Whole and Complete

"And thus in our Substance we are full, and in our Sense-soul we fail."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 57)

Our spirits are always complete and perfect in God, even if our outer thoughts and actions fail to be complete or perfect. In other words, we are complete in Christ even if we are broken, and we are perfect in Christ even if we fail. For our identity doesn't come from our behavior, which is changeable from day to day. Our identity comes from who God made us, from our true nature, from our spirit, the core part of us that is of God and in union with God. When we act out, we are really acting according to who we are not, rather than who we are. For who we really are is perfect and complete, whole and good. Even when we feel we are at our lowest and have failed too much to be salvaged, God still sees the best in us, still sees His image in us! Even when we are seemingly damaged beyond repair, He still calls us whole, never giving up on us, never failing to believe in us! He just keeps reminding us who He made us, who we really are. We can truly never fail or be failures in His eyes!

So when we sometimes make mistakes, let us not call ourselves bad or evil. Let us keep calling ourselves good and complete, for that is our true self. Let us see ourselves and everyone around us not as the words or behaviors they sometimes exhibit, but as the whole and good creations of God that they truly are. Let us not judge or reject ourselves or other people but instead give the benefit of the doubt and welcome them, looking for the good rather than the bad. Let us see the best in ourselves and other people, for that is what God does!

If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (TLB)

A Prayer: Thank You for always reminding me of my true identity as Your child, made in Your perfect image of goodness and love! Let me see every other person for who You made them, too, and build them up in love!

Noble Substance

 "And anent (with regard to) our Substance He made us noble, and so rich that evermore we work His will and His worship....We are that which He loveth, and do that which Him pleaseth, lastingly without any stinting (ceasing).." 

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 57)

God made our substance, or spirit, as beautiful, good and wonderful as could be. We are noble and rich, full of God's gifts and virtues that He blessed our spirit with in its creation. As our spirit is of God's own Spirit, it follows that our spirit is noble, beautiful, and good, for it is in the image of God and of God. This is our true nature: noble, beautiful and good. In our spirit we are oned to and aligned with God, moving always in concert and harmony with Him, and so are lovely and well-pleasing, always wanting, willing and working what is good. Sometimes it is difficult to believe such good things about ourselves, but this is who God made us, in His image and likeness, reflecting His nature, and radiating His own love and beauty. It is true that this lovely spirit in humanity has often been covered over by many wrong thoughts, words and actions, but it is still present. We can look around us at the beautiful people God made and know that deep down in our spirits, humanity is pure and lovely, that there is a basic goodness about people.  We can look around us at people, even the broken and troubled ones, even the ones trapped in hurtful beliefs or actions, and see the goodness of God and the presence of God. Every person is a beautiful little light of God, no matter how dim that light sometimes becomes. God never gives up on His little lights. Christ has come to free us to truly shine with God's light from within us, as we were always meant to and made to by nature. Let us see the best in people, and affirm and foster that good and holy light within everyone we meet!

"Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

John 1:3-5 (NIV)

A Prayer: Let me see the light of Your face shining out from every person I meet!

Rest, Strength, Love

"For our soul sitteth in God in very rest, and our soul standeth in God in very strength, and our Soul is kindly rooted in God in endless love."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 56)

Sometimes we feel so upset, anxious or stressed, but then God brings us to quiet down and causes us to rest. And it is His own presence in us that is rest and peace to us. Other times we may feel so weak, failing and vulnerable, but then God rises up within us in strength and might and we know that He will make us to stand against anything. For it is His own presence that is our strength and support. And in those times when we feel so lonely, forsaken and unworthy, He gently reminds us that He loves us just as we are with a love that never fades or runs out. For He is the love that truly fills our hearts. So we see that we don't have to work up peace, strength or love by our own efforts or even faith, because God is already here being all those things inside us. Nothing is required of us to have God's presence, or His peace or power or love. We just have it, already, right now, by grace. We are at rest in God, right now. We are strong in God, right now. We are loved by God, right now. That's who He is in us. He is all we need Him to be, as He freely pours Himself out in love to us at every moment! 

"I find rest in God."

Psalm 62:5 (EXB)

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart."

Psalm 73:26 (NIV)

"You have been rooted and grounded in love.."

Ephesians 3:17 (NET)

A Prayer: Thank You for being the peace, and strength and love I need in every situation!

God Tells Us Who We Are

"God is nearer to us than our own Soul."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 56)

God is closer to us than we are to ourselves. He knows us better than we even know ourselves. He is the authority on our true identity. So let's hear His word to us, telling us who we are. We don't need to listen to other voices telling us who we are when His voice carries the most weight and gives us the most accurate picture of our identity, even sending His Son to earth to show us what we look like, the blueprint we are made from. So all we need is to listen to God and let Him tell us who we are. And He says that we are just like Christ in this world. He says we are beautiful, we are beloved, we are innocent, we are good. He says we are perfect, we are pure, we are precious, we are special. He says we are complete, we are whole, we are holy, we are worthy. He says we are sweet, we are valued, we are acceptable, we are righteous. Let us say what God says about us: "We are children of God. We are one with Christ and Christ is our true identity. We are more than conquerors just as Christ is. We are as righteous, holy and perfect as Christ is. We are as dearly loved and wanted as Christ is. We are as complete and whole as Christ is. We are the sons and daughters of God, in whom He is well-pleased."

"Live your life overwhelmed by God's opinion of you!"

1 Corinthians 10:31 (MIRROR)

"As He is, so are we in this world."

1 John 4:17 (AMP)

A Prayer: You know me.

We Are In God

"For our Soul is so deep-grounded in God, and so endlessly treasured, that we may not come to the knowing thereof till we have first knowing of God, which is the Maker, to whom it is oned."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 56)

We really can't think of ourselves apart from God or think of God apart from ourselves, for we are oned to God and IN God our Maker. We exist only and always in God, treasured and loved, always embraced in God's loving presence. We don't face anything alone, for we are in God, and God faces everything together with us. In fact, nothing comes to us in our lives without coming to God first.  Every lack or need we have is already filled because we are in God, and God is full and lacks nothing. If we want to know who we are we can only truly know ourselves as being IN God. Our whole identity is wrapped up in Him.

So we can say with assurance: "I am in God. It is a fact of my existence. I cannot think of myself apart from God. I don't live anywhere else but in God. I don't do anything apart from Him. I don't face anything apart from Him. There is not "me," there is "we."   I am accepted and I am embraced. I am protected and I am safe. I am filled and I am blessed. My whole life is wrapped up in God. My whole identity is in Him who is Love. I am held by Love, I am wrapped up in Love, I am sustained by Love, I am one with Love, I am identified in Love!"

"Whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit."

1 Corinthians 6:17 (NIV)

A Prayer:  It is a relief to know that I cannot be apart from You. It is a relief to know we have always been together!

