I had thought, when Ashley got me Coming Home to Your True Self for my birthday, that I might start blogging my answers to the reflection questions at the end of each chapter. The problem there is that I read faster than I type… or rather, I read faster than I have time to write a blog entry down. So, I’ll do it as I have time. It could be fun… right? I won’t do all the questions, as some of them are simply too personal, but I’ll do what I can. Anyway, I’m hurting for some information here, so here we go:

Chapter 1:

1. When am I more likely to experience the divine Presence in the present moment?

I’d have to say that this usually happens when I have down time. If I’m driving to work, or if I’m off for the weekend or on vacation. That’s when I feel like I can turn off everything else and listen, look and open up to some divine Presence. Sure, sometimes it just happens. I’ll be walking down the hall thinking about a particular problem and have an experience, but it isn’t typical.

2. When am I most myself?

I hate to say it, but I think this question is silly. All the time! I’m always myself, aren’t I?

3. When did my life begin to be riddled with guilt (obsession with the past) or anxiety and worry (obsession with the future)?

I’d be surprised to find someone that didn’t say it started when they were on their own. I’m sure there are a few kids out there that were on their own before their schooling was over, but for me, I think it was that last year before finishing my undergraduate work and realizing I had to go out there and do it myself. That was the anxiety and worry piece. Oh sure, I’d been concerned with school projects and such before then, but not on the same level that I’d call it an obsession. Guilt’s a different thing. I’m not sure when that began, but I’d say there’s always been a little bit of it there. Guilt over a bad grade or missed appointment or something else equally not-important-in-the-grand-scheme… all the little ones add up to just making you feel plain guilty all over.

4. How do my prayers or behavior suggest that God is “up there” and I am “down here”? How can I better experience the reality of Emmanuel, “God with us”?

Ahhh, these questions get more difficult as we go… I think I see how this works, now. At any rate, usually prayers involve God doing something for me rather than with me. If I approached prayer from a “with” standpoint, I think I’d be getting more in touch with the Emmanuel aspect of it all. Certainly, I realize that He’s here, but it isn’t always easy to notice that when He’s not visibly here.

5. What am I trying to “get” in my spiritual life?

Away from Hell? That’s probably not the “right” answer, but eternity is certainly a motivator. That’s the answer that first springs to mind, but it isn’t the only one, and it isn’t fair to say it’s the most important one on my mind simply because I said it first. There are lots of things I’d like to “get”. Absolute trust in God is one of them. I trust Him more than a lot of folks I know… I take the “do not worry” bit to heart because I know things can’t get that bad, but there are times when I do lose it and wonder what on earth is going on and how I can fix something that’s gone so terribly wrong. After a while I will remember that Jesus already won and that makes me feel better.

6. Which true-self characteristics are already operative in my life?

I don’t want to give away the book… you’ll have to read it to find out what those characteristics are!

7. Which true-self characteristics are still lacking in my life?

See 6 above.