“We carry inside us the wonders we seek outside us.” – Rumi

+++

Listen to my song “The Way You Are” on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Support my ministry by purchasing my songs and books (Mercy Reigns & Listen to Your Heart). Thank you!

+++

Romans 15:14

I myself am convinced about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness.

+++

St. Paul intuits a sacred truth: At our core, we are good.

Unfortunately, a large portion of the Christian tradition has seemed to embrace the opposite, teaching that we are basically rotten.

This has been like a poison sabotaging many lives.

Religious leaders seemed to have decided to focus on the second creation story in the bible found in Genesis chapters two and three, instead of focusing on the first creation story found in the first chapter of Genesis.

In the first story, God pauses throughout the creation process to say that it is good.

In the final verse, God looks at all of creation and finds it very good.

Do you know that at your spiritual-soul-core, you are very good?

What a difference this would make if we embraced this story!

Not that there isn’t a moral to the second story of creation as there certainly is.

We do have free will which can result in evil choices.

We are all here to learn about love and learn how to love.

But our original blessing cannot be overlooked.

This is why Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son.

The father in the story, the God figure, shows his wayward son total and complete unconditional love as he returns because God only sees our inner core of goodness.

We certainly learn from our sinful choices that they hurt us and hurt others.

The repercussions from these choices are real and of deep significance for our learning.

They also, many times, become the very things that transform us for the better as we encounter God’s mercy and grace.

As Jesus stated at the start of his ministry in the Gospel of Mark, “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

Repent means to turn around, change your direction, change your selfish ways.

Turn towards God who is love itself (1 John 4:8).

Jesus was only able to make this statement after first hearing that he was God’s beloved (Mark 1:11).

You, also, need to hear God’s voice telling you, “You are my beloved.”

At your core, you are connected to the Divine.

Believe in the gospel!

+++

Listen to the song of the day “The Way You Are” on the Mercy Reigns album by clicking HERE.

Stream and/or purchase my songs on Amazon Music by clicking HERE.

Purchase my new book “Listen to Your Heart: A Daily Devotional of Calling, Purpose and New Life” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Purchase my book “Mercy Reigns: A Daily Devotional of Compassion, Comfort and Healing” on Amazon by clicking HERE.

Remember: God loves you!