the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places

“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore not popular.” (Carl Jung) 

I am hearing more chatter 

and more importantly, more folks are actually coming to me, lately, 

to purposely, overtly deal with their dark-side...

shadow, 

despair, 

deep fear/pain/shame, 

addictions, life out-of-control...

Instead of:

- I want to be fixed, well, happy, successful, abundant...

- Well, what I really want is a silver bullet to make things like they used to be, or better, or great...

Folks these days are more likely to say: 

let's deal with my dark side.

Um GREAT, and Hallelujah.

I see this as a very good sign for them, for me,

and a useful turn going on in our culture.

“The shadow goes by many familiar names: the disowned self, the lower self, the dark twin or brother in bible and myth, the double, repressed self, alter ego, id. When we come face-to-face with our darker side, we use metaphors to describe these shadow encounters: meeting our demons, wrestling with the devil, descent to the underworld, dark night of the soul, midlife crisis.” (Meeting the Shadow)

If we want to be Light.

If we want to shine Light in this world.

If we want to expereince who we really are: Whole and Complete in God.

If we want to really do, what we are here to do - what no one else can do...

Then we must say: hello darkness, my old friend.

Turn and face the dragon(s) that have been chasing us.

Make friends with our shadow.

In our Soul Evolution on this planet - individually and corporately - After living to the ultimate end of our Logical Consciousness and delving our Soul (Psychic) Consciousness;
On our way to Christ Consciousness and the beauty of Consciously living as One in the Reign (Kingdom) of God;Lies the Dark Night of the Soul - where our darkness is deeply realized and integrated. (my very poor paraphrase of Putting on the Mind of Christ: The Inner Work of Christian Spirituality)

In everyday terms, 

We must Learn from our despair, resistance, hate, hopelessness, doubt, anti-God... 

before we Heal and Grow through it, into Glory.

“The shadow, when it is realized, is the source of renewal; the new and productive impulse cannot come from established values of the ego. When there is an impasse, and sterile time in our lives—despite an adequate ego development—we must look to the dark, hitherto unacceptable side which has been at our conscious disposal….This brings us to the fundamental fact that the shadow is the door to our individuality. In so far as the shadow renders us our first view of the unconscious part of our personality, it represents the first stage toward meeting the Self. There is, in fact, no access to the unconscious and to our own reality but through the shadow. Only when we realize that part of ourselves which we have not hitherto seen or preferred not to see can we proceed to question and find the sources from which it feeds and the basis on which it rests. Hence no progress or growth is possible until the shadow is adequately confronted and confronting means more than merely knowing about it. It is not until we have truly been shocked into seeing ourselves as we really are, instead of as we wish or hopefully assume we are, that we can take the first step toward individual reality.” (Meeting the Shadow)

Where we trip, really is our treasure.

Let's Dig.

When we do, we are blessed.

And our world is also blessed by the fruit of our deep work.

“The shadow, when it is realized, is the source of renewal; the new and productive impulse cannot come from established values of the ego. When there is an impasse, and sterile time in our lives—despite an adequate ego development—we must look to the dark, hitherto unacceptable side which has been at our conscious disposal….This brings us to the fundamental fact that the shadow is the door to our individuality. In so far as the shadow renders us our first view of the unconscious part of our personality, it represents the first stage toward meeting the Self. There is, in fact, no access to the unconscious and to our own reality but through the shadow. Only when we realize that part of ourselves which we have not hitherto seen or preferred not to see can we proceed to question and find the sources from which it feeds and the basis on which it rests. Hence no progress or growth is possible until the shadow is adequately confronted and confronting means more than merely knowing about it. It is not until we have truly been shocked into seeing ourselves as we really are, instead of as we wish or hopefully assume we are, that we can take the first step toward individual reality.” (Meeting the Shadow)

.

Spiritually grow into LOVE, with Grace and Ease

Being OK with, and from there Loving, All that shows up

starts with BEing OK, with ourselves

and from there, Loving Ourselves.

Another way to say this is:
Being IN Love, Being Love with my sisters and brothers
starts with knowing I am OK in God
and from there, letting God love me.

For most of us, this is HARD.

Possibly Impossible.

I have found it is easier to be ok with myself, love myself;

when I am standing on a good foundation.

When I am identifying spiritually and in a spiritual consciousness, not merely flesh/ physical.