All the Gifts

 "And all the gifts that God may give to creatures, He hath given to His Son Jesus for us: which gifts He, dwelling in us, hath enclosed in Him.."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 55)

He has given us all He has to give, and He has given it to us in His Son. The Father holds nothing back from the Son, and He holds nothing back from us, for in Christ we are co-heirs with the Son. He already gave us all He could possibly give to His human creations, every spiritual blessing, not a few or some blessings, but all. And they all in Christ, and Christ is in us. There is nothing that is missing and nothing more that is needed. He shall supply all our needs through Christ in us, not a few needs or some needs, but all. He shall do it, not may or might, but shall. We are not in lack or deficient. We are not having to beg and plead with God to help us. We are not having to work and labor and wrestle to try to get God to open His hand and give to us. He already gave us everything by giving us His own Son, and everything else in Him. Christ is not lacking in any way. He is not missing out on any blessing. He has and is an infinite supply of everything that we could possibly need. An infinite supply means more than enough, filled to overflowing, in absolute abundance! We have all the love and joy and peace we could handle for we have Christ's own love, joy and peace. For every situation, we have more than enough strength and wisdom and victory, for He is all that in us right now.  We have flowing through us all the patience and understanding and kindness we could ever want, for it is Christ Himself living those things out in us. All the wholeness and completeness and perfection of Christ is in us, as well. Christ gave His own life for us, so of course He would give us and be for us anything else we could ever need after that! 

"Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Through Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer."

Ephesians 1:3 (GW)

"My God will richly fill your every need in a glorious way through Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:19 (GW)

A Prayer: You are truly more than enough in any situation I face. I have more than enough and am filled to overflowing with blessing because I have You!

Never Out of the Soul

"For God is never out of the soul: in which He dwelleth blissfully without end."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 55)

God is always in us. And He is blissful about being there! No matter where life takes us or even how badly we feel we mess up our lives, He loves being in us and He isn't going anywhere. He is always there inside, truly enjoying being with us, no matter how lost or alone we may feel, no matter how much we may doubt His presence. None of that matters to Him. He simply loves being in us, and it's a permanent commitment! We are where He wants to be, where He likes to be, where He enjoys being. God enjoys living our life with us. He enjoys going with us through our day, laughing with us at the silly things we find funny, meeting the people we meet, watching the beauty of a sunset, hugging a pet, playing with a little child. God loves living in us and radiating love and support to us at every moment, being all we need in every moment. We might see ourselves as messed up or unlovable, but He simply sees us as beautiful and worthy of love. He wants us to know how happy He is with us, how happy He is to be here with us, sharing each and every moment. Right now, in this ordinary moment in time, in the midst of whatever we are going through, in whatever state we find ourselves, He is happy to be here with us, in us. For we are each His favorites, and every moment with us is priceless to Him. He wouldn't miss a single one. He loves loving us and He will always be our biggest supporter and friend. God is never ever out of our soul.  He never has been and never will be. How dear each of us is to our wonderful loving God!

"I am with you."

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

A Prayer: Remind me how special I am to You.

Full Assurance

"For I saw full assuredly that our Substance is in God, and also I saw that in our sense-soul God is." 

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 55)

Sometimes we can feel that we are far from God, that God is absent, that there is a barrier between us and God, or that there is something separating us from relationship with God. But deep inside, Christ is saying to us, "I am here. I never leave you or forsake you." We are one with God. We are in Him and He is in us. This is the truth of our being, of our existence. The deepest reality of our lives is that we are in union with God in a love relationship that is perfect and whole and that can never be changed, no matter what we do, no matter what happens to us, no matter what! There is nothing that could ever come between us and God. Our relationship is perfect and complete right now and it always will be. We are bonded together. We are family and family is permanent. We belong together. We are in a place of complete acceptance and love with no conditions. We are safe. We are home. This is our full assurance!

"Be happy, because God has said this: ‘I will never leave you; I will always be there with you.’"

Hebrews 13:5 (EASY)

A Prayer: Thank You that there is never anything between us. 

More in Heaven

"And notwithstanding all our feeling of woe or weal, God willeth that we should understand and hold by faith that we are more verily in heaven than in earth."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 55)

We walk around here on earth, but we are really in heaven. We were raised with Christ up to heavenly places, where we now sit with Him as He reigns over all. We may not see it, feel it, or believe it, but we are more in heaven than on earth, and we are already reigning with Christ. No matter what we are going through, no matter how we feel, no matter how we're doing, we can boldly say: "I may have trouble here, but Jesus has already overcome this world for me. I may have struggles and failures, but I am the righteousness of God in Christ and perfected forever. I may have problems, but Jesus always makes me to walk in triumph. I may have things against me, but God is for me and so nothing can really be against me. I may be a broken person in many ways, but I am whole and complete in Christ. I may feel sickness or pain, but in Him I am well and healthy. I am safe in the Father's arms. I am unconditionally loved and accepted. I am in the perfect heavenly family. I am an heir of God and royalty. I am living a heavenly life. I have already won. I am enjoying the happy ending already in Christ. I am at rest with Christ on His heavenly throne. I am basking in glory. I have fullness of joy. I am more in heaven than on earth."

"As Christ himself is seen for who he really is, who you really are will also be revealed, for you are now one with him in his glory!"

Colossians 3:4 (TPT)

"God raised us up with Christ, so that we now sit with Christ in heaven."

Ephesians 2:6 (EASY)

"Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One, who grants us every spiritual blessing in these heavenly realms where we live in the Anointed—not because of anything we have done, but because of what He has done for us."

Ephesians 1:3 (VOICE)

"We don't focus our attention on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but the unseen realm is eternal."

2 Corinthians 4:18 (TPT)

A Prayer: Let me see things as You see them, from heaven's perspective, not earth's.

Enjoy in This Joy

 "And of all things that belong to us [to do], it is most pleasing to our Lord that we enjoy in this joy which is in the blessed Trinity [in virtue] of our salvation."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 55)

We can sometimes think that the Christian life is about what we must "do" for God, and we can wonder what He wants of us or expects us to do. We can worry we are not "doing" enough to please Him or make Him happy with us. But the thing God wants most for us to do, the thing that pleases Him most, is when we celebrate with Him that we are back home with Him, free and safe, alive and well! Salvation is His gift to us, and when someone gives a gift to another person, the main thing they want is to see the person be happy with the gift, enjoy the gift. So God loves seeing us enjoy that gift of salvation and eternal life He gave us through the Son. He wants to see a smile on our face and see us relax and break out in laughter just knowing that everything is ok and we are home free and can just enjoy being home with God. Jesus has done it, we are rescued from anything that could hurt us and we are joined to the resurrection life of Christ forever, and nothing can ever take us from Him! There's such a party atmosphere in heaven right now. There's such a celebration going on, for all God's children are brought back up to heaven in Christ and are safe in the Trinity forever. Let's celebrate with Him, let's share in His joy, for everything that was lost in our lives is found again, and everything that was dead in us is alive again. We're in life and we're never going out, because Christ is our life and we're in Him, in His resurrection life forever. Nothing could please God more than seeing His kids relax and have fun and be happy right now, because our Dad has taken care of everything for us and all is well!

