“Enlightened”
Born into a world of abuse and neglect, where abound the traps of self pity, addiction, and self contempt. Through Christ I am healed. The era of the pit of “the carrot” and “the dole” has ended. I will be the leader I was put on earth to be.

50 words…that was what they asked for. Tell us your story and why you believe we have to build America. Hmm, my story in 50 words, an interesting exercise but this is it. “Enlightened” (see above), I am grateful for the challenge. It sums up my story and it is so much more than that for me. Because it is not just my story but the story of all mankind since the fall, in my opinion. We may not wish to see it, but the scriptures testify of it. Sin has been alive and well in this sphere since Adam and Eve left the presence of God. Along with sin comes addictions and entrapment(s) that suggest we can get something for nothing and that just is not so.

It does not have to stay that way though. The way has been provided and we must do our part by looking in faith to Jesus Christ. We can choose life and accountability and responsibility and the beautiful process of creation and growth or we can choose to be in bondage and stifled and gagged, lulled into believing that this is life, and doomed to live the life of the living dead. We have a choice.

Only I can accept my own existence and it comes by obeying the words of God that are found in the scriptures and in the voices of those who listen to the Holy Ghost and live by his guidance. Yes, God’s will is to be found in the instruction and clashes that we have with humanity but we must develop the ear to hear it. As we come closer to Christ and follow his teachings we must also accept the fact that Christ comes and dwells with us. We must be willing to trust that we are being guided by his light as long as we are doing all that we can to live by the light that we have been given through his gospel by the power of the Holy Ghost.

This will come about as we are willing to give up those little sins that we hold onto and say “I am only human after all”. I declare that we are much more than this. We are children of God and he will come and dwell with us and we will be his and he will be ours if we believe in him and in his belief in us and live according to the commandments as did Christ. It is obedience to the principles of the gospel that gives us access to the power in God’s love, not merely to be here, going through these tests, but to literally perform the miracles that we were sent here to do by his power as we recognize that he is our all and everything.

There is nothing like it! Seriously, it is dangerous, chilling, exciting, and yes, even titillating to get into the path of his power and know the “rush” of the knowledge that the Holy Ghost will reveal as we put ourselves into line with this beautiful communicator of the Godhead. It makes life come alive and be dynamic and ever changing and, well, it makes it Christmas everyday for me. I never know what gift and surprise will be waiting for me but I know I can count on there being one.

How can one not be excited when you live in the toy store and candy shop and you have God as your Father and guide? Even the horrors of this life take on new meaning and teach lessons that only taking you further into the light as you look to God with the innocence of the child knowing that he loves you and only seeks your good.

I am glad that this article is going up on Father’s Day. Families are given to us to show us the potential we have in our relationship with him and with one another. I am so grateful to know that I am a child of God. I am grateful for earthly parents with weaknesses and strengths and I pray that the Holy Spirit will take my gratitude and affection for them from my heart to theirs wherever they may be. (My father has passed from this physical life, as has my step mother, and my biological mother has been estranged from many years and while I believe I know where she may be now it is understandable that she would not contact me given my boldness in living by my faith. I sent her a note thanking her for giving me life though…maybe I will attempt to contact her once again once I get my voice solidly established, hopefully in a way that she understands she has nothing to fear from me. My grown children and ex-spouses, likewise keep their distance and that is okay for now. I hope the next volume in my Portrait of a Harlot/Saint series shows them they have nothing to fear and that they come to accept this beautiful experience of eternal life in God’s presence because it is beautiful. In the meantime I am going to “fly” and partake of the beauty that God wants to bless us with as we turn to him with all that we are and offer every ounce of it to him for his work and his glory.)

As we do this we must be willing to practice humility and meekness. Not everyone has access to this understanding and you cannot “crush” their “false world” too fast, we all need the Holy Ghost to help us do this, it is the process of being born again. They will not know how to interact with you, they may be afraid of you, they may be jealous of you or think you are trying to “one up” them or put them down somehow. It is important to reach out to Heavenly Father and ask for help in understanding how you can be a light in their world without allowing them to “snuff you out” or chase you away, especially from gathering together at church as we are commanded to do.

He will show us how to do this. I believe this and I believe that you will be blessed as you condescend as Jesus Christ did and subject yourself to God’s will instead of “standing up for your rights”. That does not mean being a doormat, it means asking Father’s assistance so that what you have to share with them comes from a place of love, from a place of God’s love. You see, this is part of the real secret, the real truth…because it is only God that exists right now…you and I are only potential…based on our willingness to yield to the will of God. 😉