Missing the Point: How to Get Ready for Eternity

How to Get Ready for Eternity

It's a curiousity to me that while the literature of all the world's great religions proclaim--in one manner or the other--that this physical world is not our home, nonetheless we seem to be grasping at its trappings more and more, and consequently we end up missing the point of life, the point of our very reason for being here.


Because, I have to tell you that if this physical world is not our home, and yet we use every waking minute in pursuit of its treasures and luxuries and comforts, of what use will it be to us when we do arrive at the proverbial "HOME" or heaven after our brief journey here?


And -- myself included -- I know that it is so easy to forget that this world is not our final destination, but could instead be considered a grand illusion when compared with what awaits us in the next life, the life of the spirit. When we are surrounded 24/7 by the illusion of this
physical world, is it any wonder that we forget to remember where we are headed?



I wrote a short article some years ago entitled, Transitioning from the Fetus to the Material World, and from the Material World to the Spiritual World: An Analogy. Of course the concepts presented in the article derived directly from the teachings of the Baha'i Faith, but
nonetheless the piece alluded to the fact that our main purpose here, on earth, is to develop spiritual qualities that will be useful to us now as well as in our approach to having a fullfilling existence in the eternal life of the spirit. In fact, if we fail to develop our spiritual qualities while yet on the physical plane, we will arrive in the next life severely handicapped.


So, what spiritual qualities will be useful for us to have a successful afterlife? This is a simple enough question. The holy books speak to the fact that it is those intangible virtues that we learn while here on earth that we will need in the world to come. So we can pick a virtue, any one will do, such as the act of being more loving, of showing more patience, of demonstrating kindness, of exercising our generousity muscle, of forgiving those who we think have wronged us, and so on, because the development of each of these virtues will help us go into the next life with one less handicap.


Basically, it is all those qualities that are unique to human beings and not the lower animals that will be of benefit to us in eternity, things that you can't touch but that increase the quality of our
relationships with others. Concentrating on the development of virtues and of living a virtuous life is a major part of why we have been placed in this holding tank that some call earth and others call physical existence.


And this leads me to the main gist of why I am writing to you today. I woke up this morning thinking about something Ralph Waldo Emerson is quoted to have said. He said "Do the
thing and you shall have the power."


And as a student of self empowerment, my response to the thought of that quotation was, "But how do you get the initial motivation or the strength or the fortitude to 'do the thing'?" Surely, that has to come first. And the answer -- from above -- to that question for me was just as immediate.

Connect to the Source of uninterrupted and unlimited power when you want to 'do the thing' consistently and have the power abundantly.

Yes, the missing piece for most of us is figuring out how to get the power to do the thing which will give us the power. And, now you have the answer. This is the answer to any lack in your life. If you are lacking in your finances, go ahead and connect to the Source to get the power to change it. If you are lacking in your relationships, connect to the Source to get the power to change your perceptions or your situation (one often follows the other). If you are lacking the will power to overcome some addiction, be it food or drink or illegal substance, then you need to first connect to the Source to get the power to make the change.


The Source gives you uninterrupted and unlimited power to do the thing that you seek to do.


What a revelation? What if connecting to the Source of my existence, the God of my life, what if that really is the answer to all my problems? Then maybe I should stop chasing after those things that are illusory, that are temporary, that are dead in comparison with what the
Source has stored up for me in Eternity. (For tips on how to practically solve problems by connecting to the Source you might want to take a look at this article.)


Of course, all of this just leads me into the meditative quotes that I read this morning that brought about my thoughts on the preceding theme. So here they are, from the Hidden
Words of Baha'u'llah in the Persian:


10. O SON OF DESIRE!

Give ear unto this: Never shall mortal eye recognize the everlasting Beauty, nor the lifeless heart delight in aught but in the withered bloom. For like seeketh like, and taketh pleasure in the
company of its kind.


11. O SON OF DUST!

Blind thine eyes, that thou mayest behold My beauty; stop thine ears, that thou mayest hearken unto the sweet melody of My voice; empty thyself of all learning, that thou mayest partake of My knowledge; and sanctify thyself from riches, that thou mayest obtain a lasting share from the ocean of My eternal wealth. Blind thine eyes, that is, to all save My beauty; stop thine ears to all save My word; empty thyself of all learning save the knowledge of Me; that with a clear vision, a pure heart and an attentive ear thou mayest enter the court of My holiness.


12. O MAN OF TWO VISIONS!

Close one eye and open the other. Close one to the world and all that is therein, and open the other to the hallowed beauty of the Beloved.


13. O MY CHILDREN!

I fear lest, bereft of the melody of the dove of heaven, ye will sink back to the shades of utter loss, and, never having gazed upon the beauty of the rose, return to water and clay.


14. O FRIENDS!

Abandon not the everlasting beauty for a beauty that must die, and set not your affections on this mortal world of dust.


Visit here to read more Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah.


Till next time, this is Lo the Nightingale singing....

"His fragrant breaths diffused in Eastern lands could well

to sick ones in the West restore their sense of smell..."

From Gems of Divine Mysteries