Another way to say this is:

I have found it is easier to know I am OK in God, and let God love me;

when I am standing on my true spiritual foundation.

Identifying with who I am spiritually, in God; and putting on the Mind of Christ (not merely flesh/ physical consciousness).

.

I interfaced this week with a man who means well,

and identifies as spiritual, as Christian.

But is very spiritually sensitive in certain ways, 
and therefore feels all the lies that people live.

He judges them, and presumably himself, for this very human pattern.

He identifies as someone who dislikes humankind and avoids human society.

Interfacing with him, helped me see, that most of us do this, to a degree 
(but we don't own it like he does ;)

We judge ourselves and others and the world, and God....

because 'how it is' doesn't measure up to our 'pictures'/ beliefs/ concepts 
of how we/ they/ it should be/ behave.

This is how most of us operate on the physical, in our everyday consciousness.
Judging that we do this doesn't help.  
It does help to note this is garden-variety human behavior ;)

.

BUT
It IS missing the mark.

Much more IS possible for our lives!

for our ability to BE with ourselves, others, this reality, God...

We can choose a trajectory that helps us get out of our own way:

• to BE
• to BE with
• to BE in compassion
• to Love
• to DO sweetness in the world, from there...

BTW,
This is not possible from a physical consciousness and identity.

Let me say it again:

This is not possible from a physical consciousness and identity.

The best the flesh/body can do in this direction, no matter how well-meaning, 

is strive to act 'good', pretense, hypocrisy = wearing the mask.


If one Believes God is Love, Another way to say this is:
the mind of the flesh is hostile to God...
Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God. 
Romans 8: 7, 8

.

BUT, meanwhile, it is very possible, as Spirit:

We can allow ourselves to 

Grow SPIRITUALLY into LOVE, with Grace and Ease.

Another way to say this is:
In the Spirit walk ye, and the desire of the flesh ye may not complete; 
for the flesh doth desire contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit contrary to the flesh...
And the fruit of the Spirit is: Love, joy, peace...
(from my favorite chapter of the Bible, since my teens) Galatians 5 (16, 17, 22)

.

From a spiritual perspective,

as we grow into a spiritual consciousness,

and we learn to identify as spirit in flesh...

(not just an evolved animal run by thoughts, beliefs, feelings, experiences, other people's programming, etc.)

We can grow into consciously being

OK with, 
and from there Loving All Our Relations

... including ourselves.

.

May we allow ourselves to 
May we allow God to

Spiritually grow us into LOVE, with Grace and Ease.

Amen, 

Wendy

... I think it is all about receiving Love spiritually,
and letting it pass through us to others...

kind of like spiritually, beholding and reflecting the Glory,

but a different spelling is:

spiritually, beholding and reflecting LOVE.

BTW, this post is one response to this FB post.

Trusting God or mammon

It is hard to stay focused on God,

when stress is high,

when time is tight,

when to-do's mount up,

when money is challenging...

What wins?

Physical reality, and its exigencies

OR

spiritual reality - the reign/kingdom of God/Heaven.

.

When stress is high, I most need to keep my eyes on God.

But it is hard, as a human, caring for a body.

Money challenges have been very close to the bone for me for the last year

- and for much of my life.

SO, let's say hello to this, for a bit, today...

.

mammon

"the treasure a person trusts in" 

- the idol of riches, money, possessions

13 No servant can serve two masters:
for either he will hate the one, and love the other;
or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.- Luke 16

This is as important today, as it was when Jesus talked about it

The worship of money, if anything, has increased.

And us bringing the will of God on earth as it is in heaven... suffers

.

Meanwhile we need money, 

we live in this World, in this reality, 

in the current economy.

It's kind of like having to learn subtle cues and balance and agency from within us, spiritually.

For something like, say, food addiction.

Because in that we need to learn to eat well and healthy,

but not to make food the center of our lives, 
not be driven by food, not to 'live to eat, instead of eat to live'. 

So we have to find a way to be aligned with ourselves and with God around food,

because we can't just avoid it.

.

Similarly, around money;

which has so much to do with survival,

as well as looking good, and power in the world, success, etc.

It's so complicated, and it's so intense.

Utilizing our relationship with money,

as a way to understand how we're living,

and how much were really focused on God;

And the how much were following God step-by-step...

this is really useful stuff, IMO/E.

Being secure in the arms of Mammon 

feels so much easier than

just trusting God...

that what I need will come, in time for when I need it.