"The Father said....'Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate."

Luke 15:22-24

A Prayer: I am so happy with the gift of salvation You gave me!

Presenting Us in Heaven

"Christ in His body mightily beareth us up into heaven. For I saw that Christ, us all having in Him that shall be saved by Him, worshipfully presenteth His Father in heaven with us; which present full thankfully His Father receiveth, and courteously giveth it to His Son, Jesus Christ: which gift and working is joy to the Father, and bliss to the Son, and pleasing to the Holy Ghost."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 55)

Christ brought us all up with Him as He rose and ascended to heaven. He presented us all to the Father with great joy, so happy to bring up to heaven the newborn children He had birthed through the resurrection, the pure, sweet, new creations in Him. The Father received this gift, this bundle of joy, from the Son so happily, then gave the gift of reborn humanity right back to the Son. And all the Trinity rejoices over this wonderful work of the Son in rebirthing us, and rejoices over the ones who are birthed - all of us! The atmosphere must feel like that of a family who is thrilled to be home with their newborn baby, with all the family members "oohing and aahing" over the little baby and passing the baby from person to person, enjoying that little bundle of joy! Just like a newborn baby, we are so sweet, adorable and perfect to the Trinity. We bring the Father, Son and Holy Spirit such absolute joy and bliss, for we are dearly beloved children in the family circle of God!

"You are God's children and he loves you very much."

Ephesians 5:1 (EASY)

A Prayer:  Thank You for rejoicing over me like a new parent rejoices over a newborn baby.

Christ's Working in Us

"Christ's merciful working is in us, and we graciously accord to Him through the gifts and the virtues of the Holy Ghost."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 54)

At times we can feel doubtful, troubled, anxious, angry, stubborn, fearful or forsaken. Yet Christ is mercifully working in us, with all the compassion it is possible to have towards us. Thoughts and feelings can be so loud and strong, circumstances and troubles can be so troubling, yet still Christ is working in us. Someone is in us, a Loving Presence that is loving all the hurting, scared, confused parts of us, loving us in our problems, loving us in all our emotions and mental troubles. That love is the strongest force in the universe, stronger than any emotion, than any trouble. Love bathes us inwardly, love accepts us as we are, love completely and wholly embraces us in this moment, whatever we are thinking or feeling in it. Love loves all the negative emotions into peace and rest. Christ, who is this Loving Presence, works to bring us to stillness, bring us to just gaze on Him inwardly, to just rest in His arms. And the Holy Spirit within starts to graciously align us with reality, align us with Christ's thoughts, Christ's perspective. And things become clear again, things become peaceful again, things become okay again, because He has reminded us of the truth: Christ is here, and all is well. He takes care of everything. He has already overcome all the negativity. He has already brought us into peace. We are already safe on the other side, resting in Him. We are already one with Love, one with Life. We are in perfect accord with Him. We are well and whole in Him. And all is well! How wonderful is His work on the inside of us!

"[Be] letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

Philippians 4:6-7 (MSG)

A Prayer: Thank You for working in me to bring me back to seeing You and Your love in my life. Thank You that You have already taken care of whatever worry or problem I am facing today.

Faith Knows the Truth of Our Being

"It (faith) is nought (nothing) else but a right understanding, with true belief, and sure trust, of our Being: that we are in God, and God in us, Whom we see not."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 54)

We are in God and God is in us. There is no separation. There is no barrier between us. There never has been and there never can be or will be. How could we be separated from the God who fills every nook and cranny of the universe, including our own selves? Everything we go through in our lives happens within God. Our failures and sins, our doubts and struggles, have happened IN the family circle of God. We have not been kicked out of the family for our failures. We have simply been hugged tighter in love. We have thought we were separated from God, far from the family circle, that either we or God was now "enemy," and that we needed to do something to get back our place in the family or get God to accept us back. Yet we have never been away! Our Trinity family has never been angry or rejected us! We have always been home with them, even if we were "out of our mind" with worry, confusion, shame and condemnation. We have felt separated, but we have never been separated. We have believed lies of rejection and condemnation, but they were simply lies, not true. The truth is we have been wrapped up in God's love, sitting on the Father's lap all along. He has been stroking our head and whispering "I love you, my dear little darling."

Our faith is simply the inner knowing of this reality: "I am in God and God is in me." That is true whether we feel it or not, whether we always remember it or not. Even if we don't always realize or sense it, deep inside we know it. Deep inside we know it is true, the most real thing about us. We are in God and God is in us. And since God is love, another way to say that is that we are in Love and Love is in us. We are in a place of permanent belonging, of complete acceptance and unconditional love. This is the foundational truth of our lives.  There is no separation. There is only union. There is only love. We can be blind to it sometimes, we can imagine there is a separation between us. But still God upholds the truth within us, being our faith in us, filling our deepest being with the truth. We can hear what God Himself is saying within us, and what our own inner being echoes: we are in God and God is in us!

"You....were sometime alienated and enemies in your MIND.."

Colossians 1:21 (KJV)

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?"

Psalm 139:7 (NIV)

"Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love."

Romans 8:38 (NLT)

A Prayer: I cannot be away from You. What a relief! Thank You that there is never any separation between us! Thank You for being right here with me, even when I don't see it.

Faith Comes by the Holy Spirit

"Our faith is a Virtue that cometh of our Nature-Substance into our Sense-soul by the Holy Ghost; in which all our virtues come to us.."

Julian of Norwich (ch. 54)

We can sometimes feel that we don't have enough faith, that we have too many doubts, or that we don't know how to "get" more faith. We can see faith as a thing we need, a work that we must do, an elusive quality that we can't seem to grab hold of. But faith is about rest, and faith is already in us, deep in our spirit. Our true essence or spirit believes in God, looks to God, trusts in God, is at rest in God. This deepest part of us, our very substance or true nature, is grounded in God, and is one with God. In fact, its deepest inner core IS God. This inner self is an innocent inner child that is simple and pure and trusts in its Father easily and normally. For it is natural and built-in for a little child to trust the parent and rest in the parent to provide care and love. God has built in this trust and faith into us that is as natural as breathing. In fact this trust and faith in us is at its deepest core, Christ the beloved Son trusting and having faith in the Father in and through us. So faith doesn't come from us but from Him. It is His own faith that is knit into us by His oneness with us, Spirit with spirit so close they are one. And the Spirit not only has faith and is faith in us, but also the Spirit releases that faith and trust into our outward experience. So faith is not a work or struggle but a rest. God creates faith in us, is actually that faith, and releases that faith through us. So we can rest. We have faith. We have Christ's faith knit into us and flowing through us. And that is more than enough!

