"What the hell is heaven? Is there hope for the hopeless? Is there a home for the homeless?"
Exactly. I couldn't have said it any better. It's a line from this soulful new young singer, Brett Dennen. And it cuts to the quick of spirituality. God doesn't want our prayers and observance. God wants us to look out for one another! All the rest is just self-righteousness.
Today, do something real for someone. Make a difference in a real person's life. Prayers have their place, we know that. But they are empty if not backed up by action.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE "A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure" (Proverbs 16:9, AMP)
TODAY'S WORD from Joel and Victoria Oftentimes as children, we have dreams of the future. Dreams of being ball players and actresses, super heroes, and firemen. But most of the time, they end up just being wishful thinking. As we get older, we grow out of them. It's good to play and have dreams as children, but when we grow up, we have to know the difference between a God-given dream and a wish. I remember when I was a little boy, I dreamed of playing basketball for the Houston Rockets. That was definitely a fantasy!
But we all have dreams placed inside of us by the Creator of the Universe. In fact, the Latin word for "desire" means "from the Father." You can tell if a dream is really from God if that desire won't go away. You may have had it for years, and you still can't let it go. In fact, you may have tried to let it go, but it won't let go of you.
I encourage you to search your heart today and allow those God–given dreams to surface. He placed those desires inside of you for a purpose, and He's going to use them to direct you into the destiny He has in store for you!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY "Father in heaven, thank You for the dreams and desires You've placed within me. I submit those dreams to You and ask that You direct my steps. Search my heart and make my thoughts agreeable to Your Word and to Your plan. In Jesus' Name. Amen."
Our relationships are merely just a balance of give and take. The ideal balance is complete, meaning 50/50, but most of our relationships aren’t balanced. We’re either giving or taking too much. And in some cases, it’s a natural imbalance. A child is bound to take more from their parent than they can give back. A student will take more from their teacher than they can give – but it’s supposed to be that way.
I just found out that my mother, Karen Berg, has been invited to speak at the Women’s Conference produced by Maria Shriver in Los Angeles. This is such a profound moment and the timing fits this week’s message perfectly, for without the work that my mother did, at great risk to herself, none of this wisdom would be available to any of us. As her son, I can never give back all that she has given me, and as students we will never be able to share as much as we take. But the appreciation for what we have received is the key.
I am sure it is not a coincidence that Karen is speaking to 14,000 women at this time. The world is finally ready to hear all that she has to teach!
In most of our relationships, it’s a tug of war. Sometimes its 70/30, other times its 20/80. But the question is, how willing are we to let the imbalance persist? Are we consciously taking? Are we intentionally allowing someone to take from us?
We are way too quiet in this tug of war, because everything in our mind is relative (see last week’s tune up). We’ve made certain things acceptable and certain things unacceptable. “I’m willing to take this kind of abuse from my boss but not from my coworker.” “I’m really into this guy so I’ll take his condescension because I want the chance to be with him.”
So what’s really wrong with it, if eventually the abuse will result in reward?
Because we’re giving away our Light.
We’ll give our Light away and live in hell for 2 years for the chance of being happy in 5. I talk about this concept in more depth in the book “Spiritual Rules of Engagement”. But the long and short of the book and this week’s email is: We have to start taking control over our Light. We cannot allow other people or situations to make us happy, sad, fulfilled, or rejected.
Our energy needs to be independent of those people and things around us. Independence doesn’t mean we should live without parents, teachers, children friends or partners. In each of our relationships there will be one giver and one taker at any given moment. But in every moment, the roles of giver and taker have to change. There needs to be an effort to work towards that state of 50/50.
There are people in this world who go to work and their sole focus is to look good in front of their boss so they can get a promotion. Those people have given up their independence. When their boss gets fired, where is their Light? Gone. Where is their potential for growth? Gone. Out the door, with their boss, to whom they willingly gave over their Light.
You cannot base your success or goals on other people or situations. But you can be independent, own your energy, your Light, do whatever it takes in the position you’re in to get closer to the Light of the Creator, and care about other people. Everything else will fall into place.
Rav Ashlag, the greatest kabbalist of the last century, points out that we keep our physical house and possessions under lock and key, but our 99% possessions, our spiritual Light - we leave open, accessible and free for all to take. Its not necessarily a conscious decision – each time someone or something makes me happy or sad, I’m giving my Light away. No one and no thing should make me anything.
That’s not to say we should lock everyone out so no one can hurt us. We want to be independent, but not alone. Being independent means no one can hurt me. I have strength and I’m not afraid to be open with people and share with them. No matter what people do to me I will be ok. It may hurt, but it won’t scar because I own my Light.
This week, look for ways you’re giving your Light away. And look for ways you take from others’ Light. Be real. Be honest. And seek balance. It’s the month of Libra – let’s even out the scales.
All the best,
Yehuda
72 Name of the Week With the divine energy of this sequence of letters, I am connected to the power of the ancient high priests of the temple to heal all areas of my life—including health problems, financial difficulties, and relationship conflicts.
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE "…Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it" (Habakkuk 2:2, ESV)
TODAY'S WORD from Joel and Victoria Most businesses today have a mission statement that talks about the purpose of the company. In life, every person should also have their own mission statement. What's your purpose? What are you dreaming about? What are your goals? How are you going to use your talents and abilities? Many people have an idea about where they are headed in life, but something supernatural happens when you write down your vision and make a plan. There's a resolve that takes place on the inside of you. No longer is that thing just a dream, but now it's something you can look at every day. The people around you can see it, too. You never know how God is going to use someone in your life to help you get to where you need to be. If they can see your vision, then they can run with it!
I want to encourage you, don't just vaguely live day to day. Make the decision to write down the dreams and visions you have in your heart. Submit your plans to the Lord and watch what He will do to bring them to pass.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY "Father God, thank You for the dreams and desires You’ve placed in my heart. Direct my steps. Fill me with Your peace. Show me the purpose and plan You have for me so that I can make them clear. In Jesus' Name. Amen."
