“There is a huge amount of freedom that comes to you when you take nothing personally.”

Don Miguel Ruiz

Good morning friends!  I hope your Easter was a blessing, if that’s your flavor, or your Passover has been special, if that, or your weekend was wonderful, if neither.  Regardless of the flavor life is springing up everywhere.  Thanks for the grace while I was "off" yesterday, so let’s get to it!

The ego is a powerful driver in us all.  A recent animated movie, “Inside Out”, beautifully described the emotional inner workings of persons, yet even that triumph did not touch ego.  Only the greatest of thinkers (of which I am not one) are willing to address ego.  All I will say is that ego is self-centric.  It’s all about me.  Take care of me.  Do for me.  Me. Me. Me. Me.Me.  Self is all.  And you know what?  We all have an ego that is self-driven and frequently that’s not a good thing.

So often ego becomes like a black hole, drawing everything into and about self.  Did someone say something?  It was about me.  Did something happen?  It was because of me.  Is something going to happen?  It’s mine.  It can be exhausting to experience ego run amok and it can be debilitating to be the run amok ego.  Sadly in my ministry I have experienced a plenty of powerful egos.  More so than the damage they do outside themselves I see so much damage within themselves.  It seems oxymoronic: more of me, which appears wonderful, is actually crippling.

Social science has long understood that self is only meaningful in community.  As we engage fully in the symbiotic dance of life with and among others we experience our true selves in the greatest and most healthy ways.  In other words, that which is spoken is more a reflection of the speaker than the object of the words.  The same is true of the doing.  When we allow all that is said and done around us to reflect the say-er and doer we have the freedom to equally be ourselves in community without constraint.  We grow together.  Remember that the next time you hear something that hits close to the bone.  Is it really about you?  Or is it about the speaker?  And what should you take from it in a healthy way?  Consider that, and have a great week!

Matthew 5:11-12