"The fruit of the Spirit is....faith.."

Galatians 5:22 (GNV)

A Prayer: I have perfect faith because I have Your faith inside of me!

Enclosed

"We are enclosed in the Father, and we are enclosed in the Son, and we are enclosed in the Holy Ghost. And the Father is enclosed in us, and the Son is enclosed in us, and the Holy Ghost is enclosed in us: Almightiness, All-Wisdom, All-Goodness: one God, one Lord."

Sometimes we just need to melt away from the world and be hidden and safe somewhere. We may feel battered and worn out and just need to wrap ourselves in a blanket and rest awhile. God wants us to know that we are always enclosed or enveloped safely in the Trinity, wrapped in the blanket of His loving presence. We have a wonderful Trinity family, for God is like Father, Mother and Brother to us. Our Trinity family has always got our back. Our Trinity family is always surrounding us in a holy huddle, keeping us safe, supporting us, and embracing us with hugs and kisses. Anytime we feel worn out by this world, we can melt into their arms on the inside and know that they surround us always on the outside. We are in God, so we are safe, kept and held; God is in us, so we are empowered, supported and invigorated. We are taken care of inside and out, in every way. Whether we always feel it or not, it is true, and God will bring us to fully know this wonderful reality. He will keep reminding us He is there for us till we really experience it, so we can truly rest in Him. It's His work and He will do it. He will make His presence known. Deep down in our spirit we already know it. And in our outer life, too, we will know that we are in Him and He is in us. And we will be at rest!

"You will know that you are in me and I am in you."

John 14:20 (EASY)

A Prayer: Remind me where I am today - safe in Your arms of love!

All We Need

"For the Almighty Truth of the Trinity is our Father: for He made us and keepeth us in Him; and the deep Wisdom of the Trinity is our Mother, in Whom we are all enclosed; the high Goodness of the Trinity is our Lord, and in Him we are enclosed, and He in us."

Julian of Norwich (ch. 54) 

He is everything we need a God to be. He doesn't just have might, wisdom and goodness; He IS might, wisdom and goodness, and He IS that might, wisdom and goodness to and for and in us. He is the strength that surrounds and protects us and gets us through difficulty, so we can say, "I may have troubles, but I have with me the One who has already overcome the world." He is the wisdom we need in confusing times, reminding us of truth, guiding us in the way we should go, so we can say, "I may not understand everything, but I have with me the One who makes me know the truth that has set me free." And He is the goodness and love that we so desperately need, the acceptance and unconditional care that we long for, so we can say, "Even if everyone else gives up on me and everything seems against me, I have with me One who is for me, who will keep on doing good for me and will never let me go." He is the strength we need, so we don't have to be strong or handle anything on our own. He is the wisdom we need, so we don't have to have it all figured out or know all the answers. He is the love and goodness we need, so we don't have to be perfect to be loved and we can  know we always belong no matter what. Even if we think of the most positive kind of God we could ever have, He is infinitely better and more wonderful than that. He is everything we need a God to be!

"My God shall also abundantly fill every nook and cranny to overflowing in every area of your lives."

Philippians 4:19 (MIRROR)

A Prayer: You are more wonderful than my wildest hopes and dreams! You are everything to me! 

A Creature in God

"Yet mine understanding took that our Substance is in God: that is to say, that God is God, and our Substance is a creature in God."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 54)

We are indwelt by God. We come from God. We are made of God. We are one with God. Yet we are not God. It is true that there is no difference between our substance or essence and God, because we are made in our depths of God Himself. Thus we are expressions of God. Yet we are individuated, we are individuals, we have distinction from God. And we are created, not Creator. We are made, not unmade. We are not divine life, He is. We are like vessels and He is the wine. We are not the life, we simply contain it and are invigorated by it. 

So we can say that our substance is one with God but is not God; instead our substance is a created being that is in God.  We exist only in God. We are of God's own being and therefore good and godlike. But we also realize that we are not God but creatures made by God, creatures that have being within God.  Thus we are never outside of Him. Nothing in this universe is, in fact. Everything that is made and everything that happens, all of creation, space, time and history is within God. There is no outside. So we don't have to worry about being apart from God and needing to somehow get to God or overcome some barrier to union with God. We are always in Him. That is a fact of our creation. We are creatures in God and there just isn't any "out of God." So we are safe. We will always be in Him. We always have been and always will be. There is simply no other place to be!

"Everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him." 

Colossians 1:16 (MSG)

"In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind."

Job 12:10 (AMPC)

A Prayer: I am always in You!

Expressions of God

"I saw no difference between God and our Substance: but as it were all God."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 54)

Not only does God dwell in us and we in God but we are also of God, of the very Substance of God. We are made of God and there is no difference between our substance and God because it is all one Substance. It is all God. Thus we are simply shoots growing on the vine of God, parts of the one loaf of Christ, one Spirit. If we are part of God like that, there is no way we could call ourselves bad or evil. Instead, it is only right to see ourselves as good and holy. If all of creation, and especially and to the fullest extent, all of humanity, is the expression of God's being, the extension of God's own Self, then we never have to worry about being separated from God. This language becomes meaningless because you cannot be separated from your own DNA your own self. We are simply the expression of God existing in these human bodies in individuated selves. We are in the flow of God like water molecules in a river or waves in the sea. There is no separation! There is only union, there is only oneness!

"He is before all things, and by him all things consist."

Colossians 1:17 (KJV)

A Prayer: I don't have to worry about losing You or somehow getting separated from You. I am made of You in my inner being!

We Are Of God's Substance

"Our soul, that is made, dwelleth in God's Substance: of which Substance, God, we are that we are."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 54)

Of God's Substance we are what we are. We dwell in His Substance, and we are made of His Substance. How can that be? Well, children are, in a real sense, "made" of their parents. Cells from the parents form the new cells of the child. The DNA of both parents is in the child. You could say that a part of each parent is in the child, that the child comes from the parents' own being or substance. So are we with our ultimate Parent and Creator, God. Our souls are made of God's own being. He is the Source of our soul, the Origin of our being, the One our being is made from. The soul is made of a "substance" that is unmade. Created humanity is made of uncreated God. 

Our substance or essence, the true depth of our being, is of God and even is God. This presents a unity that is deeper than just God dwelling in us and we in God. This presents a unity of being, a unity of our creation. We couldn't escape God if we wanted to, for we are made of Him. He is the fabric of our being. This is the deepest meaning of being made in the image and likeness of God, and it is truly very good!

"We all have the same God and Father who is over us all and in us all, and living through every part of us."

