Seeking Supernatural Powers?

(FreeImages.com/BerkeleyRobinson)

Drawn To the Supernatural?

Within every human is the awareness of the supernatural. This is why there are many books and movies that copy this concept. Not all of these concepts are correct nor wholesome, but they express an awareness that within each of us, there is the subconscious reality that there is another “realm” not limited to our natural senses.  Why else would there be such a thriving industry of Marvel Super Heroes?  Just browsing the aisles at the library reveals that what the majority of readers are interested in is everything having to do with magic, spells, and wizards.

The reality is that we all know there are forces at work that we cannot control or fully understand. We also see and experience situations and circumstances that we cannot control. We are drawn to super powers because we like the idea of tapping into a power that makes us no longer powerless (or so we imagine).

There is truth and also cautions with the reality of the supernatural world. As we see in the example of Lord of the Rings, the power of the ring had potential for great danger. Eventually, the ring had to be destroyed before it destroyed all that still remained good. In other words, tapping into a force of power can make us feel powerful, but the reality is that these outside powers actually control us more than we can control them.

There is a supernatural world that operates within and outside of our natural world. As our subconscious validates, there are good and evil sides to this supernatural world, and not all of it can easily be discerned. Evil can masquerade as good, and sometimes good is not immediately received or seen as good.

What if though we connect to a Supernatural God who isn’t just all-powerful but who is also good and righteous? This means in His righteousness, He might limit those things that appear as freedom, attractive, and pleasurable if He knows the reality of the inherent dangers within.

I would also suggest that not only does God describe Himself as good, but the nature of goodness and love is that it will always trump evil and lies. The very nature of goodness and love insures that eventually it will triumph over all of evil. Love is the greater force. Truth is the greater force. In the end, they will always prevail.

To Learn About Something, What Do We Study?

(FreeImages.com/yournewven)

1.  If you want to learn about something, what do you study?

• You learn about the thing (person, place, thing, or idea) by studying the thing.

2.  If you want to learn about something, is it reliable to solely study how it is used?

• Sometimes, we may gain insight by watching how that thing is used, but there is great potential risk to this method of interpretation.  We may gain a false concept of the thing because of the potential false usage of that thing.  

3.  If you want to learn about something, do you study those using the thing or study the source of the thing?

• Another way to ask that question is, “Should those using the thing determine its authenticity or should the source of the thing determine its authenticity?”
• What’s the best way to learn about an Apple iPhone?  Do you learn about it best through your friend, Johnny, who owns a phone and may or may not know how to use yours or through a manual that was created specifically for your exact model of iPhone?
• If we continually look to human practice to determine the authenticity of something, we are looking to a flawed source.  Therefore, there is potential for a flawed result in our understanding.

4. What does our focus tell us in regards to our motives?

• Focusing on the abuses or false can become an excuse for avoiding truth that is uncomfortable.
• If we focus on the misapplication of a truth, it is easy for us to dismiss the reality of the truth and justify our avoidance of it. 
• We think that by finding how the truth is falsely applied, we can somehow avoid the reality of the truth.

In summary:

• Truth is truth, regardless of how it is potentially misunderstood or misapplied.
• There will be abuses of the authentic in the practices of flawed humans, but the abuses never change the reality of the truth.

The Harvest Principle of Life

(FreeImages.com/JasonAntony)

The Sowing-Reaping Principle

There is a sowing-reaping principle that is established in nature. It works the same for human nature as well. You sow what you reap.

You will only get a return on an investment if you make an investment.

If you want to improve the status of your life, you have to improve your life.

If you want change, you have to be the change.

If you want to have success in life, then you have to make decisions and have corresponding actions that lead to success.

The same sowing-reaping principle holds true in character as well. If you are angry and impatient towards others, you shouldn’t be surprised if you reap a harvest of broken relationships.

You cannot detach your actions from the inevitable consequences.

Societies and systems may attempt to avoid the sowing-reaping principle, but the outcome will always be chaos and destruction.