For me, the answer always lies in the scripture below.

It can be a challenging road,

to trust, to allow my need to be met,

not what I think my many needs are ; )

and in God's time...

aye!

Yet, this is what I really want, really choose:

31 seek ye the reign of God,
and all these things shall be added to you.
- Luke 12 (from the section 'do not worry' ;)

.

what say you?

.

Don't let go until you are blessed

Many thanks to john pavlovitz and his ministry.  
This is my response to his post: The Faith Crisis Epidemic in America:

::::

I agree, there is a Faith Crisis Epidemic in America.

And as challenging, saddening, and confronting as this all is, 

I believe it is (in the big picture) good news.

The body of Christ is called forward.

These things just don't cut-it anymore - for more and more Christians:

- Just intellectually believing some things about God, 

- Just socially gathering with others who believe as we do, 

- Just praying for change, but basically wanting to stay the same 

- to not grow and deepen spiritually, 

- to not die and be reborn spiritually every day, 

- to not walk with Jesus  - who is here, now spiritually - in our real lives, step-by-step ...

These things just don't cut-it anymore - for more and more Christians.

Bless all the cultural Christians encouraging horrible thoughts and behaviors, and complicit in mundane atrocities... 

for helping so many see: 

just doing religion - even religion in the name of Christ - just doesn't cut it any more.

We are called to grow up in God.

And growing pains are normal.

And just like adolescence, just like early adulthood 

(just like most stages of life, and the transitions between them ; )

This stage of spiritual growth, this transition is for many tumultuous, confronting, painful, fear inducing, full of doubt, insecurity, un-sureity...

The good news is 

- nothing is wrong, 

- we are still children of God, always have been, always will be

- we are still dancing our lives with and within Spirit - there is nowhere else to go, there IS nowhere else.

It's just really hard, for most of us, to spiritually grow up.

The good news is 

- there is Abundant Life beyond the old structures, formulas, belief systems, identifications...

It's just really hard, for most of us, to spiritually grow up.

It helps, I believe, to have mature folks - folks a bit ahead on this spiritual path - around to say:

- It's ok, you're ok, just keep going.

- There is a method to the madness - you don't see it yet, that's ok.

- Do what you have to, to stay in the game. And 

- Keep choosing Light, Love, Truth,  Life, the Way that is uniquely yours. (Whatever of these words/realities that make any sense, choose that.)

God is still here, 

but God isn't who you thought God was.

Your Path is still here, 

it just isn't the Path you thought it was.

It's ok, God is bigger, your Path is better, than you ever thought  

-> you can live-into that.

Yes, for now it sucks... just keep going.

We cannot see the Glory that is before us, that is within us...

until we do.

And until the sun rises again, and the Light shines - we just have to press-on through the darkness.

So much BS can fall-away, old belief-systems and formulas, and structures and identity...

But meanwhile you have experienced God in amoung all the claptrap.

You have experienced the presence of God and the reality of God's unending love for you, along the way.  

Hold on to your direct experience of God - in the past, in the present and for the future...

-> Hold on to that without trying to understand it. 

-> Hold on to the hem of God's robe, to the experience of God's trailing Glory.

-> Just hold on, and follow, bumble-around, trust even though you may not know the way or understand the goal.

Yes, for now it sucks, just keep going.

You may have heard:

Our God is a consuming fire, who burns up everything that is not God
(I have more to say about this central theme, on another blog) 

This can be excruciating.
(from the Latin: crux, cruc- ‘a cross’)
And yes, we must pick up our cross if we want to follow Jesus!
We just don't know ahead of time what the cross will look-like... surprise :)

This IS the ride you signed up for - deepening into God, maturing in God, bringing the Light into the world, following Jesus...

It might seem like you are getting the opposite, going in the opposite direction - but you are not, 

so I recommend that you ask God to help you relax and not fight it - it will go easier on you.

I encourage you to 

Walk out into the seeming void,
you will not fall forever, you will find the rock beneath...

The Rock beneath is your more direct expereince of the presence and love, the inviting/leading and sweet nurturing of the Living God.

No matter what you are experiencing, 

please keep going.

I encourage you to 

be willing to let go of everything, anything, 

except God alone - not theories, structures, formulas, belief systems... identities laid upon God - 

just God alone.

And don't let go until you are blessed.