Ephesians 4:6 (TLB)

A Prayer: I love knowing that I come from my parents but I also come from You as my Ultimate Parent. I love being your child!

God's Dwelling-Place

"Our soul is made to be God's dwelling-place; and the dwelling-place of the soul is God, Which is unmade."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 54)

Why were we created? We were created to be with God. He wanted to live or dwell in us. He loves living in us, loves experiencing life with us. He didn't want to be far off from His creation but wanted to be in us experiencing all of creation with us. He wanted to share His love with us, His joy and peace, His beauty and creativity. He loves seeing life through our eyes, experiencing the beauty of a rainbow, the sound of the ocean waves caressing the shore, the look in a baby's eyes, the wonder of a surprise birthday party, the love among friends and family. How amazing that the One who is unmade, uncreated, who has always been and always will be, who knows and sees everything, would want to live in us, beings who are simple, humble, made or created as flesh and blood and soul and spirit, and hopes and dreams and wonder and vibrancy. How amazing and precious we must be to Him! He didn't want to miss a second of our life, He wanted to be there for it all. And He wanted to share all of Himself, all the love and joy and goodness He has to give, with us every moment as well. Our lives must be pretty wonderful for God to want to share them with us. And we must be pretty wonderful for God to want to live in us. So in every moment, in every situation, we can find God, can find an infinite fountain flowing in us with all we could ever need. He is right here inside, where He has always been, loving us, supporting us, filling us with Himself.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
   

Psalm 139:14 (NIV)

"You are with me."

Psalm 23:4 (ESV)

A Prayer:

  Thank You wanted me, wanted to be with me always. I feel special to You!

Where Christ Is, We Are

"For it is full easy to believe and to trust that the dwelling of the blessed Soul of Christ is full high in the glorious Godhead, and verily, as I understand in our Lord's signifying, where the blessed Soul of Christ is, there is the Substance of all the souls that shall be saved by Christ."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 54)

The winds of the world blow around us, but we are kept safe in God. We have ups and downs and various challenging experiences, but we are kept safe in God. Our emotions change, our thoughts change, our behaviors change, but we are kept safe in God. It's easy to see that Christ is "full high" in the Godhead, enjoying the perfect love in that Trinity circle. Yet we are there, too. Our true, innocent, childlike self is there, in Christ, always in Christ, founded and grounded in Christ, enjoying love and fellowship with Christ, living with Christ in the Godhead. That is where we have always truly been and that is where we will always truly be. This life is changeable, and our earthly emotions and thoughts and behaviors are changeable, but who we are deep down is unchangeable. It is fixed and constant, because it is grown forth from Christ Himself. We have never been separated from God. We have never been separated from God! Whether we have known it or not, deep down we have always known it. Whether we have experienced it much or not, we have truly experienced it. We find God in our earthly lives, but what we are really doing is remembering where we have always been. We become different people by coming to know Him here, but we are really waking up to who we have always been. We return to God in our experience and realize we have really always been home. We wake up from our nightmare of sin and lostness, shame and confusion, and there we are in our own bed, safe and sound, where we have been all along. Yes, what happened in our minds and emotions and behaviors is real, but it is something that comes out of believing a lie, something that is not real, that has no substance. The lie is that we are or were ever separated from God, inferior, not like God, or unloved by God. The truth of oneness, love, acceptance, security and beauty is what is truly real, what has real substance. Reality overwhelms all our bad dreams of aloneness and shame. 

Reality is heaven. Reality is being in God's living room, sitting on His lap wrapped in His loving arms. Our Father God turns the light on in our darkened thoughts, our Brother Christ wakes us up from our confused slumber, and we see we are in Their warm and cozy presence, wrapped in a love blanket with peace rising up like a steaming hot cocoa and joy flowing round like the faint sounds of Christmas music playing on the record player. We have always been here, really. We have always been home. God is our home and we have always been here with God, with our Dad, in His arms!

"Your life is hidden with Christ in God."

Colossians 3:3 (ESV)

"I awake, and I am still with you."

Psalm 139:18 (ESV)

'The closeness of the embrace of His presence sustains you."

James 5:8 (MIRROR)

A Prayer: You awakened me from the bad dream of separation and lostness, and I found myself in Your arms, where I had been all along!

No Difference in Love

"And because of this great, endless love that God hath to all Mankind, He maketh no disparting (separating) in love between the blessed Soul of Christ and the least soul that shall be saved."

Julian of Norwich (ch. 54)

Our Father God has such a great, endless, boundless love for us, for all humans! This love goes beyond our imaginings. In fact, God loves us just the same as He loves His beloved Son! How can that even be? He has the same affection for us that He has for Christ. He has the same warmth towards us that He has towards Christ. He has the same devotion to us that He has to Christ. He holds us in the same high regard that He holds Christ. He is just as fond of us as He is of Christ. He loves our company just as much as He loves Christ's company. His love is not stronger towards Christ and weaker or lesser towards us. There is absolutely no difference in the love He has for us and the love He has for Christ. It is all one love. It is all the same love. We were created to live inside the family circle of this great, amazing, infinite, perfect, eternal love of the Trinity. Just as a little baby is born into the family circle of loving parents and is cherished and adored and held in the same affection, valued and treated just as special as any member of the family, coming to share in the parent's love, so we are created into the family of God and have been brought to share in the love of the Godhead! 

We are never unwanted or uncared for. We are never "just a person." We are the cherished, special, doted on and beloved children of God, sharing in the same love that they share with each other. We may look at ourselves and wonder how God could love us at all, with our faults and struggles. Yet God looks at us and sees us in His love, seeing no difference between us and Christ in His loving heart. No difference! We are just as special, just as beautiful, just as delightful, just as perfect to Him as Christ is. It's all one to Him, Christ and us. We're all one in His love. So let's dare to believe it. We can look at ourselves and others and say, "God makes no difference in the love He has for Christ and the love He has for you. You are bathed continually in perfect love. You are forever enfolded in perfect acceptance, affection, and adoration. The Father loves you just as much as He loves Jesus, with the same fervor, with the same intensity. You are wanted, you are desired, you are beloved by the Father, just as much as Jesus is. "

"His love for His Son is His love for us."

Ephesians 1:6 (MIRROR)

A Prayer: Remind me how much You love me.

Knit to Him

"His dear worthy Soul [of Manhood] was preciously knit to Him in the making....which knot is so subtle and so mighty that (it)—[man's soul]—is oned into God: in which oneing it is made endlessly holy."

