Why Do We Want To Hear This In New Terms ?

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

Galatians 5:22-23

I was reading through the Bible this morning looking up the word KINDNESS. It's a popular word for those that call themselves "seekers" . The concept of kindness seems to be lacking in so many aspects of this rushed world that people are looking for it. Seeking peace and how to be patient, looking in all sorts of places for the very concepts outlined in these verses. Myself included. My own journey is one of seeking how to be more at peace within, to be gentle natured and to deeply feel a sense of joy that permeates my whole being no matter what life dishes out. At times I think to myself, I need something new, a new teaching, the old is just that, old and feels worn out. So, I buy the latest best seller and seek, but the words leave me feeling a bit empty, something is missing. Of course its God that is missing. These new books that are supposed to bring us to enlightenment, to a place where we feel only the moment, well there is a bit of wisdom and truth to some of what is said, but there is so little hope within the pages, no hope in a higher power to pull us through the tough times. It's all self and words like "energy". Self Help is a good description of these books. I came to a personal conclusion this morning, its not that what I have been taught, what I know so well by heart has grown outdated for me, or lost its power to inspire me to live a better life, its simply I don't really want to do the personal work to change. I feel lazy and would much prefer a "quick fix" one that doesn't require me to look so outdated, (not talking appearance here) so non-free thinking. It is not the information that doesn't work for me, its just my "self" wanting to be "cool". Not old and stuffy, appearing to just play follow the very OLD leader. Simply, it is my ego. The very things I am searching for, to find, to become have been there all along, right under my nose, in my bookcase, in my heart, in my mind from all my years of study, but the scripture and following God is just not sold on prime time afternoon television or on the New York Times Best Seller List. I was reading some pages of "A New Earth" last weekend and I thought to myself, "bits of truth, but no God." It left me empty feeling. It seemed for me, as I read, like the stories you read of people who search the whole world over for treasure only to come home and find that the real treasure is HOME.

Maybe its just time for me to step back and take a fresh new look at what I have known all along.

There is great wisdom, great truths, great directions for finding peace, joy, patience, gentleness and the all the things most of us are seeking, right under my nose, that has been part of my life for decades and decades. It's me that needs the overhaul, my mindset that needs to be adjusted, not my reading material. The very old Book on my shelf has all the truths I am seeking.