Blessings on your unique journey,

Wendy

PS - My favorite Christian Teacher, the late Dr Bruce Morgan (who - by his life, his research and honest sharing - gave me encouragement to live-through so much darkness... into so much Light)

shared this many times, and I share: this quote from Jung - in the hopes it may encourage:

"Dear Frau Frobe,

...There can be no resolution, only patient endurance of the opposites which ultimately spring from your own nature. You yourself are a conflict that rages in itself and against itself, in order to melt its incompatible substances, male and female, in the fire of suffering, and thus create that fixed and unalterable form which is the goal of life. Everyone goes through this mill, consciously or unconsciously, voluntarily or forcibly. We are crucified between the opposites and delivered up to the torture until the 'reconciling third' takes shape. Do not doubt the rightness of the two sides within you, and let whatever may happen, happen. The apparently unendurable conflict is proof of the rightness of your life. A life without inner contradiction is either only half a life or else a life in the Beyond, which is destined only for the angels. But God loves human beings more than the angels.

With kindest regards,

C.G. Jung"

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Being the Captain of our Lives? (Yes! Owning our Free-will is KEY in our Spiritual Walk)

.

I believe owning our Free-will is KEY in our Spiritual Walk.
Spiritually taking Authority, having Dominion...
I call this Seniority - Being the Captain of our Lives

Some disagree that we should be in Charge of our own lives -
They say that God is to be in control of our lives, not us.

I hear the point,
but I think we are speaking different languages, using different paradigms
- so let’s dig deeper.  From my perspective:

->

To-day, oh that ye would hear his voice! Harden not your heart - Psalm 95

I need my free-will to follow God.

God gave me free-will.
If i give it away (to my spouse, to my minister, to ‘public opinion’, to my thoughts or emotions)
then how can I choose to follow God? 

I cannot choose to follow God
if there is too much in the way of choosing.
I have no choice, I am not in charge!

On the other hand, if I am the Captain of my Ship (the life and will and power and talents, etc that God gave me)
then when the Admiral sends orders to sail to Iwo Jima - I can do it, and I can do it Now. 

If I am not the Captain of my Ship - maybe, maybe someday I can figure out how to Iwo Jima,
but I will have missed the blessing of fully engaging NOW in the process of God’s unfolding Glory.
God cannot count on me to show up, to do say, act… now.

When God says go Left, I want to go Left, period.
No messing around.

But if I have to worry about what the old pickle-faced lady from church will say,
or I have too much fear to trust God long-enough to lead me into the seeming-void…
Then I am constantly tripping on my own crap, I cannot follow God.

I believe, If we don’t have our free-will,
we cannot consciously, freely, easily, playfully follow God, in this reality/ here & now.

->

For all creation, gazing eagerly as if with outstretched neck,
is waiting and longing to see the manifestation of the sons of God. - Romans 8

I need my free-will to become a spiritual adult.

Every healthy parent wants their children to Grow Up, to become themselves, to take the reins of their lives as much as they can.

God calls us to Teleios - to become whole and complete - to become who we are, to manifest into the world what is only-now hidden in God, to become the oak that waits in the acorn.

But, If we don’t have our free-will,
we cannot grow-up spiritually.

We cannot mature into who God made us to be and called us to do;
If we are not “allowed” to walk where God calls us to walk.

In addition, learning to walk looks like falling down.
If we are not “allowed” to fall-down, we are really stuck in spiritual infancy.

I believe if we don’t have our free-will,
we cannot grow-up spiritually, become ourselves and do what we are here to do.

->

your eyes will behold your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you,
"This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left. - Isaiah 30

I need my free-will to see & hear the Living God, Today

If we don’t have our free-will,
our soul cannot learn to see the gentle leading of God,
we cannot learn to spiritually discern/distinguish between the Light and the Darkness.

It takes something to open to our soul senses and abilities.
For most of us, we have to choose it, and allow God to lead us deeper -
help us open to comfortably utilizing our soul senses and abilities.

Jesus said, his sheep know his voice,
but we cannot, will not if we willfully keep wool in our ears!

God is Spirit,
and it behooves those worshiping Him to worship in spirit and truth. - John 4

God is Spirit, and God as spirit resides within us.
We must learn to sense this subtle spiritual expereince.
This is a challenge, and everything in our world fights against it: "the world, the flesh, and the Devil"

We need to learn to ride the horse of our spiritual expereince,
without being thrown off,
without being carried away...

