All God Asks

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“I found if I don’t make certain efforts in my life, I go under. I find I’m operating on my knees. The level of suffering gets so high you can’t enjoy even the simplest things. Then it’s time to clean your house. And the way I do it is tighten my religious practices. I recognize myself as weak, and I need the help of a tradition. I need the information the tradition imparts to its observers.” ~Leonard Cohen

The above quote is sort of where I live most of the time. If I am not making a fairly consistent effort to wake up, I am sliding into sleep. Sound familiar? Of course it does. Everything has its price and the price of surrendering to God is your pseudo-life. Since it is false, you would think we could walk away easily. Nothing is further from the truth.

To speak personally, I am addicted to my particular form of suffering. It is my life story. To drop it, to even move an inch away from it, provides a certain amount of relief. And yet the sleeping self loves to suffer. The Work says it is like we are hooked up to a giant pain machine and refuse to unhook it and walk away.

So Tobias tells me to leave Facebook because it is separating me from the love of God. He is right. And to have a friend on your side is a valuable thing in the inner life. I hope you consider me one. I have been beaten to the ground enough times that I deeply understand how hard it is to actually sit and love oneself unconditionally. Yet this is all God asks of us!

So make yourself at home here on these pages. Roam around and read the older essays. Ask me a question or throw something out yourself that you find helpful.

Love,
Vicki

2 Comments

  1. Your words ring true, as usual! Love the image of being hooked up to a giant pain machine. This is a great place to settle into or roam around. Facebook doesn’t feed me. Blessings!

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