Seriously

When the disciples had Jesus off to themselves, they asked, "Why couldn't we throw it out?"
"Because you're not yet taking God seriously," said Jesus. "The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, 'Move!' and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle." Matthew 17:19-20

What does it mean to take God seriously? To be serious about something is to be earnest about it. Earnest means a firm and humorless belief - a knowing as I like to call it. When will we know that God is loving, caring, kind, beautiful, expansive and creative? When will we know that if we call ourselves a Christ follower that our life is dead and Christ lives, God lives life through us? If we really knew this and took it seriously our worries, our fears, our concerns would just melt away. Jesus tells us here that it only takes this "mere kernel" and we will be able to tackle anything. However, I know that many times I am like the disciples and I forget that Jesus is standing right here with me, inside me, and I forget my knowing and I am unable to accomplish anything because I worry, doubt, become angry, frustrated, and overwhelmed. I forget that what lives in me is this loving, kind, creative, beautiful, and expansive spirit that can do anything because God is the one working in me. I seem to fight against this rather than just allowing it to work and knowing that it will. My ego gets in the way and wants to assert that I am the one who is important. It is that simple and elemental - just believe, just know. This is were we have to return to, what we have to remember to live in connection to God. We have have to remember what it is to be a child.

For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, "I'm telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you're not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God's kingdom. Matthew 18:2-5

We must be like a child who just believes. I love to see the wonder in my son's eyes the first time he learns about something, the joy of enjoying each moment that he lives in, the pure joy he has in knowing that he is just fine and never doubting it, and the faith he has in life itself. Last night he responded to something we as parents said to him with this, "I am just the way God made me - see." Return to square one and take God seriously. We are just the way God made us, accept it. Know that you are full of the spirit of God, your ego is dead and that this life is God's to live and take care of. Allow God's spirit to work, don't fight against it. Take God seriously today and love, be kind, know that God is right here right now, and enjoy your moments.

Namaste'