Julian of Norwich (ch. 53)

Christ, the progenitor and source of humankind's creation, has the first and original human nature. Human nature was created by Him and for Him, and rather than being something He took on at the time of the Incarnation, it was something made for Him before time began. For Christ is called the firstborn of all creation. To Christ belongs true human nature, the origin of all our human natures. We are created in Him and from Him and we proceed out of Him. Because the manhood or human nature created for Christ was oned or joined to Him before all time, human nature is holy, being oned with the Godhead. This oneing is like a knot that is stronger and more permanent than anything. And because we were all in Christ at that moment, and our human nature flows from His original template, we too were and are oned with the Godhead in Christ and made holy with God's holiness in Christ. We are included in that strong, permanent knot of love and oneness and purity. The Source of human nature, Christ Himself, is one with the Godhead, thus all of us who come from the Source are also one with God in His oneness. The Source of human nature, Christ Himself, is holy, thus all of us who come from that Source are holy with His holiness. It's like saying that if a part of a loaf of bread is holy, the whole loaf is, or if the roots of a tree are holy, the branches are, too. 

If we had to be holy or connected with God on our own, we would falter and fail, but because we are tied to God in Christ's knot, we are permanently one with God, endlessly holy in God. We derive this benefit from Christ Himself. He is our holiness. He is our oneness with the Father. We have never been anywhere else than in God, holy and set apart in Christ's own holiness. No matter what we have thought, what lies we've believed, or what delusions we've had of separation or unworthiness or impurity, or how those confusions have played out in our lives, we have always been right here, knitted into God with Christ in a knot that can never be broken!

"If the first handful of dough is holy, the whole batch of dough is holy. If the root is holy, the branches are holy."

Romans 11:16 (GW)

"You are privileged to be in union with Christ, who is in union with God."

1 Corinthians 3:23 (MSG)

A Prayer: I am safely knit into You and I am endlessly holy in You!

Christ our True Nature

"The fullest Substance and the highest Virtue is the blessed Soul of Christ."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 53)

When we see someone showing sacrificial love, helping those most vulnerable, forgiving those who have been most harmful, going out of the way to do a kindness for someone, we admire that person as the best of humanity. Christ Himself is the source of humankind, the first and ultimate Human being, from whom we were all designed and come from. He is the blueprint or template of human nature. So it is Christ Himself who truly epitomizes the best of humanity. Christ, God in human flesh, showed us what a true human is like - kind, compassionate, loving, forgiving all, peaceable, caring for the most vulnerable, a healing presence to the hurting. We can look at Christ and see our true identity as humans, see our true God-given human nature lived out. Christ is truly good, is truly loving and kind, and so we are, too. Humans are truly good at heart. Humans are truly loving and kind deep down. And when we show compassion to our fellow humans, do kind things and help the hurting or vulnerable, show gentleness in the face of angry taunts or forgive those who are hurtful, we are acting according to our true nature. It is only natural for us to be kind. There is so much good in us, even if it gets buried under sin or fear or struggle or anger. Christ comes to help us rediscover ourselves in His face. For when we look into the face of Christ, we see true humanity as God created it. We see ourselves, our true selves that Christ came to redeem and liberate from sin and fear, lies and confusion. For the good deep inside us is Christ Himself as our very life and source. The deepest thing about us, our source, is Christ, so of course the deepest thing about us is good, is love! No sin on our part, no confusion, no struggle, could ever change who we are. Our nature is good. Our nature is just like Christ's nature, because He is the source of our nature, our prototype and progenitor, our inner spring of life. Christ is in us and we just can't help eventually expressing that Christ nature to the world! It's only natural as humans to do so!

"It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for."

Ephesians 1:11 (MSG)

"We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him."

Romans 8:29 (MSG)

"If reality were to break through, we should reflect his likeness, for we should see him as he really is!"

1 john 3:2 (PHILLIPS)

A Prayer: When I see who You really are - perfect love, I see who I am - perfect love!

The Noblest Thing

"He would have us understand that the noblest thing that ever He made is mankind.."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 53)

The noblest, most beautiful, most honorable thing God ever made is humanity. We are the epitome, the apex, of His creative work. We are His ultimate masterpiece! We don't need to put ourselves down or think of ourselves poorly, for we are God's greatest work, and each person is individually an exquisite work of art that fascinates God endlessly! He is so delighted in us, His most beautiful creations! He is proud of us as a creator is proud of his masterpiece. He absolutely adores us, just as parents adore their newborn baby. He is captivated with us like a person is captivated by the one they love. We really bring Him endless joy and He couldn't be more pleased with us. God is a beautiful and perfect creator, and He makes no mistakes, never does inferior work: each of us is His beautiful and perfect creation. He truly thinks we are awesome, so let's think of ourselves as awesome, too! Let's look out and see each other as works of art, deserving of dignity, love, respect and honor. Let's see ourselves and every person as God's ultimate masterpiece in whom He is delighted and well-pleased!

"You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you."

Song of Solomon 4:7 (NIV)

A Person: Help me to see and value myself and others as You do!

Always Loved and Treasured

"And right the same that we shall be without end, the same we were treasured in God and hid, known and loved from without beginning."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 53)

In heaven we will be treasured continually in God, enfolded completely in God, known fully by God, and loved infinitely by God. We can look forward to that experience of perfection in our relationship with God in heaven. But what a wonder to see that has always been true! We will exist in heaven in the very same way we have always existed - known, hid, treasured and loved by God. For God, nothing about us has had to change for Him to love or treasure of know or be with us. For God, we have always been perfect to Him, a perfect delight, perfectly loved and known, His perfect treasure, His perfect darling child. The idea that we could ever be separated from God, unloved, a disappointment to Him or unworthy of His affection is seen for what it truly is - just an illusion and a lie. Yes, our performance has gone up and down throughout our lives, but the fact is simply this - God doesn't look at performance or change in His stance toward or relationship with us based on our performance. He has a love that is truly unconditional, not depending on any condition in our lives, acts, thoughts, words or beliefs. He simply loves us the same and treats us the same always, for we are always the same to Him, beloved little children that He adores! We may not always feel Him with us, but He is with us always. We may feel that there is something wrong in our relationship with Him, but there never is. We may feel that we are not good enough, not special enough, to be treasured or approved by Him, but He always calls us special and always affirms us. We may feel we need to do something better, change something about ourselves, in order to be loved, but we are already loved right now, just as we always have been and always will be. 

So we don't have to worry about what others think of us or try to prove ourselves to others, for God already thinks well of us. We don't have to compare ourselves to others and feel we don't measure up, or be jealous or resentful of others. For we are already ok and perfect to God. We already have His full endorsement. We don't have to try to make ourselves stand out or do some great thing to be special, for we are already special to God. We don't have to put others down to try to make ourselves look or feel better, because we couldn't be any better in God's eyes. The greatest, kindest, most important and most gentle Being of all absolutely adores us and can't see a single thing wrong with us, accepts us fully and pours out love and delight on us continually. If we could each only see how special we are to Him, we would never doubt or hate on ourselves again, and we would be able to relax in His love, relax and love ourselves and others. Life seems to mainly be about just coming to believe that we really are with God always and we really are loved and valued always by God! If we have trouble believing it, we don't have to worry, because through all of life God will be helping us, leading us, showing us the reality of our belovedness. It's His work to prove His love to us, and He will! He was willing to become flesh and die just to prove it, so wouldn't He do anything else that we individually need to prove that love to us personally? Yes, He would!

