Watercolor by: Jose Trujillo
Fall into The Bible – Part 1
Choices.
When the Spirit of God falls on you, there is a choice. Do you accept it? Or deny it? If you choose the Spirit, then the Spirit will enter the very depth of your soul.
So, how do you think that happens?
In this blog post, I have taken the liberty of looking at random phrases in The Bible where the word “fall” is used. I will focus on “fall” and the personal pronoun “you.” Go ahead and read each of them:
Fall on you – Deu. 31:29
Fall upon you – Isaiah 47:11
Fall within you – Ez. 28:23
Fall away on account of you – Matt. 26:33
Now, reread them slowly. What themes come to your mind? The themes of Spirit and relationship come to my mind when I read these phrases collectively. For the sake of clarity, let’s call Spirit the voice of God. For me, the Spirit can fall on me, upon me, within me, and away on account of me. Relationship, for this blog post, refers to two people who interact at some level. They can be couples, family members, friends, and colleagues. Like the Spirit, relationships can fall on me, upon me, within me, and away on account of me. Let’s further explore – shall we?
Falling on you and falling upon you are interchangeable and simply means the Spirit is with you. Falling within you refers to an inward flow of the Spirit through you, and falling away on account of you seems to me to imply a divide or separation. How about you?
When the Spirit of God falls on you, there is a choice. Do you accept it? Or deny it? And, when there is a falling away, what prompted it? A behavior. An action. A word. Or, perhaps sin!
For me, Spirit and relationship intertwine, and I can’t have one without the other. For me, it is about faith. Faith in God. Faith in myself and faith in others. If you surrender yourself to a higher power and open your mind to new possibilities, I believe the Spirit within you will attract others who may need or want you to be in your life. And, that may be a greater purpose is being fulfilled. And, how awesome is that?
Spirit Wisdom – Global Level
How often do you ask God to help people? Feed the hungry. Give to the poor. Shelter the homeless and support meaningful organizations. I call these global needs – praying and meditating on the world as one family. One humankind. One connection. Humans connecting through shared needs. I would venture to say that the majority of us have asked God to help others. Whether it has been for a sick loved one or to comfort a family in losing a loved one.
In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, he refers to the most attainable need as “physiological needs,” what I call” shared needs.” For example, how food and water sustain life. He refers to the least attainable need as “self-actualization” as the highest level of psychological development where the personal potential is fulfilled. I call this “being the best human you can be.” And, how can you become the best human you can be?
What if you flip this thought process upside down and connect to all the people in the world through the Spirit, focusing on shared needs and replacing personal potential with collective potential? What do you think? For me, it is similar to the concept of “it takes a village.” It is collective potential that makes the world a better place. One family under God. Global!
Spirit Wisdom – Personal Level
As you tap into the wisdom of the Spirit, you have every human right to bring your personal thoughts and requests forward. Pray. Meditate. Bring value to yourself and to others. Open your heart and let God hear you!
Keep in mind that seeking wisdom from the Spirit enhances yourself, your relationships, day-to-day issues, and decisions. In contrast to the global level, the personal level encourages you to see yourself through the eyes of others. How do others perceive you? What type of personal work do you need to do on yourself – for yourself? How are your compassion, empathy, servant leadership, and acceptance levels? Do they pass the test of time? Or, are you like me, and you have to work at being more compassionate and accepting? There is time to change. Always! So, what can you do to make yourself a better person?
Jesus! Do you ever wonder about Jesus and His life on earth? His childhood? What types of food He liked? What or who comforted Him? I don’t have a clue. I do know that Jesus took an interest in others before, during, and after He received the Spirit as the dove descended upon Him while being baptized by John. It is this same Spirit that can enter you. What are you waiting for?
Jesus loved, healed, and offered eternal life and knew He was unique. He knew He was a part of God – from the beginning. And during his life, He consistently prayed to God. Being the best starts with understanding your unique place in the world and balancing yourself in a relationship with others. Just like Jesus did. With Jesus – it is personal!
Spirit Wisdom – Relationships
For me, relationships can fall on me, fall upon me, fall within me and fall away on account of me. Relationships that fall on or upon you are those where people cross your life path. To help you for a season or more. Take siblings, for example. You grow up with brothers or sisters, or both, and typically have a relationship with them for your entire life, whereas others come and go throughout your lifetime.
Relationships that fall within you are those relationships that tug at the core of your being. It could be how you talk to God. Do you talk to God? Or when you marry. Or when you have children. Falling within means the person takes up residence in your heart, and these relationships take time, energy, and if you really want it to work well, financial resources. Sure, you can love someone and spend time with them doing activities that don’t require money, such as playing frisbee in the park, taking turns reading a good book, and walking on the beach. Yet, at some point, you will have to eat and sleep. For me, money equals trust. That has been my experience time and time again. Just ask me!
When a relationship does fall away, ask yourself, was it your behavior, an action, or a word? If a relationship divides or separation occurs, perform an introspection. Ask the Spirit to reveal what may have caused the rift. Sometimes, relationships fall away and have nothing to do with you, or your behavior, action, or word stressing the relationship. In some cases, people fall away for their own reasons. Whatever the case, be sure to seek wisdom from the Spirit. Reflect on yourself, make changes when and if appropriate, and follow the call of God.
Your Choice
When the Spirit of God falls on you, there is a choice. Do you accept it? Or deny it? If you receive it, the Spirit can guide you globally and personally in all of your relationships by tapping into its wisdom!
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I and Thou Reflections 