We must learn to choose:

• to attend to our spiritual experience and identity, 
• to trust our unique expereince of God,
• to turn-up and down our spiritual experience comfortably, 
• to discern: how to focus, who to/ who not-to listen-to, where to stand to receive spiritual information comfortably in our physical body... etc etc.

I have much expereince in this realm,
for myself, and equipping and inspiring many others.

I believe if we don’t have our free-will,
we cannot comfortably and usefully access our spiritual information and abilities.

->

There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God...
Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest - Hebrews 4

Let's Conclude: Owning our Free will is KEY in our spiritual walk.
I could go on and on about how central our free-will is in our dance with God, but this is enough for now.

If we are ever to become spiritual Mothers and Fathers,
we must take-on the spiritual choice/ healing/ battle to regain this most precious gift of our free-will and then spiritually exercise it to gain strength, endurance, flexibility, balance…

As we grow-into our Spiritual Seniority,
we have the mettle to utilize the Keys to the Kingdom that Jesus offers us...

In that way, powerfully and effectively doing the reparative work we are here to do:
together with God, inviting our wholeness into this reality: for ourselves, each other, all of creation... in glorious connection with God...
transforming our world, as we are each transformed, in the Love/ Light/ Life/ Truth/ Way of God.

.
Spiritually being Senior, taking Authority, having Dominion...
takes something - it doesn't just happen.
We must CHOOSE, DO IT:  TAKE back our free will and GROW into our Seniority.

We are not called to just sit and wait for the heaven-train.
This is a Travesty in modern Christianity, IMO/E.

We are called to become spiritual adults and spiritually co-create our world with God.
Being the Captain of our Lives.
Owning our Free-will is KEY in our Spiritual Walk!

Are you willing?
If so, Truly ask God and Receive, Seek and Find, Knock and it is Opened to you.

There are many paths God can lead you on this exciting journey of:

• continually getting your free-will back
• taking-on your Spiritual Authority - Seniority - Dominion
• growing-into your Spiritual Maturity

• opening-to blessings and direction from the Living God, in present time, with your ears to hear and eyes to see where God leads.
• receiving your Keys to the Kingdom and shifting this world...

If you need some assistance, be in touch, this is my ministry.

Blessings on your Unique Path!
Wendy

the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing,
and forceful people have been seizing it. - Matthew 11

The Way Jesus Loved - and we can too!

I've been having a bit of a challenging morning.

We enjoyed a sweet Women's Circle last night,
and sometimes after leading programs where shifts happen and new possibilities open for myself and for others...

Spiritually, I experience push-back from within myself 
and from external forces that don't agree-with the Light. 

This can feel shitty
- like fear, like pain, like invalidation, like I SUCK... 
Until I regain my sea legs, and take the helm again ; )

.
Fortunately, something Jesus showed me a couple years ago, just came to mind.
And of course it is helping open to the Light.

Jesus showed me a way in which he lived,
and in which it serves us humans to live:

IN Love!

IN/ With/ As/ Filled-up with God's Love,
overflowing with the spiritual experience of Oneness,
experiencing our Wholeness and Completeness directly from our Source!

Jesus showed me:
when I come to my relationships full - overflowing with Love,

I am free to just love - period.

I am free to fall into Love.
To more and more easily & naturally love God, love myself, love my body, love my life, love the humans & all my relations, love my path, love Momma Earth, love all of Life, love ALL... 
just as we are and just as we're not.

In this consciousness, I am free. 

I am free to align and follow the Light where it leads.

.

When I come to Life empty, needing, focused on my brokenness, etc.

- I cannot truly love. 
- I'm in a much too self-centered, precarious, vulnerable expereince, to call it love.

I am not aligned with/IN the Light, 
I am off-track, 
I am screwed.

I am, of course, always falling off this horse 
(of BEing IN the Soul expereince of Love)
and eventually, gratefully falling back on the horse... repeat.

Being IN the spiritual experience of Love,

gets me out of the way - Life is Not About ME.

From there, I remember: I am FREE to be, to do.

.

This is crazy empowering, and life-changing, IMO/E, 
so I will say it again:

When I am IN Love,

I get out of the Way.

I Realize my Freedom to Be, to Do.

Regardless if *I* am tempted to like or hate me.

Regardless if *they* agree or judge me.

Regardless if I seem successful or not - etc.

I am free to Love, to Validate, to Heal, 
to be IN Light, to follow the Way God leads.

