Aligning with Reality

I had to get new front tires (and brakes) on Thursday because I just noticed that one was showing steel on the inside. The cause? The tires were not aligned. So off to another shop to take care of that. And as "ounce of prevention, pound of cure" would have it- I spent $ 70 for the alignment and $ 400 for two tires (fairly big truck). Yeah- I could have put off that tire purchase for another x months if my alignment was good. Here's where I'm headed- it's always good to be aligned.... but there a lot of ideas, philosophies, religions, etc. to align to, right? How can I know if I'm aligned to the right one? Again, this another subject that can get really deep and theoretical but I'd like to keep it practical. Ha. Well, it's worth a try.

There are universal principles in so many threads: the physical sphere, the mental, emotional, spiritual, etc. We know that if we choose to violate these "laws" we will suffer the consequences. (how many examples should I list before I continue?) Man has learned to overcome some laws (say gravity) by using another law in a more powerful way (lift of an aircraft wing from air pressure differences). Is it possible to overcome all laws by using some other law in a more powerful way? That depends on what we mean by 'overcome' and 'powerful' I suppose, but to keep it practical- if a law is a universal principle, it will always be in effect. The effect of that law may not be apparent or obvious if another law has greater influence over the effects of the first law. Stay with me. Ok, 5 minute water break. Could it be that we have fooled ourselves about this in more important, eternal matters? What if we admit that there are spiritual laws and yet the reason that we choose not to live by these laws is that we invoke other laws that have a more perceived, temporary benefit or effect that nullifies (from our perception, or in our economy) the effects of the laws that we're not too hip on? If I lost anyone at this point, write me. What I'm doing here is mostly introspective analysis and letting you in on it. I do believe that this is a universal issue though.

Now to get personal- I know that there is a law of connection, I'll call it. We were made to be connected to God. He made us to function in relationship with Him. Different words help different people, so we can talk about 'abiding' or 'dependence', whatever the word- the idea is that we were made for this and He has made it possible. Our souls crave this and we crave with an intensity that will not give up easily. The problem is that we mislabel this craving, or 'feed' the craving with a poor substitute, or even deny the craving- either out of hopelessness or a sense of (false) spiritual piety. Any of these will wear my tires wrong, so to speak, because they are not aligned with Reality. (I capitalized on purpose because the ultimate reality is God, who defines the rest of reality) If we live out of alignment, there will be consequences. They may not be apparent or obvious right away but they will be present. Cars don't drive the same when the alignment is out. Lives don't live the same when the alignment is out. And yet, I know this and choose at times to ignore or suspend the law of connection (gravity) in favor of the law of independence (difference in air pressure). The aircraft called 'self' works like this but it does take a lot of energy and at some point gravity will win. My point in this confusing car tire/airplane wing picture is that when I choose to buck the universal principles of life, it will have effects; some are perhaps desirable (at least temporarily) and some not. Why would I think about bucking these laws- why even entertain the idea of independence? One reason is that I don't so much entertain and then consciously decide- it's more of a reaction or impulse, it's the natural human tendency. The other reason is that I'm believing a lie- something else is better than God, to put it bluntly. How do I live then, like I know I should when I have these natural tendencies and attractive lies? This is where a change in belief systems is needed. If I'm living misaligned, then I'm believing something not true, something that doesn't exist in the ultimate Reality. So how do I change my belief system? (not a wholesale change, because there must be enough of a solid core to be able to even realize that some of the outer layers aren't right)


A good place to start changing the 'bad' is to name and confirm the good. I won't try to build a comprehensive list here. Let's do the bare bones for now, we can always go back and add. The important thing is to get it right. This is my core: God created everything for a purpose, including me. He has made me to live, truly live, when I am in right relationship with Him. He has also made the way for this to be possible. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Connecting to God (being in right relationship) requires that I accept, acknowledge, and live the simple reality that He is Lord. His proper place is Ruler, King. He is Sovereign and whatever he reigns is right- fulfilling design=right and when I put myself under his dominion, I am living like l was created to live. Seeking first the kingdom of God is really nothing more than aligning myself with Reality- understanding that God is King, He deserves to rule, and it's in the best interest of the universe to allow Him to rule. That is my core. It's solid and it will not change, so help me God. I'll confirm this (til kingdom come!) and it will help me to identify the beliefs that need to be changed. (sidenote on 'allowing' God to rule-this sounds like the mother of all paradoxes and so I will let it rest for now, be OK with it and address it later? yeah)