The
Possibility of a Seed
In John 12:24, Jesus says that a seed of wheat must die to
bear much fruit. I’ve often wondered how a dead seed can produce anything
alive. But much truth can be learned by what Jesus said.
Some seeds are living, and others dry up and die. As for
the wheat stalk, once the grain is pollinated, the entire plant begins to die.
When the seed is hard and dry, then it can be planted the next year. A seed
that is alive cannot be stored long; otherwise, it will grow fungus. This has
happened to me before with live seed. Now, when I collect seeds in the fall, I
put them in a cool, dry place until it is time to plant in the spring.
Jesus brought this metaphor from nature to life when he
connected the idea with his own death and the death of the human body and the
resurrection of the spirit from the body. He wanted us to understand that death
fulfilled a purpose in life. That purpose is both about departing the body in
spirit and also about dying to the Ego Mind. Both can be accomplished on our
journey here on earth.
After really understanding this, it is very difficult for
me to cry about a friend’s death. I often mourn the survivors more than the
actual death of the person.
Seeds have also been used in other spiritual metaphors. Many
people in the past, mostly prominently, Ernest Holmes, wrote about “seed
thoughts,” as well. Reverend Holmes said: “This Power works like the soil; it
receives the seed of your thought and at once begins to operate upon
it.”
What comes to mind most often with Jesus’ scripture and
with Ernest Holmes’s quote reminds me of the many times I have had a dream and
tried with my own volition, instead of God’s, to make it appear in my life.
After much trials and tribulation, sending out 1000 manuscripts or demos, one
learns fairly quickly that nothing happens outside of the will of God.
If you are a spiritual seeker, you recognize that only in
God’s timing can your dream appear. If you are attached to any outcome in your
life, you will usually be disappointed.
I’ve watched this happen in Nashville and in New York City.
Many dreams of so many songwriters and singers and musicians are dashed after
they audition or submit their first demo. Usually, they have made many common
mistakes. Producers and auditioners usually listen and scoff when they hear a
novice demo or a singer doing something as pedantic as singing slightly off
pitch or indicating too much with her hands. Most people aren’t equipped to do
the precise work of a studio musician or a Broadway stage performer, nor have
the expertise to understand the dos and don’ts or auditioning.
So, after moving from somewhere like a small town in
Oklahoma, where the singer was the cream of the crop, he or she quickly finds
out that singing has so little to do with making a star. The seed dream of
young musicians simply can’t withstand the amount of rejection they must get
before success actually happens. The seedling isn’t deeply rooted enough and
watered with the right understanding of the craft, so it withers and dies.
God has a purpose in letting our dreams get dashed
sometimes. The reason is to help us learn about the timing of God. Nothing
happens without the blessing and leading of the Holy Spirit. I know this to be
true in my own life. I’ve had to fall on my face plenty of times to get it that
I can only be prepared for life!
______________________________________________
Go to Week 2 of the “Year to CLEAR Challenge”
_______________________________________
Below is information that I will be sharing for about a
month, as not every person on my list reads the blog every day. If you have
already read it, just skip over it. Thanks for understanding.
A
Year to CLEAR Challenge:
(Please Know: You Can Join Us At Any Point in the Year
Challenge.)
The masses search outward for things that qualify them as a
person, but I always go inward for that which quantifies me for greatness. At
twenty-five I preached on street corners in NYC as an in-the-closet Pentecostal
minister. One day I heard a still small voice say, ‘God cannot be contained in a
book or a law or even in a religion. Dig deeper, reach further to find me, and
you will find your authentic Self.’”
A Year to CLEAR Challenge!
The acronym CLEAR
stands for (Compassionate, Loving,
Enthusiastic, And Relationship-Ready). The goal of this project is to
engulf readers in a weekly study that will transform them by removing blocks,
promote self-growth, and give them wings to fly freely into daily life. Each
week, by going to BoSebastian.com and choosing the Year to CLEAR Challenge tab,
a new challenge or thought to provoke conversation, growth, and group
functionality.
My vision is to make Finding Authentic You the book to
have in your Kindle or on your computer. The book is a comprehensive look at
growth—spiritually, mentally, and physically.
As a yoga teacher and student of the Ayurvedic tradition, I bring
to the table understanding of physical challenges, the ability to overcome
mental problems with Life & Health Coaching, as well as hypnotherapy, and
expertise in meditation and spirituality as a minister.
The combination of all three in one book with an interactive
connection to like-minded readers, for one year, is what makes this Year to
CLEAR Challenge a must-do for every spiritual seeker.
The One-Year Approach to Change
No one believes he or she can change overnight. But success in
change comes from the metaphors of nature. Seasonally, life changes all around
us in nature. Finding Authentic You offers a gradual change perspective,
looking at the triune aspects of change as in yoga: Body, Mind and Spirit.
Accessing the
ability to change and finding
yourself actually pursuing change must be a daily search, which I call
getting to the “observer mind.”
In this frontal cortex of the brain we find the anatomy of
change and the power to counter every negative trigger of the human process.
The workings of Hypnosis, NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) and EMDR (Eye
Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) are all positive actions to help the
mind and body flow to a positive space for change.
Every aspect of FINDING AUTHENTIC YOU fulfills this
constant need for diffusing the negative past and dreaming of a fulfilling
future.
Step 1: Recognize That Change is Inevitable
Step 2: Release from Resistance
to Change
Step 3: Understanding Change and Allow Spirit to Define It
Step 4: A History Lesson—About You
Step 5: Look at Your Past with Compassion
Step 6: Making a Strong Commitment to Change
Step 7: Dream Your Fabulous Future
TOOLS FOR CHANGE:
Go to Storefront to buy any of the following or make a
donation to Finding Authentic You: www.shop.bosebastian.com
·
Introduction to Meditation
·
Smoke Cessation mp3
·
Weight Loss mp3
·
Hypnotic Lap Band surgery Mp3
·
Insomnia mp3
·
Eternal Om mp3
·
Meditation Music mp3
·
Guide to Meditation mp3
·
Healing the Body mp3
·
And my “Lessons from the Heart” book ready for
your download purchase.
Go to Home Page: www.BoSebastian.com
* * *
Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health
Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New
Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at
615-400-2334 or www.bosebastian.com.
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blesses you each day. I would be
greatly pleased for you to share anything that you read by clicking the share
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or find this blog home at www.FindingAuthenticYou.com. Any of my
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the search header.
Also, be looking for “Finding Authentic You, 7 Steps to
Effective Change” with a Year to CLEAR (C-larity, L-ove, E-nthusiasm A-nd R-elationship-Ready)
in Early 2014. Thanks!
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