Listen to the PodCast of "An Integrated You" with Rev. Karyn Bradley
What if we could love ourselves completely? What if we could look in the mirror warts and all and say this is good, this is me and I love me? Rev. Karyn Bradley invites us this week to look at ourselves as complete, authentic and whole human beings-and claim it all good.
Our most basic foundation statement in Unity is that God is everywhere Present, and that God is good and because we are expressions of God, we are good too.
But sometimes we judge ourselves as lacking because we see parts of ourselves that we deem less than perfect. Then we go about trying to hide those parts. When we expend energy hiding something, we become pale versions of ourselves and become inauthentic. Being inauthentic is a very difficult way to live because it takes so much effort to be something we are not.
Karyn likened it to carrying around a grapefruit all day and hiding it so no on would see it. That’s a hard way to live because the emphasis is on covering up the flaw and our energy is directed at hiding not living. We are not present for the moment at hand and all of its beauty.
The things we don’t like about ourselves have things to teach us. There are many gifts in the darkness. We can learn acceptance and a deeper compassion for ourselves and others.
When we reconcile our flaws with the parts we like and accept them as part of who we are, we feel lighter and more joyous. Karyn taught us to say, “It’s ok.” We don’t deny that these parts of us exist but we put them in their proper perspective-a small part of a bigger whole.
What freedom that acceptance brings, what joy to no longer live in hiding but to look into our inner mirror and know that all of it brings us closer to the Truth of who we are. We can be grateful for all of it for in the acceptance comes connection. We look with love upon ourselves and others knowing that we walk the path together.
Posted on
Thu, November 24, 2011
by Rev. Margaret Flick