"Every single moment you are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that you cherish me constantly in your every thought! O God, your desires toward me are more than the grains of sand on every shore! When I awake each morning, you are still with me."

Psalm 139:17-18 (TPT)

A Prayer: Show me how much You love me!

In Heaven Without End

"For He willeth we be aware that our Soul is a life, which life of His Goodness and His Grace shall last in Heaven without end, Him loving, Him thanking, Him praising."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 53)

The life of our soul will last forever with God. We will always be together with Him, in the family circle of the Trinity, loving and thanking and praising Him. We will have this wonderful future not because the way we lived or acted was always good, but because God is always good. We will have this wonderful future not because we earned it by any works or repentance or even faith, but wholly because of God's grace. This everlasting or eternal life is not just defined by its duration; it is also defined by its source. This life is God's life, life that is better than anything we could imagine, with infinite joy, peace, rest and refreshing. It is perfect love. It is perfect relationship. It is the endless and infinitely beautiful fellowship that flows among the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We have been brought into this loving fellowship. We will be endlessly known and loved by God and we will endlessly know and love God. It is like all the best earthly relationships put together and multiplied by infinity! It is a love, acceptance, delight, and oneness like we have never known but have always longed for. For in the arms of the Trinity family, all longings are fulfilled and we find rest and refreshment and joy forever!

"I taste the fullness of joy in your presence. At your right side I experience divine pleasures forevermore!"

Psalm 16:11 (TPT)

A Prayer: You are the home I have always longed for. Real, eternal life is to be in Your presence forever!

Never Shall Be Lost

"In which endless Love we be led and kept of God and never shall be lost."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 53)

What is the center of it all? What is it that everything revolves around? It is Love. God is Love. This whole universe, all of our history, is founded on Love and upheld by Love. Love is what ties us to Him, ties all things together. Love is what makes us up and sustains us. Love is what it is all about. God is this Love. And God, Love Himself, keeps us. He has always been bonded to us in love and and He always will be. He gives us eternal life, His life, and we will never perish. He holds us in the palm of His hand, His being, and we will never be lost. Through all the crazy, mixed-up things that happen in our lives, through all our mistakes, through all our sorrows and struggles, through the highs and the lows, the victories and the failures, He is keeping our souls whole and safe in Him. He is leading us, He is keeping us, from eternity past and to eternity future. There has never been any doubt whose we are, never been any danger where we would end up. For our origin is heavenly and our destiny is heavenly, and everything earthly in between has been upheld by heavenly arms of love. 

This is an endless Love that is holding us. It never runs out or gets tired of us or fails us. This is what endless love is all about; it is truly unconditional. It holds onto us no matter what. This Love is keeping us whether we keep ourselves or not. This Love is leading us whether we make all the right choices or not. This Love never lets go of us whether we let go of it or not. This Love is saving us whether we even know it or not. We are held, we are kept, we are safe, we are loved, for always. It was never up to us to save or keep ourselves. It was always up to Him, the faithful and true One, and because of that, we have always been secure. Our future with Him has always been assured. 

We never shall be lost. We never shall be lost from life. We never shall be lost from love. We never shall be lost from God. We never shall be lost!

"I give them eternal life, so that they will never be lost."

John 10:28a (CEV)

A Prayer: I am held in Your endless love...I never shall be lost!

Kept Whole

"And in this endless Love man's Soul is kept whole.."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 53)

We may think we have made too big of a mess of our lives for them to ever be okay again. We may feel so broken from trauma and suffering that we feel like only a hollow shell of who we were before. We may be so crushed by sorrow that we feel we can never regain our old carefree self again. But we are not lost, we are still there deep inside,  whole and safe. This life, though it sometimes seems to be about slowing losing ourselves through the sins, sorrows and sufferings of life, is really about being kept safe in God no matter what sins, sorrows or sufferings happen to us. Christ holds us in His love, His endless love. And nothing and noone can snatch us from His hand. Nothing will ever pull us away from Him or His keeping. No matter what happens to us in this earthly existence, He holds onto our true self, our inner carefree  child, innocent and sweet, whole and beautiful. So no matter what we go through, how low we stoop or how low we are crushed by life, our inner true self is kept whole, complete, safe and sound in Christ, untouched by evil and harm. No matter how broken and lost and wounded we feel we are, deep down we are safe and whole and free, kept pure and alright in Christ.

And not only is He keeping our real self safe in Him at all times in His wholeness and peace, but He will also cause that wholeness and completeness to permeate all the broken and hurting parts of our outer life into wholeness and peace. Christ says to cheer up because He has already overcome the world. It has already happened, and He will bring that victory of love, that overcoming, to permeate every area of our lives and existence. All the broken parts will be made whole, all the sad parts will be happy again, all the wounded parts will be healed. We will experience the joy of our inner child self again, consciously and physically. We will run free and laugh and sing again. This is the joy of new creation life, and it has already begun in Christ. We are already in this life right now, and Christ will make sure we experience it completely. And all shall be well!

"God will be right there with you; he'll keep you safe and sound."
    

Proverbs 3:26 (MSG)

"He keeps you from all evil and preserves your life."

Psalm 121:7 (TLB)

"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]"

John 16:33 (AMPC)

"Nothing or no one can steal them from My hand."

John 10:28b (VOICE)

A Prayer: Thank You for keeping me safe and whole in You. Thank You that Your wholeness overwhelms every brokenness.

Nothing Between Us

"And therefore it is that there may nor shall be right nought atwix God and man's Soul."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 53)

God has breathed the breath of life, His very own Spirit, into humanity to give us life. Thus, God's Spirit is the deepest thing about us, our deepest and true identity, making us who we are. If God's own Spirit is the ground of our being, the substance making us a person, how can we be separate from God? That would be like saying we could be separate from our own person or self. The way God has set up creation, creating our bodies from earth and our souls from His own Spirit, means that we are never separated from God. Our spirit comes from His Spirit as its source just as a tree branch grows out of the main tree trunk or root. The branches are one with the tree and are an expression of the tree, yet the branches are individual branches with their own unique shape. We too are expressions of God's being and creativity, made in His image and likeness, yet at the same time we have our own unique personality and shape. We grow out of God, in a sense. We are branches on the tree of God. There is nothing between us at all. We are in unity. We are one with God in our inner person, our spirit and God's Spirit, just by the fact of how He created us.

