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There was a small country in the ancient world that was surrounded by ruthless warlords. It could not defeat them in battle, so it became a vassal state. Its beautiful and fertile land was stripped of its resources. Its young men died in numerous wars and many of its women and children were enslaved to enrich and empower their overlords.

Generation after generation, the tiny nation slowly built up its defenses. It built its walls thicker and higher. Its gates became stronger. The people felt more secure the stronger their defenses grew. After many decades of patient construction, the entire country was finally encapsulated within a massive dome.

The people felt completely safe under their dome even when the region became saturated by heavy rains over a period of months. They could not see that the rains were weakening the foundation of their defense. When the base gave way suddenly, the dome collapsed in an instant, killing thousands. Those who were not crushed by the doomed dome drowned in the massive flash flood that followed.

Secrets of the Story

When we are attacked, used, abused, neglected, insulted, injured, wounded, upset, or hurt we usually build a barrier to protect the exposed vulnerability. It’s like putting wall plaster on a flesh wound. We tend to repeat this process with every single insult to our being. Many of us who have survived these assaults are walking around with a hard, thick shell around our hearts and souls in an attempt to keep ourselves from re-experiencing the same kind of pain we have felt in the past. Our unhealed wounds will continue to trouble us deeply no matter how often we engage in different defense strategies and distraction tactics.

Instead of hardening ourselves with defenses against the next attack, I would like to propose an alternative to the survival through defense approach to life. For me the alternative is to do my best to thrive by opening my heart in prayer for my Heavenly Parent’s Love. I can choose to allow Divine Love to flow into my soul every single time I experience fear, anguish, pain, heartbreak, anger, frustration, doubt, and any other thought or emotion that is not in harmony with love, peace, and goodness.

Every moment of our lives is an opportunity to allow the flood of God’s Love to cleanse our hearts and souls, freeing us from everything that we cling to out of fear, including our precious defense programs, systems, and structures.

This alternative way of being may not make much sense if we do not understand what Divine Love actually does to the one who allows it to enter in great abundance. Our Creator’s Divine Love is an incomparable energy that changes the constitution of the soul so that its perceptions are expanded and its hidden gifts are unleashed. The inflowing of Divine Love allows the soul to receive and benefit from greater spiritual guidance and protection. Both of these gifts empower the soul to better fulfill its purpose in the world. Without God’s Love, we are at the mercy of the merciless pseudo-reality that humankind has built on the flawed foundation of fear. Even though this fabricated reality has been touted as the best of all worlds, It Is Not.

Some may think that I am engaging in delusional or magical thinking – unjustified Polyannaism. This is possible. To those who are concerned that I may be cruelly peddling faith and hope when mistrust and cynicism are the best available responses to life’s challenges, I ask,

“Have your defensive tactics brought you joy and inner peace? Have your fears and doubts actually eliminated the pain of the past or ended your anxieties about the future? Have you given the Way of Love a real chance to work in your life?”

I know it’s scary to trust when we have so many reasons not to. Trusting God with our hearts is a very different game from any the pseudo-world offers. Is it a risk to trust God? Absolutely! But the greatest rewards come to those who are willing to risk everything they are afraid to lose. How can we experience a warm and beautiful life while clutching a cold, gray one?

Just as this story suggests, the stone and mortar that we use for our defenses are actually the building blocks of our own tomb, whether we realize it or not. We were not created to live in a sepulcher, but to glory in the warmth of our Creator’s Love. I pray that we may all open wide the gates of our hearts to God’s Great Wave of Love instead of barricading ourselves behind our cold, hard fears.