have any thoughts or resources on the subject, please let me know.
In the story above, John provides an example that removes all the unnecessary complexities that we tend to associate with spiritual healing. There is no paste of mud to be washed away from his eyes. There's no instruction to show himself to the priest. Jesus spoke. The man responded. It was as simple as that. “At once the man was made well.”
Also, this story follows the healing of the official’s son at the end of chapter 4. Why did John present two healing stories side by side? What did he want me to see? Perhaps it was the absence of any distracting special effects: no thunderbolts, heavenly voices, or a miraculous touch from Jesus. The location didn't matter, by a pool or in the next county. Many were ill but only one healed. While interesting, these facts are not immediately relevant to me.
What’s Desire Got to Do With It?
John wants me to see desire's role in this man’s healing. Let's work backward and explore this. Jesus asked the career invalid, “Do you want to be made well?” His word "want" is not a simple “I'd kinda like to" but includes a call to action. It's an intention, not one of the "Road to Hell" pavers, but an intention that has a determination to act embedded within it. "Do you want it bad enough to do something about it?" Is your desire strong enough - strong enough to trust in an unlicensed rabbi from Nazareth more than a mythical, pool-stirring angel? The question for the royal official is whether the desire for his son's healing is more potent than his desire to see signs and wonders. It’s as if Jesus is saying to both: “Is your desire powerful enough, powerful enough to believe the unbelievable?” “Can you put your heart over your head for a moment?" My conclusion: only as desire overpowers logic do “miracles” occur.
How does this apply to you and me? It begins with some questions that I must be brave enough to address in solitude. For example, there are a lot of things I'd “kinda like” to see happen, but what are those things I desire so strongly that I'm willing to do something about them? What do I desire so strongly that I am eager to dive in heart first, believe the unbelievable, and allow the spirit to accomplish it through me? This is life’s paramount question, lying at the silent center of my soul, waiting to be asked and answered. It is only then that we begin to see the self-evident signs and wonders resulting from our actions.
Until each of us answers this question, we're just "treading water in someone else's pool" and dashing off to the next distraction. Here's a comical but true illustration. I went dangerously alone to Costco this week and meandered up and down each aisle. On one particular aisle, there were only two of us shoppers, looking on separate sides for the latest "must-haves.” Suddenly, a couple rounds the corner, grabs a bag of something, and breezes by, one saying to the other, "This is my current favorite snack." Within seconds, both of us jetted over and grabbed a bag. I just had to ask, "Did you hear her?" "Absolutely," he said. I later thought, "How much of my life is like that”- like a kitten jumping for a dangling string.
Let’s Mind the Mindsets
Let's go back to the story and watch the mindsets of Jesus and the lame man. John shows us two men speaking different languages: The lame man from his physical consciousness, based on external conditions and circumstances; and Jesus from his spiritual consciousness, based on the truth of the universe. It may be a stretch, but could the question "Do you want to be made well?" be another way of asking, "How do you perceive yourself?" To that, the man seems to answer, “I’m lame, plus I have no one to help me.” Jesus counters with, "Do you want to see yourself as whole?” “Are you ready to acknowledge that there is no opposing force holding you down?”
Here’s a profound question. “How do I perceive myself? What does my consciousness say about me?" Imagine looking through a large window in which you can also see your reflection. If the glass has imperfections, it affects how you see yourself and the world out in front of you. This flawed or imperfect perception can even show you nonexistent enemies and have you sparring with an imaginary “tar baby.” It can shape your identity, influence your thoughts and actions, and impact how others perceive you. Therefore, it is crucial to have a clear consciousness.
Coincidentally, as I write this, the window in my office captures the sunrise at a very bright moment. The window needs cleaning. I think it's the same with our internal vision. We need to have it cleaned so that we can see clearly within our own consciousness. What could be corrupting my consciousness? The brighter the sun shines, the dirtier the window appears.
The man in our story thought of himself as “lame " and in need of God’s help. He also believed that he needed someone to help access that help. Notice that Jesus did not operate within the man's belief system. He could've waited until the water stirred and helped the man into the pool, but he didn't. He challenged and transformed his beliefs, telling him to stand up, take up and walk on.
Can We Look at the Story More Than One Way?
It is commonly assumed that this event was a miraculous act performed by Jesus to inspire awe in us. Even if this is true, focusing solely on this interpretation can cause us to overlook the more functional lessons about our relationship with God and our consciousness. We must measure all our assumptions, beliefs, and perceptions against this fact that Jesus taught: God exists within us rather than outside of us. Later, he prays that we, too, will be one with him, the Father, and each other. We can look at it less biblically, but no less true, and say the laws of the universe are flowing through us, just as they do the plants, translating our unique code into the best version of ourselves. This is looking at ourselves and the world through a clear consciousness.
A Not-So-Quick Exercise
I’ll leave you with an exercise suggested by O’Donohue. “Everything you do is guided by thoughts. An interesting question to ask yourself is, ‘What are the seven thoughts that govern, shape, and determine my life?’ What are the seven thoughts that you keep secretly coming back to? Every day, you're using thoughts all the time, whether you realize it or not. The world that you inhabit and see is shaped by the way you see it, and the way you see it is shaped by the way you think.
Then say to yourself, ‘Because I was so faithfully married to these seven thoughts, what were the seven other ones that I didn't even flirt with?’ Then you begin to get a look at what you have excluded and avoided and places that you've never even thought of going in your heart or mind or spirit.”
I think that is what Jesus meant by "repenting": altering one's thought process and changing one’s thoughts—the seven thoughts that govern our lives. In doing so, we will begin to see ourselves through a clear consciousness, and our imaginary opposition will fade away like clouds dissipating on a windy day.
Key Takeaways
There are no limitations or opposing forces at work to hold you back.
When searching for what you truly desire, don't limit yourself to the possible.
Nature flows through our human nature to produce the best versions of ourselves.
