Family, church and your political affiliation?

 

Love, compassion and peace?

 

What is it for you?  

 

What are you devoted to?  What will nag at you until you find a solution?

 

What really matters to you?  

 

The dictionary defines devotion, “love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause.”

 

Think about your life.  What would someone from the outside be able to know from your actions that you were devoted to?

 

I’m devoted to love, joy, peace, abundance, and work to help others find their way to living their best life.  I’m a learner.  I love learning.  

 

I know life gives you situations to help you evolve and undo all that is not like what you desire to see your commitment or devotion to what you profess.

 

I know everything that upsets you are lessons to help you grow and become more of who you were created to be.  

 

Recently, I was upset by my daughter and wanted to get in a bantering exchange with her to “prove” my point.  I also know from my emotions how off that felt.  But, I still wanted to get in my words.  As the Universe has it, my Joel Osteen’s podcast was “Keep Strife Out of Your Life”  where he talks about the choices you have.  

 

I love how the Universe works.  Gives you just what you need.  If you pay attention.

 

Love and peace are my journey.  Not easy but still my quest.

 

I’m reminded that I have high expectations and a strong belief in the good of people.  And, I spend a great deal of time trying to be a better person, really walking my talk.  

 

Not for everyone.

 

When I’m against something, I dig deep and try to understand what is clouding my perspective, my thinking.  

 

I truly desire peace and love in my life.  Not superficially, but at the deepest part of my being.

 

I’ve really struggled with this President.  I can’t get past the character of this man.  I know we are all flawed.  But, as a leader who you ARE is important.  

I know many others have been baffled too.  I struggle with how someone so dishonest and hurtful could be adored by many people.  Just like with his RNC talk – 21 false or misleading facts, one every 3 minutes.  He has made 19,127 false or misleading claims in 1,226 days in office as stated by the Washington Post.

 

As I’ve asked for guidance with this situation, I was reminded to think about what I’m devoted to. 

 

I was reminded to reflect upon my past educational work from Piaget’s theory of moral reasoning and Kohlberg’s Moral Development to help me understand people’s needs and choices.  Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, explored how children developed moral reasoning.  Lawrence Kohlberg was interested in how people decide what is right and what is wrong.

 

It made me realize my hopes are that people live by Kohlberg’s post-conventional motives – 

 

Doing the right thing because your internal belief in doing what it right.  Like as Christians, are you living the words you profess like “whatsoever you do to the least of your brothers and sisters, you do unto me,” says the Lord Jesus. Let us pray, reflect and as ourselves: Have I seen the Lord in my brothers and sisters? 

 

Also, I hoped that people lived by Piaget’s moral reasoning – respect, honesty, justice.  It’s the thinking that you can sacrifice your own self-interest for the higher good of society.  

 

But, I was reminded not everyone is living at those levels. 

 

Some people do what the authorities tell them without thinking about whether it makes sense or not.  Not realizing the incongruences.  Not bothered by you don’t live by your principles but by fear.

 

I was once there.  I didn’t question what I was told.  I just followed.  

 

As I reflected back into their philosophies of how we mature and live in this world, I am better able to understand why others see this situation differently than I, and others, do.  

 

This situation reminded me that we are all human, living life in contradictions.  

 

We each have our own journey.  

 

These events and people are put before me, and you, to help us open to a fuller experience of life.  

 

To have faith even when there are painful experiences.

 

To stay committed to the spiritual journey.

 

To let your soul guide you.

 

So that we can work from our hearts to make choices that are more loving and kind to each other.

 

What are you devoted to?  What will nag at you until you find a solution?

 

Will you commit to keep working to removing the layers and layers of all of you that is not pure love?

 

And for me, I’m devoted to being my Highest and Greatest Self.  Doing what I can to be my best self as well as help others rise to their most loving and kind beings.