Letting God Contaminate You

It almost seems comical that in the three weeks I have not been to church are the same three weeks that my heart was confronted with confusion. It's so interesting how a simple story aould say it) on God's love, we are one with the Spirit and are able to minister to others. And I realize this is what has happened with me lately. I have to have faith in the Lord that regardless of what happens with this person that I feel so connected to, that things will be better than good. In His way, He will pave a path where the right decisions will be made. His Spirit is in everything, he has connected two hearts in a way that I will never be able to fully comprehend, but by trusting Him I have faith that regardless of the outcome, things will Be Better Than Good. I am reminded of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism:1. Life is suffering, 2. Sufferbout Jesus making wine out of water can remedy the soul. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus took simple jars, probably jars that were tucked away, maybe dusty from storage and took what could have been a disaster and made it better than good. The wine was of the best quality. Stephanie's point was made clear this morning during her sermon, when we are full-up (the way Patrick wing is caused by aversion and craving, 3. Suffering can be overcome and happiness can be attained, & 4. The 8-fold path is the path that leads to the end of suffering. It is a path of morality, being mindful of our actions and thoughts. Developing Wisdom through understanding the four noble truths can we be compassionate towards others and aide in their healing.I am a Christian, and being compassionate towards others is what I can identify with most.I have suffered, I have hurt, and I have been to the depths of existence, wanting to end everything in order to feel at peace. However, the ones who loved me the most held me and loved me and aided me in finding an answer and understanding of my pain. What hurt later was the chastisement I felt from some of my closest friends. They said I was selfish, that I only did what I did to remove the attention from another friend. I didn't do these things intentionally as I have always wanted nothing more than the happiness of the ones I share my existence with. I was cast out by them. Losing the people who you think will be there for you whenever you most need them is an awful experience. Luckily, I was able to see who really cared for me. In a time of suffering, one often feels the need of sympathy and caring. But I went into myself, I searched for what would make me most happy. But instead of focusing deep down and listening to that small voice, I cluttered my life with endless things to do. I went on dates with men to find a man who would make a decent husband. I went back to school to find a career that would lead to a stable "suburban" lifestyle. However, the bottom fell out and my life was in shambles again. And that's when I realized, I could fill every minute of my life with things to do to occupy my mind, but what I really wanted was to understand my mind. I wanted to make that connection with my feelings and my world. I took those first steps towards healing. I began to live my life with purpose, not a purpose of goals and achievements that I felt I needed to make, but with the purpose of connecting. I sought refuge with God. I became full up on His love. Then there comes that time when you are able to realize your happiness and begin wanting to share it with others. In church I feel the presence of the Spirit and I want to share the energy of Compassion with others. I want life for others to be "Better Than Good." In Buddhism, compassion and understanding is what should be achieved. Compassion includes qualities of sharing, readiness to give comfort, sympathy, concern, caring. An attempt to truly understand others, by fully understanding ourselves, through wisdom.I wanted to share my compassion with my friend, but he practices Buddhism and I believe he really wants to understand his life by acknowledging his suffering. Buddhism teaches that the solutions to our problems are within ourselves, not outside. I need to give him his time to understand his suffering. As much as I would like to pour out my sympathy and concern for him, I am hindered by what I would consider his deep belief in the Noble Truths. I want to offer my hand to him, in contrast to the way I did not receive when I was trying to understand my suffering. I believe he knows that I am here and that I am trying to understand his need. My suffering then is minor in this matter. I have found a connection with this person far greater than I ever have with any other person. My cries last night resonate deeper as now I realize they were for him as much as they were for me. The Lord brought relief to my heart and a clear head as to how I should approach my friend. I cannot help in the way I want and it DOES bring sorrow to my heart. I must therefore remember that I am the one who became in control of my happiness, and I should not deny him that same opportunity. What I can do is pray that the Spirit of the Lord or however he acknowledges that energy encompass him in his quest for understanding and then when he emerges, that he is able to confront his decisions with a clear head. I hope that things will eventually be Better Than Good for him.