When I let the River of Life, Love, Truth, God... flow through me 
- I am well, and all manner of things are well.

I easily share this cascade of Love with all I meet, I can't really help it.

I really appreciate when I am in that place, IN Love.

.

Now let me go find that horse - it ran off somewhere ;)

Blessings on your Unique Path,
Wendy

{Guest Post) Listen. The Spirit speaks.

Guest Post: Jo Hilder

God speaks. And you hear His voice. 
You do. 
But do you recognise His voice?

We are trained early and consistently by those who wish to lead us that our inner voice cannot be trusted, that we need another to teach us and guide us. 

But Jesus Himself promised to go away and send us a Helper. 
We need only ask for His help, and we will receive it. 
There is no trick to hearing the Holy Spirit speak. 

The skill is in silencing the mind. 
And in trusting. 

When you have learned to distrust the still, small voice and look always to an outside source to bring your truth to you, 
when you have only ever heard a jumble of mixed messages when you look to the silence within, 
any confident person who can string three sensible words together will be able to lead you anywhere they want you to go.




But that's not for you.

Listen. Listen. The Spirit speaks.

Selah, my friends.
Jo

Guest Post: Jo Hilder

Jo is an Australian writer, coach and speaker: website.
She shepherds a highly-interactive & nourishing FB group: Free-range Christians

The Word of God: from Glory to Glory!

From my perspective:

• The bible is not God. 
• Reading the bible is not a substitute for Adventuring with the living God.
• The bible is not the point, it is a tool.
• The bible is a message of Hope and Glory, or falling down and getting back up, it is a signpost to Choose Life.

I believe that the main point of the bible
is to point us to a real, intimate, 2-way relationship with the Living God,
and from there with each other, and our world.

I believe

• The 'Word of God' is not the bible.
• When the bible speaks of the 'Word of God' it means the actual present-time Expression (and therefore Presence and Blessing) of the Living God (which Jesus IS one expression of)
• The 'Word of God' is Not some vestigial words in a book...
• God did not get laryngitis 2,ooo years ago ; )

If interested: Please check out this Bible search of 'Word of God' here

IMO, the point of the bible is NOT reading about someone else, a long time ago, doing the spiritual equivalent of...

• having the best relationship of their lives, 
• the best dinner of their lives, 
• the best sex of their lives, 
• the best dance of their lives,  
• the most intimate conversation of their lives, 
• the most sublime and Real expereince of their lives...

Rather to inspire US to DO IT!!!!
To spiritually:

• allow God to explode/implode within and around us.
• allow God to open the eyes & ears of our Soul to spiritual reality / Christ Consciousness /  the Kingdom (Reign) of God/Heaven...
• allow God to lead us personally and fill us wholly in our Soul's Light, Way, Truth, Life

To spiritually:

• step into the direct experience of God ourselves
• Live that Adventure,
• Die & resurrect along the unique road that we are led,

as So many before us have, from Glory to Glory.

God's Word creates the world, creates us, creates all possibility.
Living with, in and through the Word of God: God's Being, God's Doing, God's Presence, God's Gifts feed us, clothe us and set us free.

If we are not getting IN this Blessing;
If we are not BEing & DOing in Alignment with God,
by being with, in and though the Word of God,
We are squandering our life - and it isn't the fun kind of squandering!

If INSIDE OURSELVES:

• we are less-than Enthusiastic, less than Hope-Full, less than Free...
• we are not living in Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Gentleness, Humility, Kindness, Moderation, Faith...

There is a Reason for This!
This is a sign that we are are not in alignment with God, we are missing the mark, missing the boat, missing the Blessing of what Life Can Be.

When we are in alignment with God:

• The Fruit of the Spirit is the fruition, the blossoming, the mature expression of the Life of God with, in and through us!
• We walk and talk and are filled-with the expereince of the Living God: we Live Life Abundantly! 

When we choose not to do this:

• Our life can feel like trying to drive with an empty gas-tank, without a map or cell phone or money, in a scary part of town at night... 
• It is no surprise that our expereince of life can become merely "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short."

Therefore, I exhort us all to : Choose Life, Real Life, the Life we are made-for, the Life that is waiting for us: Living with, in and through the present-time, personal Word of the Living God, a juicy Relationship with God, from Glory to Glory!

thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it.
- http://biblehub.com/isaiah/30-21.htm