Know Yourself
Yesterday, I heard so many wonderful stories. Sierra
Wilkinson Reyes told the story of the hidden spaces in her life. She pointed out that when we understand
those hidden spaces, we come to understand our own self.
Michael White told the story of John Wesley the third Bishop
of Christ Church in Savannah and also the founder of Sunday school throughout
the world. When he began teaching his first class, Wesley noticed that three
boys were missing from the class. He was told that the boys were embarrassed by
the fact that they did not have any shoes. Wesley went to get the boys, but he
took off his shoes first. From then on, he taught Sunday school without shoes.
I heard the story of how my friend Brynn met her husband and
then I heard the story of how my friend Bernita drove from Lodowici, Georgia to
Kent Ohio for graduate school.
In each of these stories, I could hear something of my own
self. In each life, I found that I reclaimed a piece of my own; I had
discovered one of my own hidden spaces.
Here’s the thing, we
need to hear more stories. Within them lies the connection to our own path. We
are wired for narrative and yet we spend so much time with sound bites and pieces.
We are in too much of
a rush to listen to the whole story; we just want the facts; even if they are
not true.
Yesterday, I was also
reminded that within each life lies the entire cosmos. What if we listened long
enough to see it? What if we cared enough to truly know.
In the Gospel of Thomas, (yes, another Gnostic Gospel) you
will find this passage:
Jesus said, "If
those who lead you say to you, 'See, the kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds
of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the
fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside
of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you
will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father. But if you
will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that
poverty."
Be you, be well, be known
Bertice Berry, PhD.
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