Actual Christianity

Pro Tips of the day…

First Note: For those who think ‘affirmations’ is indicative of new age rituals. That’s not what affirmations are. Affirmations are simply declarative statements you repeat to yourself. No different than prayers. If you feel weird using the word affirmation, use the word prayer instead, they’re effectively the same. The constant desire to draw a line in the sand to distinguish yourself from “others” is against everything Jesus taught. We are all one.

A powerful way to reconnect and reaffirm to your consciousness of our shared unity with the universe—that we are all brothers and sisters, children of the cosmos/universe without any division is to insert prompts in your life to mentally remind you of this truth whenever possible.. Surround yourself with subtle reminders of this fact, in any form that will resonate with you. Reinforce your sense of oneness with all and our literal interconnectedness whenever you can. Never forget that others are you, and you are them, quite literally speaking.

Unfortunately our egos create the illusion of separation between all of us that is not real, when we are in actual fact one singular entity totally unified. It’s an uphill battle to fight this illusion and lie perpetuated by ourselves daily. Constant reminders and affirmations to fight this lie are incredibly helpful.

One useful method is to update your phone wallpaper as a reminder to recite daily affirmations in your mind. Another useful method was setting passwords that would force me to recite an affirmation declaring our unity in my mind every time I unlocked my phone, laptop or logged into a service. One of my favorite mental affirmations was “we are all one with our father, our source, the universe. We are all the children of the universe and one. We are all brothers and sisters. Don’t just say it carelessly and with zero heart, actually mean it and believe it when you recite these thoughts in your mind. Genuinely believe and accept that you are one with everyone you cross paths with, and put aside our ego’s tendencies to judge others or see others as separate or inferior to you. Your mind is constantly sending out vibrations and signals to the universe. This is demonstrable and visible in our daily lives, and it’s the backbone of Jesus’ teachings to maintain positive thoughts, to wish others well, bless others, forgive others. His teachings to let go of all toxic and hostile thoughts in exchange for peaceful and loving thoughts instead are all based on this very real nature of the universe and our minds. Jesus understood the power and impact of all of our thoughts.

Keep an eye out for patterns that appear in your life that should prompt you to forgive. Those patterns are no accident. If you notice multiple people being rude, inconsiderate, selfish towards you in very similar ways. Forgive them and reflect on whether you’ve also been that way as well. This is where the part of the lord’s prayer where ‘forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us’ comes into play. Forgiveness not only humbles you by minimizing our ego and purging our grievances. It also triggers self awareness and self reflection on whether we’ve been equally guilty of actions from others that have triggered us or bothered us. This all ultimately serves to restore peace in our minds, hearts and souls.

Unfortunately, many preachers in Christian churches teach people to recite the lord’s prayer without really focusing on what each line of the prayer is supposed to prompt you to do. Ultimately, reflection and forgiveness in meditation and prayers humbles you. Declaring to our universal father and source, “let thy will be done” doesn’t completely eradicate your free will and ego, you need it to live productively and happily, but it minimizes its power over you. You are choosing humility and yielding to the greater universe and the spirit of the god that is real for guidance and help, as opposed to our egotistical thoughts that we can do everything on our own. To not tap into this greater power we all have access to is a giant misstep for any human.

Bless others, wish others well in your mind, hold no grudges or resentments towards others. Your mind constantly harping on things in the past that hurt you or bother you should be your prompt and cue to forgive them. Ask the spirit of god/the universe to dissolve you from attachments to those resentments as you earnestly forgive them. Remembering that we are all one, anything you hate or anything you wish poorly on others will not bode well for you in the future. So send everyone your blessings, wish them well, health, financial security, and more.. It is especially impactful when you are directing it towards people you’ve had clashes with. Emphasize in your thoughts that you are one with them as your brothers/sisters and similarly children of the greater universe.

For Christians that don’t routinely exercise these steps, Jesus taught these very specific instructions. They put you back in harmony with the universe giving you a spiritual awakening. There is more to spiritual fulfillment and truth than simply saying you believe in Jesus. He did not teach his followers “for a spiritual awakening and truth declare that I died for your sins”. He taught his other more common iconic directions, that are far different than what modern ministers and pastors tend to focus on.

He taught his followers very specific directions that put them back in alignment and peace with all things. Be kind, peaceful, loving, selfless towards others in addition to releasing grievances and grudges by forgiving. This includes affirmations that remind yourself that you are one with all the people you cross paths with and to bless them. That includes people that aren’t necessarily your favorite, which is especially important. Frankly, more ministers who are claiming to be teaching Jesus’ teachings should be emphasizing these lessons on top of others, and most importantly forgiveness. Many ministers get side tracked into lessons that deviate from the core tenets Jesus taught that could honestly fit on a postcard. Those iconic lessons for benevolence, peace and unity are all you need.

Instead of plainly referring to God in prayers, a term that has been overwrought with baggage and stigma, use terms that are more neutral like source and father which Jesus used to reinforce our collective unity and oneness with.

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