We may sometimes feel there is a wall or separation between us and God, but it just isn't true. There is nothing between us and God. Our feelings don't change the fact of our oneness with Him. Our actions don't separate us from Him, either. Nor do our wayward and doubtful thoughts, our angry or selfish words, remove us from His presence. Nothing we could think, say, believe or do could ever separated us from Him. He is here to stay. He set up our creation in such a way that He is permanently invested in His created children, permanently present as our inner source. We could not even exist without Him inside us as our life source and "root." We could no more separate ourselves from God than we could separate ourselves from our own DNA. He is part of what makes us human. A human is a being that has God's own Spirit inside. That's just who we are; we are "God-based" or "God-inside" beings. We can know we have God within us just by existing, just by being a created person. It is just the way He designed us. He is part of our very makeup as humans. He isn't going anywhere. We have Him upholding us, living in us, supporting us, accepting us, no matter what. This is real Love! This is the real God! He is "all in," committed to be with us forever.

"There is in humans a Spirit, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding."

Job 32:8 (GW)

"Spirit can be known only by spirit - God's Spirit and our spirits in open communion."

1 Corinthians 2:14 (MSG)

"Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face."

2 Corinthians 3:18 (MSG)

A Prayer: I love knowing that there can be nothing between us, ever, because You are the innermost part of me, making me who I am.

Created Nature, Uncreated Nature

"And thus is the Nature-made rightfully oned to the Maker, which is Substantial Nature not-made: that is, God."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 53)

Our nature is made, is created. But what is our nature made out of? It is made out of something not-made, not-created: it is made of God, of God's own substance, of God's own essential nature, of God's own Spirit breath. And because of this origin, we are innately connected to God always with a connection that can't be severed. Just as we can't be separated from our own cells or our own DNA, we can't be separated from God of whom our very souls are made. We are innately one with God always, and it is impossible for there to be anything between our souls and God. We are "rightfully oned" to God; that is our normal, natural way of being and our permanent way of being. It is just the way we are made, a fact or characteristic of our creation. One of the attributes of our soul, then, is that it is "rightfully oned" to God.

We are not God, but our soul is made of God's substance or essence. The relation between us is deep and intimate and permanent. Our souls are made of God's own being; thus, our souls are God-like. We have a basic and innate goodness, beauty and dignity. We have a basic similarity to God. We are more like God than we are unlike. We are more holy than sinful. We are more heavenly than earthly. It can be so easy to forget our innate beauty and goodness, especially when looking at the outward words and actions that we or others express. But these wayward behaviors don't change the inward beauty of God's creation. Nothing can alter who we really are deep down, because nothing can alter who God is, and He is the deepest thing about us, the One we are "oned" with, from whom we are made. We are made of God-stuff. That is good stuff, loving stuff, beautiful stuff, eternal stuff! We can look at ourselves and every person as the beautiful expression of God on this earth, full of dignity and glory!

"You have crowned us with glory and honor."

Hebrews 2:7 (CEV)

"Discover God Himself as your inexhaustible inner source."

Philippians 2:13 (MIRROR)

A Prayer: You made a beautiful humanity, dear Father, from Your own being and splendor! I want to treat with dignity and honor each person You have made!

Made of Nought That Is Made

"And thus I understand that man's Soul is made of nought: that is to say, it is made, but of nought that is made. And thus: - When God should make man's body He took the clay of earth, which is a matter mingled and gathered of all bodily things; and thereof He made man's body. But to the making of man's Soul He would take right nought, but made it."

Julian of Norwich (ch. 53)

When God made our body, He made it of created matter. He made it out of something. But when He made our soul, He made it out of nothing, that is, He made it not of created matter but of His own uncreated substance or being. Our soul is made of God, sourced in God, and comes from God! God breathed His own Spirit into us to bring us life. We have His own Being as part of our life and who we are. In one way we can say that we are flesh and bones, clay and mud, of lowly and simple earth. And we can feel truly little and humble. But we are also spirit and soul, glorious and honored, holy and divine. And we can feel magnificent and marvelous. God knit us together in our mother's womb. What did He knit us out of? He knit us out of matter and cells, yes, but He also knit us out of Himself! We are made by God and made of God. We have a glorious origin, God Himself.  We are innately godly always, and we are innately splendid always. There is something special, beautiful, and magnificent about humanity, being made in God's image and from God's own substance. We are not simply humankind; we are the Godkind! We are not simply children of men; we are children of God! We were always meant to be an expression of God, a vessel of His glorious presence, in these earthly bodies. We can say, "I may be flesh and bones, lowly dust, but I am also luminous beauty, divinely glorious. I may be little and weak, but I am also splendid and magnificent. I may be of earth, but there is something of heaven within me. I may be in this temporal existence, but there is a part of me that is eternal. I may be like any human but I am also like God, too. There is nothing ordinary about me. I am a glorious creation made by God and made of God! I express the beauty of God as His masterpiece on display in this world."

"Then the Lord God formed [that is, created the body of] man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being [an individual complete in body and spirit]."

Genesis 2:7 (AMP)

"For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

Psalm 139:13-14

A Prayer: There is no way to demean myself or put myself down, since I am made of You, the most wonderful Being of all! 

Knit to God

"And thus is Man's Soul made by God and in the same point knit to God."

Julian of Norwich (Ch. 53)

How are we one with God, knit to God, from our creation? It is God's very breath that He breathes into us to give us life. It is God's very image that is the basis of our creation. It is God's own substance that we are from, God's own love that is the core of our nature. It is God's own love bonds us together. For He is our true Father, the true Source of the human race, the endless Lover of our souls. He is so much in every part of our creation that we are truly knit to Him and entwined with Him from the very beginning of our existence. So we can see that we have never been alone in this life, to fend for ourselves. We have always had an inner Source of peace, strength, hope and companionship. We have always had a Friend along the way, a Friend going with us through every situation in our lives, a Friend closer than a brother and dearer than the person dearest to us in this world. He was always there, the One we could turn to and share our deepest hopes and fears, the One who would listen without judgment and always accept us, the One who would never let us down. He has been the Friend in the background of our lives all along, supporting us, sending beauty and help our way, smiling at us through the sunrises, caring for us through the love of a pet or a family member, doing all those numberless things to bring joy to our lives. He was here all along, inside us, and we are so knit and entwined together in love that we are one forever. It is just as He planned it long ages ago, to be within us as our Friend who would always be there for us no matter what and never fail us, never let us go.

"You will be there to guide me; Your right hand will embrace me, for You are always there."

Psalm 139:10 (VOICE)

"God has said, 'I will never leave you or let you be alone.'"

Hebrews 13:5 (NLV)

A Prayer: Thank You for all the times You have loved and helped me, even when I was not aware of it. Thank You for always being there for me, inside. You are the Friend I have always wanted!