Learning to live in the Kingdom of God...part 2, "Possibility of Joy"

An interesting thing happens when one has a blog that sits dormant for over a year!  As I reconsidered reviving-resurrecting it from dormant status, I re-read some of my posts.  Interestingly, one of my most recent posts was an excerpt from St. Teresa of Avila.  At that time I was reading the portion that is including in the Foster and Smith's compilation of Devotional Classics.  The Interior Castle truly does fit into the category of "classic" and now that I have read it in its entirety, I noticed that even Foster and Smith comment about it being a difficult read.  I'm relieved that I have read and processed (notice that I didn't say I necessarily understood or have fully experienced) the content.  Several parts of it ring true for me and I wanted to share them within the context of this series of blogs about "learning to live in the Kingdom of God."

• sin is poisonous (eating nasty burritos out of the alley garbage can will result in bad health), yet when one is only used to sin, when sin has become habitual, we become what we hate (Psalm 115:  those who make idols, treasure them and eventually become like them).
• grace allows us to see who we are (belonging to God and having an eternal destiny as one who radiant in His Kingdom) and what we have become (consuming so many nasty burritos that we become a nasty burrito of self-rule).
• progress is ongoing and is ever God's doing when we are in relationship with Him, in humility we grow in self-knowledge which in turn increases our gratitude, humility, peace and joy.
• one can actually get glimpses of progress, especially in hindsight, (for instance, at one point in time, one might have been in denial that nasty burritos are indeed NASTY, and having such a fondness for them and such thick denial not be able to see reality that is obviously present)
• one may be able to see the fruit of progress in the form of loving others especially those who are difficult to love or in freedom and in self-forgetfulness
• union with God brings great joy...bliss!

Prayer:  God, thanks for giving us grace upon grace!  We do not deserve it and cannot even fathom the depth, length  breadth  and height of it.  You are incredible and we want to abandon all to you so we look to Jesus to show us how.  Please teach us and slowly because we are slow and some of life's greatest lessons can only be learned slowly.