Weighted Down By Our Possessions

Weighted Down By Our Possessions

A famous carpenter remarked a couple of thousand years ago that “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:25). Well, I have never seen a camel small enough or a needle big enough for this to happen, so I originally surmised, mistakenly, this meant being materially rich was something to be avoided. Yeah, didn’t make much sense to me either. So clearly, I lacked understanding. So, a little context first: according to many historians ancient cities were often surrounded by high, thick walls with large gates to facilitate traffic in and out of the city. At night the large gates would be closed, and small easily defended man-sized doors were the only way in, these doors were known as the Needle’s Eye. So perhaps a clearer translation would be: It is easier for a camel to pass through the Needle’s Eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.


Now, camels could be brought through the Needle’s Eye, but it required unloading them first, which is the spiritual crux of the teaching. Camels don’t care what they are carrying, rocks or gold makes no difference to them, only that it eventually comes off, the sooner the better.  In this the camel often seems wiser than us. Whether we are rich in physical possessions or not, we carry all sorts of baggage, impediments to entering the Kingdom of Heaven. Selfishness, hubris, spiritual pride, condemnation, bigotry (overt and subtle), hatred, self-centeredness, fear in a hundred guises are all examples of “possessions”, the things we choose to define us, which keep us locked in the bondage of self. Living on the Spiritual Basis we have become willing and ready to be free of this bondage, setting aside our possessions: physical, mental, and emotional, performing the work daily to become and remain “poor in spirit.”

Remember, poor in spirit does not mean poor spirited, conversely it means we have unburdened ourselves of our baggage, the things blocking us off from the sunlight of the spirit, by a simple reliance on “Our Father”, turning in all things to Him who has all knowledge and power, finally realizing the truth of our connection and birthright as children of the Miraculous.

So, if you are trudging the road of happy destiny weighed down by your possessions, cast off your pack and leave it by the side of the road, become truly poor in spirit, weightless, cart wheeling through the Needle’s Eye, somersaulting into the Kingdom of Heaven, free at last.
https://miraclesofrecovery.com/

© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved Miracles Of Recovery, Overdose Death, Alcoholism, Wayne Dyer, Drug Addiction, Zen, Emmet Fox, Opioids, Heroin, Einstein, AA, Healing Path Recovery, Drug Rehab, #Drug Addiction, #Drug Rehab, #Healing Path Recovery, #Heroin, #Opioids

Published by Vincent Lee Jones

Silk sheets or city streets, Park Avenue or park bench, addiction is an equal opportunity destroyer of lives. My name is Vincent Lee Jones and I have been in recovery since September 1985. My professional career began when I was nearly 20 years in recovery and was asked to work pro bono with at risk students at Huntington Beach High School. At the time I had developed a reputation within the at large recovery community as an effective communicator and was known to some of the faculty. After the death of two students from prescription drugs I was asked to start working with at risk students, which I did for nearly 5 years. Word of mouth lead to offers of compensated freelance Facilitator and Director positions with numerous local treatment facilities in the ensuing years. As a retired Building Contractor/Designer, working in conjunction with a treatment facility, I created a construction program utilizing a workforce comprised almost exclusively of people new or returning to recovery, helping them to not only learn a trade and start making a living but since many of them had relapsed numerous times, to begin truly building a foundation with real aftercare to live free of active addiction. This program changed many lives. In my 30+ years in recovery I have worked with thousands of individuals from all walks of life, teenagers to the retired, famous to infamous, prosperous to those living hand to mouth, adamant atheists to those embracing strong Religious beliefs; suffering from all manner of intoxicant and behavior-based addictions as well as those who love and care about them, both as a member in recovery Fellowships and as a treatment professional. I can be contacted at 714-366-1725. I write and publish daily a recovery based nondenominational spiritually based blog at https://livinginspirit.blogspot.com with accompanying videos that can be found as well on YouTube and LinkedIn at Vincent Lee Jones.

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