Psalms 16:11 … The Path of Life (12/14/16)
“You will show me the Path of Life;
In your presence is the fullness of Joy.”
~ unknown (Psalms 16:11)
Actually, it is not that God will one day show us “the Path of Life”, but rather that He has already done so – not that we will one day pray devoutly enough to be shown our “true Calling” or be led to “where we are supposed to be”, but rather that we will one day realize that both of these have already been supplied us in full measure.
The “presence” mentioned here in this verse is not a religious devotion or a spiritual awareness, and it certainly is not a physical manifestation of the Essence many call “God” (floating down on some shimmering cloud to speak to us directly and tell us exactly where we are to go and exactly what we are to do once we arrive there … After all, any God worth worshiping must be composed of Love, and issuing commands while demanding obedience is not LOVE!) … No the “presence” mentioned here is the God we can in any moment choose to See in the other, just as the “fullness of Joy” mentioned here is the sheer Bliss that comes to those who have the humility to See those others in this way – and the Courage to then act accordingly.
“Love your neighbor as yourself” is a fully non-functioning edict when applied from a self-centered point of view – as there will always be a smattering of hope for reciprocation hovering over the foundation of any such “good deed” … No, we are not to love our neighbors as we ourselves wish to be loved. Instead, we are to devoutly Love our neighbors (especially strangers & our enemies) as our True Selves – we are to Love them as if they were God Himself; for that is “the Path of Life” – the only Path that brings with it the true breadth of Peace and the true fullness of Joy.
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