In my quiet moments, my prayer is that each of us are filled with the Healing and Comforting Power of Spirit…that we are aware of Its Loving Presence and find Peace in our knowing.
This morning, as I read from my eclectic selections, there is a phrase calling for further contemplation: God’s purpose for you. This is not something I see used frequently in New Thought teachings. I have noticed that when it is used, there can be a sense of discomfort for those who have chosen, due to past experience, to step away from Christian terminology as part of their spiritual journey. What I know is that anything that creates resistance in me binds me. As long as I allow words to trip my trigger, I am not free. And so , in the interest of Freedom, and because I think this concept has something to offer me, I begin.
In one of my morning devotionals, today’s reading led me to Jeremiah 1:5. It said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Whenever I find myself faced with a Bible passage, I make three assumptions. First, the Bible is a set of stories in which I am every character; second, there is wisdom to be found…this is here today for a reason; and third, there is a metaphysical interpretation to be made here. As I begin to excavate, I witness a new picture taking shape. Rather than the“I” being some old guy in the sky, moving me around like a pawn in a chess game, with a plan for my life already set in stone (my left-ever interpretation from childhood), I see the “I” as the I Am that I Am, my own Inner Wisdom. With this simple replacement, a whole new meaning emerges.
Suddenly I am faced with ideas like the soul’s journey and soul contracts. What is a soul contract? One simple definition, written by blogger Amanda Linette Meder gives this explanation: “Before our births, each one of us exists in spirit form. During this time, your Spirit selects a plan for your next life that will assure you achieve the most soul growth as possible, and will include joys and achievements, challenges and losses, all specially designed for your soul to develop. The ultimate goal of all souls is to have full capacity to experience, give and receive unconditional love of the universe. All souls on Earth have a contract and are here for specific purposes.” You may or may not believe such a thing exists. My contemplation today is approaching the topic as a “What If? What would this mean for my life?
Reading the passage from Jeremiah again, it becomes even clearer. Maybe the “I” is my soul, the eternal part of me that knows its Oneness with God. What if this soul knew who I was to be before I was formed in the womb in this lifetime? What if, before I was born (or even conceived), my soul chose the traits, characteristics, and tendencies, weaknesses and strengths, which would set me apart, make me the unique and individualized expression of God that I Am? What if, before I came into this lifetime, my eternal soul made a contract…knew what would be beneficial to its own growth? What if it already had some developed qualities and some less developed that it was able to keep as it entered its new incarnation? This would not eliminate my free choice. How I choose to use my given characteristics is still my decision. In fact, it would extend free choice to the soul level…it would mean my freedom to choose is not only inherent, but eternal. Wow! What if I chose my way here, and chose the other players…parents, location, time period…all for my Highest Good? Wow!
Okay, so what about the second half of the quote from Jeremiah? “I appointed you as a prophet to the nations”? First I have to determine what a prophet is, and what is meant by nations. Webster’s defines prophet, from its Latin roots, to mean spokesman or speaker. And metaphysically, nations can be interpreted as the collection of thoughts in the mind that are to be instructed through the development of the faculties. And our faculties are those qualities we share with Divine Mind: faith, strength, wisdom, love, power, imagination, will, understanding, order/Law, zeal, renunciation, and life. Science of Mind and Spirit would call these the God Qualities. Could this part of the passage be telling me that I am made in such a way that I can use my God qualities to guide my thinking in such a way that my life becomes a message? And that the opposite is also true…if I am unaware of such qualities, and allow my thoughts to be driven by my lower aspects, my life becomes a different kind of message.
When I put the entire verse back together, here is what I hear Spirit saying: My soul is on a journey. It chose the perfect human form and life situation for its own self-discovery and growth. It brought with it already-developed qualities, traits, and tendencies. As a human, its free choice continues. Some of its learning takes place through its interactions with other humans/souls. The life of each soul in human form is a message from which others learn, by which they are affected. Having excavated this bit of ancient wisdom leaves me with a question…what is my soul’s message in this lifetime? A worthy contemplation, to be sure. This reinterpretation also leaves me with a sense of calm. All is as it should be…all is in Divine Order…all is well.
Thank you all for your time and attention. I never know where these writings will lead me. I hope that you have found your time well-spent. What I know of Spiritual Law is that there are no accidents…all is unfolding in Divine Order. And so I trust that you have found a nugget of wisdom that supports you in your journey.
May we all be well…stay in touch…know our unity…and thrive!
And may we know the Absolute Beauty and Wonder of this Grace-filled, once-in-a lifetime day…