Are You Living or Just Existing?

Day 106- Rise & Shine ✨Together

Psalm 135: 15-18

The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them.

These words were also written in Psalm 115, they caught my attention in that psalm as well, so I was excited to see them again today. These can be interesting statements to ponder and think about what they mean. Do you feel like you have days where you are just existing, but not fully living? 🙋‍♀️. I know I do. I have been through whole seasons of life where once I got through them I look back and ask myself if I was just sleep walking? Do you know what I mean? Can you relate? What is different about those times vs times when you feel fully alive?

Feeling alive, I think this is the sweet spot that we are all searching for and when we achieve for a time we feel it, we know it! It brings with it a combination of joy, peace, integrity, alignment, excitement, purpose, meaning, love, passion, fulfillment that is about more than you something bigger and you are a contributing member of that something. Hopefully I have captured the essence of something that is hard to put into words. This is not an easy place to attain much less stay, as spiritual beings living in human bodies. For me I use the word adventure a lot, this is how I feel about life over all now, so I think I am on the right path, but that in no way means I have anything figured out, but I am excited about the journey, and I feel alive because of it!

When we are only human and we ignore or forget our spiritual natures, we become like the idols described above. Which is interesting to think about, because if you have eyes you know that you quite literally see things and if you have a mouth, you know that you also speak things. So what are they talking about here? If you have ever had a spiritual experience or moments, then you can probably understand. There are some human emotions also that take us to this next level of experience that we tap into. Like love, when we love we don’t just see a person as they are, instead we often see their full potential and possibility. Even memories of loved ones can bring this ability to see beyond our ‘sight’. Does this make sense? Hopefully it does. If not, you might be only existing and going through the motions.

I have seen examples of the other extreme too, people that are only focused on the spiritual realm and ignores, deny or denigrate the physical aspects of our very human existence. I have lived in both extremes and often swung like a giant pendulum between the two and it is exhausting. I would push myself in the name of ‘serving’ thinking I was being very spiritual, but ignoring my physical limitations and then when exhausted seek comfort and indulge in ‘over-ing’ to self soothe. I thought this was self care and I deserved it for working and serving so hard with over- drinking, over-eating, sometimes over-exercising, over-dieting. This is a punitive cycle and mindset. See if this sounds familiar to you; pour out of self to others, over indulge as self care, feel shame and guilt and then punish and pay penance by restricting food and over exercising, over working, get burnt out and start the cycle all over. If you are caught in this cycle there is another way.

This cycle does not create the sweet spot of feeling alive, it creates existing, it is death while being alive. Feeling truly alive really is a sweet spot, which is why we are all desperately trying to find it. It is why the diet industry, the self help industry, the exercise industry, and even church exist. We are all searching, endlessly searching for this elusive balance, the answers and the secret.

We have this wonderful book called the Bible, that has stood the test of time, proved to historically accurate and that is often referred to as the living word that talks about the one who came and lived a perfect and blameless life. Even those that read it and believe in it and in Him have a hard time feeling alive. But I do believe the answer to this secret is in the Bible and it is allowing the ‘word to become flesh’ in your life. You can’t do this by osmosis through other people that have done it, although that is also a good thing to do and it is helpful to get started.

In my personal journey of seeking. A critical first step for me was to let go my ‘over-ing’ ways. These were keeping me stuck in my humanness. I had to start to respect and care for my human body and vessel in am more disciplined and balanced way. Now that I am alcohol free and my appetite is becoming more balanced, I am getting good sleep and movement, have implemented some healthy boundaries around work and play; I finally feel like I am getting glimmers of what it means to be truly alive and having eyes that see, ears that hear and a mouth that speaks life as it really is a balance of spiritual and physical. We must take good care of our physical bodies and respect how we are each uniquely created so that we can fully unleash and embody our spiritual natures as God intended. My experience of being alive and how I achieve it may look very different from yours. That is why this life as a human is a journey of self discovery and we must go within so that we can live full out in true service from a place of over flow. Let me know if this makes sense or what being alive vs. existing means for you?

As I am writing this it is the in-between time of Good Friday and Easter - so appropriate, as we reflect on going from one level of existence to another level of living that is not possible without dying to the self that is often discussed in the Bible….

Journal Prompt

Let me know if this makes sense or what being alive vs. existing means for you?