From Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. 26 Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. 28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Physical and mental disabilities require a light burden. When I was caught up in negative attitudes and emotions. It wasn't until I began giving testimony in a very public way that I found relief. I have found Christian Chat outlets like ChristiaNet.com a wonderful place to share. I've met others there that not only have the same sorts of problems but shared their own testimonies with me in which we lifted each other up. This is the Lord's will. We are not to isolate and hold in our feelings and emotions but get them out in the open.
I have ataxia from an intentional lithium overdose, which keeps me from having stable balance and causes severe muscle co-ordination problems in my legs. I can make it down steps with time and difficulty and spend most of my time reading and meditating on the Lord's Word and interacting with friends online. Wasn't always that way. I saw the world as harsh and judgmental. I felt myself alone. I didn't want suicide again because the Lord had shown me heaven in my 10 day coma so my faith was strong but a close conjunction with the Lord was lacking. I didn't feel Him flowing into my heart until I started helping others.
Because of what happened, I really rejected anyone's pity or sympathy. I was a sinner that got what he deserved (trust me). I've gone through self examination and have found that shining LIGHT on the emotions takes away their power. This is a basic truth in our faith. By the steps of repentence that I will include below the same can be applied to the negatives which are forces of the same nature as evils.
Guilt. Shame. Remorse. Worthlessness. Envy. Doubt. Anger Fear. Hatred. Doubt. Grief. Self loathing. Jealously. Any of these sound familiar. In my experience everyone has these bit disabled folks get caught up in them because of rejection and condescending attitudes by others. Look at these words. They push us down into the pit if we let them. Social Security is a wonderful system but we cannot expect the government to provide us with spiritual food. We must look to the Lord.
From Swedenborg:
DLW 220. Since the whole organism or body directs its powers principally into the arms and hands, which are its extremities, therefore arms and hands in the Word symbolize power, and the right hand a superior power. Since the evolution and emergence of degrees into a state of power is as stated, therefore the angels who are present with a person and in correspondence with all his constituents know merely from any action done through the hands what the person is like in regard to his intellect and will, and so in regard to his charity and faith, thus in regard to the inner life which is the life of his mind, and in regard to the outward life which results from that in the body.
The ultimate in spiritual power is writing and typing. Today, we have the internet and can reach audiences unimaginable in the Lord's day. We can be of service in His Kingdom by sharing what we have and praying it helps just onle other person. By doing that we feel the joy, happiness and peace of heaven in our spirit.
Keep the Golden Rule at the forefront and don't project your emotions onto others. The internet provides us protection from people judging based on factors of discrimination. Our voice is as loud as theirs... everyone is equal here.
If you have an elderly shut-in or know of a institution nearby for the mentally or physically disabled, consider donating your used computers to them and encourage them to get online. The library also has public computer resources. Go there. Start a blog. Open a myspace account. The Lord will move people to you. Proclaim his Kingdom to saint and sinner alike!
On myspace yesterday a young lady from Michigan sent me a link to a pornographic website with the words 'trust me' in the message. I replied to her that I wrestled an addiction for that most of my adult life and sent her a a blessed message. I pray it plants a seed. I pray we become friends. I pray my friends are her friends, too. We all need each other.
Following is from a post by Glenn on our Swedenborg list. I believe it's a useful summary of truths to this article:
The end of creation takes form in outmosts, which end is that all thing may return to the Creator and that there may be conjunction. DLW 316
PART A
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[A]ll things advance according to order[.] AC 10236
[E]verything which is from the Divine begins from Himself, and advances according to order down to the ultimate end, thus through the heavens down to the world, and there rests as in its ultimate, because the ultimate of Divine order is in the nature of the world. AC 10634
Everything that is done according to Divine order is inwardly open even to the Lord, and thus has heaven in it; but everything that is not done according to Divine order is inwardly closed, and thus has not heaven in it. [2] Therefore Divine order is for the Lord to flow in through the interiors of man into his exteriors, thus through the will of man into his action. AC 8513
[W]hen anyone does live according to [the Divine commandments], he lives according to Divine order, inasmuch as the Divine commandments are truths and goods which are in conformity with order; and when anyone lives according to order, he then lives in the Lord, because the Lord is order itself. AC 8512
PART B
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The universal principle of faith on man’s part is that he should believe in the Lord; for by believing in Him there is conjunction with Him and thereby salvation. To believe in the Lord is to have confidence that He saves; and as only those who live rightly can have this confidence, this, too, is meant by believing in Him. TCR 2
The particulars of faith on man's part are:
(1) God is one, in whom is a Divine trinity, and the Lord God the Savior Jesus Christ is that one.
(2) Saving faith is to believe in Him.
(3) Evils should not be done, because they are of the devil and from the devil.
(4) Goods should be done, because they are of God and from God.
(5) These should be done by man as if by himself; but it should be believed that they are done by the Lord in man and through man.
The first two are matters of faith, the next two of charity, and the fifth of the conjunction of charity and faith, thus of the conjunction of the Lord and man. TCR 3
PART C
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[A]s soon as a man on self-examination confesses evils to be sins against God because they are contrary to divine laws, and accordingly resolves to desist from them, the Lord opens the spiritual mind, enters the natural by affections for truth and good, enters the reason, and by the reason puts into order what is disordered below in the natural. DP 147 -- [PART B (3) above]
[B]ecause love and wisdom exist and subsist in use, it is use that affects us; and use is to perform faithfully, sincerely, and diligently the work of one's function. The love of use and the consequent devotion to use holds the mind together lest it melt away... [and] devotion of the mind to use, retains these truths, and binding them together, disposes the mind into a form capable of receiving wisdom from them[.] CL 16 -- [PART B (4) above]
[T]he Lord loves all men, and from love wills good to all, and good is use. And because the Lord does goods or uses mediately through angels, and in the world through men, therefore to those who perform uses faithfully He gives the love of use and the reward thereof, which is internal blessedness; and this is eternal happiness. CL 7 -- [PART B (4) above]
[T]he glorification of God... means bringing forth the fruits of love, that is, doing the work of one's employment faithfully, sincerely, and diligently, this being the effect of love to God and of love to the neighbor. Moreover, it is the bond of society and its good. It is by this that God is glorified, and then by worship at set times. CL 9 -- [PART B (4) above]
[A] man must not let down his hands and await influx, for this would be to act like an effigy devoid of life; in spite of all he must think, will, and act as of himself, and yet must ascribe to the Lord everything of thought of truth and of endeavor of good; by so doing there is implanted in him by the Lord the capability of receiving Him and the influx from Him. For man was created no otherwise than to be a receptacle of the Divine; and the capability of receiving the Divine is formed in no other way. AC 10299.4-5 -- [PART B (5) above]
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