new church life: september/october 2014
don’t relate to eternal life or heavenly things. They try to fill up your jar with
sand by constantly weighing you down with doubts and fears until you become
paralyzed and unable to move forward.
Do you know what region of the body these little monsters correspond to?
The stomach – right below the diaphragm. Listen to this fascinating teaching:
“Herein also lies the reason why, when such feelings of anxiety take hold of the
mind, the area around the stomach is tense and sometimes pain is felt there,
and also why feelings of anxiety seem to surge up from there.” (Ibid. 5178) This
explains why we use the expression of “having our stomach tied in knots.” And
maybe it is why those under constant stress and anxiety can develop stomach
ulcers.
So we must fight against these spirits and keep focused on the important
things – the big rocks, the kingdom of God and His righteousness – and these
evil characters will be banished and disappear, leaving us in a state of ease.
The second thing that keeps us from enjoying heavenly peace is anxiety
about the future. We’re told that “a longing to know the future is innate in most
people” and that “nearly all are anxious to know whether they will come into
heaven.” (Divine Providence 179; Heaven and Hell 478) But this anxiety has its
origin in evil since at the heart of it is a lack of trust in God.
If we truly had faith and trusted that “the Lord governs all things and
provides all things, and that He leads toward an end that is good,” then we
would not worry about the future. (Arcana Coelestia 8455)
There is a fable of three trees that wonderfully illustrates this point: A long
time ago there were three trees in the forest. They dreamed of what they would
like to become in the future. The first tree wanted to become an elaborate
treasure chest filled with gold. The second wanted to become a great ship
serving kings and queens. The third tree wanted to be the tallest tree in the
forest with its great branches reaching toward heaven, so that everyone would
remember it as a symbol of our closeness to God.
A few weeks later lumberjacks came to the forest and their dreams were
shattered. The first tree was cut up and made into a feed trough for animals.
The second was made into a lowly fishing boat. The third tree was simply cut
down and left in the lumberyard.
Time went by and then one day a man and woman came with a baby
wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid Him in the manger. And the first tree
realized that it was indeed holding the greatest treasure it could have hoped
for.
Years went by, and the second tree was taking 13 men fishing, when a great
storm arose. Suddenly, one of the men arose and said, “Peace, be still.” And the
storm stopped. The second tree then recognized it was carrying the King of
Kings on its humble deck.
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