Re:Seeking gratitude in scripture and life - 2005/04/08 00:38thdurand wrote: I took advice and fell on my face to Him and this awareness seems to be the result.
Awareness. That is the correct word!
Sleep is what our ego seeks, it seeps the bleak and freaks.
Your willingness to except guidence in your life will lead you to Jehovah. Every single thing I have asked Jehovah for (in the way in which you ask this of Jehovah now) has been given to me. Think for a second, what things has Jehovah already given you? Thank Jehovah for all that you already have recieved. Know for a fact that what you ask for now will be given to you. It already exists in spirit.
I have essentially had to struggle through life since I was born. It has not let up at all, and new things, major things, emerge all the time.
The problem is not that there are problems in life. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem. Do not fear problems--fear only the absence of creative, constructive responses to those problems.
All of this has left me really bitterly disappointed and ungrateful with life, even with the things I should be grateful for, which I feel like I could lose any moment.
Attachment to things what ever they be, will always lead to disappointment. What if you lost all things in your life, including your life? Meditate on the lose of all things and you will find freedom from attachment and the peace of God. "In dying we are born to eternal life"
I fear loss
This is just like saying "I fear surrendering to Jehovah." It truely is a lose of the former self, fleshly desires, self-identification, the story of "me". It is grasping the inreality of your ego.
I suppose fear is appropriate at this stage.
and lack gratitude because
Because, because, because, because.
You lack gratitude when you have a "because".
almost everything I consider important has not turned out the way I wanted to, so much has been taken away from me, and I have suffered so much at the hands of others.
The most important things in life cannot be taken from you. Hope, joy, peace, faith, love, Jehovah and Jesus. Those cannot be taken away. But you do have the free will to not have them.
That said, I ask myself what happens if I trust him more and give him access to more areas of my life.
Jehovah says "taste and see that I am good". Give Jehovah your whole life and you will be amazed.
Since I am still waiting for "what the locusts have eaten to be restored" I feel on a deep level that these areas will just get messed up, too.
Self fulfilled prophecy is a real thing. I encourage you to re-write that book. Stop waiting to live life to your full potiential as Jehovah has appointed to you.
I tried solving this the world's way, I suppose, in the past always looking for a way out.
Yes, each day and in many ways we seek the way out. I call it sleep. It is such a beautiful thing that we can see this. It is like the gift of the abillity to smell rotten meat. While it may not smell good it can save your life.
I don't want to do that now but I do find myself in a spot where my spirit is being dragged down due to lack of trust in Jehovah - something I long thought I had. Any suggestions from scripture or JW teaching to help me overcome this would be really helpful.
Your conscience is bothing you. Ask Jehovah what it is he wants you to see. This issue may result in your lose of many things which you may have been conditioned to think you need. Jehovah knows what you need and will provide exactly what you need at the right time always.
It is a journey. Jehovah trusts in you to make the right discisions. You can already hear him. I thank God for this gift in you.
Re:Seeking gratitude in scripture and life - 2005/04/08 08:33thdurand wrote: I fear loss and lack gratitude because almost everything I consider important has not turned out the way I wanted to, so much has been taken away from me, and I have suffered so much at the hands of others.
When you squeeze an orange what comes out? Orange juice right? It does not matter what you use to squeeze the orange still orange juice comes out. Can an orange produce apple juice? No of course not.
So no matter what pressures we face the fruit that we display is independant of out side influences.
It's like going to a doctor. The doctor says; "O boy you have got alot of symptoms". And he starts writing out perscriptions. So he proceeds to write a perscription for each symptom. When you go to leave you ask for your perscriptions but the doctor says; "No no no, I will give this one to your mother in law, this one to your nieghbor, this one to your boss, your kids etc...". I mean your the one with the strugles and difficulties. And expecting someone else to change or something out side of you to get better in order for you to make your life work at the level of divine nature is something you need to take a hard look at.
Re:Seeking gratitude in scripture and life - 2005/04/08 09:00polemotheos wrote: thdurand wrote: I fear loss and lack gratitude because almost everything I consider important has not turned out the way I wanted to, so much has been taken away from me, and I have suffered so much at the hands of others.
When you squeeze an orange what comes out? Orange juice right? It does not matter what you use to squeeze the orange still orange juice comes out. Can an orange produce apple juice? No of course not.
So no matter what pressures we face the fruit that we display is independant of out side influences.
It's like going to a doctor. The doctor says; "O boy you have got alot of symptoms". And he starts writing out perscriptions. So he proceeds to write a perscription for each symptom. When you go to leave you ask for your perscriptions but the doctor says; "No no no, I will give this one to your mother in law, this one to your nieghbor, this one to your boss, your kids etc...". I mean your the one with the strugles and difficulties. And expecting someone else to change or something out side of you to get better in order for you to make your life work at the level of divine nature is something you need to take a hard look at.
peace and love, Mars
This is pretty insightful Mars.
I like it.
Our external circumstances change as we change.
Shalom.
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polemotheos
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Re:Seeking gratitude in scripture and life - 2005/04/08 11:28Warrior wrote: This is pretty insightful Mars. I like it. Our external circumstances change as we change. Shalom. Yeah when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.
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