Of Mirrors And Boats

Can we still promote our own ego alongside of doing the will of God? Can we seek to still hold onto ninety percent of what we want and allow God ten percent of selflessness and claim to be doing the will of God? ...seventy-five and twenty-five? ...fifty-fifty? ...ten percent and ninety percent? Any fool know better than to argue like this!

A mirror is completely egoless. If a flower comes alongside of it, it reflects a flower. If a bird comes alongside of it, it reflects a bird. A mirror reflects something that is worthy as worthy; it reflects something ugly as ugly. There is no discriminating mind, no self-consciousness on behalf of the mirror. The truly free working of the mirror is itself the wisdom of the gospel. I have died to my ego; it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.

It is not as if in reading the Bible once again we somehow can ignore the actual call of scripture to do this. We know what it says. We simply lack the desire to be this. We want to still defiantly hold out that our ego somehow defines us on a deeper level than does God. We are toddlers standing up in our highchairs at God's table and throwing tantrums.

Yet there is another danger, because even as mirrors, if we align our selves with others who are likewise defiant, then we reflect their egos. If we align ourselves alongside of those who transparently serve others because they have died to themselves, then we reflect God, and shine peace and love in a world darkened by ego.

And do not excuse yourself from being a mirror by seeking to be creatively good and benevolent, for these are only other actions tied to the ego.

Empty your self of your self; do no stand alongside of others with egos. The church is full of ego.

~~~~~

If a person is crossing a river

and an empty boat collides with their own

even though they may by nature be ill-tempered

they will not become angry

but if they see another person in the boat

they will begin to shout at them

and shout again

and begin cursing

all because they see someone in the other boat

yet if the boat were empty

they would not be shouting

if you can empty your boat of your ego

then crossing the river

will be easy

- Chuang Tzu