Surrendering to God: My Contemplation of Verse 40 of the Tao Te Ching

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Today, I am focusing on verse 40 of the Tao Te Ching:

Returning is the motion of the Tao.

Yielding is the way of the Tao.

The 10,000 things are born of being.

Being is born of nonbeing.

For being the shortest verse of the Tao Te Ching, this one speaks volumes.  

This verse asks the following questions: Where are we going?  What is our destination?  What do we want to accomplish?  Where does our strength come from?  Where does our knowledge come from?

To know that we have an origin helps us to begin to understand a few things:

1. There is a source for everything.  God is the source of all of creation.  He is the source for our power.  He is the source for our strength when we are weak.  

2. If God created everything, He created us, too.  Our identity is rooted in God.  We are His children.  We should act like it, too.

3. We often get in the way of God's purpose in our lives.  Our ego, or selfish needs and wants to take over.  We need to step aside.  We need to surrender our wills to God.

4. We need to return to our origin.  We need to get back to our spiritual source.  Our movements, or rather our actions, should be propelling us towards God.  Let's go before God's throne and talk to Him.

We must desire to impact our lives, and the lives of others, in a positive manner.  We need to ask ourselves some pivotal questions: Are we indeed moving in the right direction?  What will it take to get to our destination?  What is our purpose for living on this earth?  What does God want us to do?  Then, we must be willing to accept the answers to those questions.

Thanks for reading today's post.  

I appreciate it very much.  

I hope this post blesses you, my dear readers.

I've got some questions for you: Have you surrendered to God?  How are you drawing closer to God, the source of everything (Tao)?  Are you relying on God, the source of power and strength?  I pray we all seek God and His provisions. Let's ask God to give us peace and resolve to keep moving forward.  He is sure to help us.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.
 

How to Exude Greatness: My Contemplation of Verse 34 of the Tao Te Ching

 

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

 

 Today, I am focusing on verse 34 of the Tao Te Ching, specifically this portion:

The sage imitates this conduct:

 

By not claiming greatness,

 

the sage achieves greatness.

 

 

I think it's appropriate that I'm blogging about the topic of greatness.  We just finished celebrating the fact that great people have been, and continue to be, our heroes.  To achieve greatness in our lifetime is awesome.  Unfortunately, some of us have not lived on to enjoy the fruits of our labors.  Many who are, or have been, considered heroes do not like to be referred to as heroes.

Humbleness comes from knowing that it takes much to achieve a goal.  The claim to fame is often made in honor of those who have, for example, become our national heroes.  We can immediately think of Ghandi and Martin Luther King, Jr.  They gained fame for standing by their virtue of peaceful demonstration against injustices.  They did not boast of their greatness; they exuded greatness.

Greatness flows from the Great One, God, the Father.  If we let the Tao (the Source or the Way) flow through us, God's greatness will flow through us.  If we try to control those around us, we limit the flow of God's love and provision in our lives.  Do we really want to limit our potential?  Let's get out of the way by remaining humble.

Here are some concrete ways to achieve real greatness, without hurting anyone:

1. Give to others in abundance;

2. Don't brag on yourself;

3. Foster the growth in others;

4. Don't take credit for accomplishments;

5. Don't judge others on any basis;

6. Seek out others who exhibit the above habits; and

7. Befriend those who exercise those habits.

Allow the flow of God in your life.

 

Thanks for reading today's post.  

I appreciate it.  

I hope this post blesses you, my dear readers.

I've got some questions for you: Are you living in greatness?  Or are you standing in the way of your potential greatness?  Do you understand that God wants to work through you?  I pray we all let God's greatness flow through us.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.

Going With the Flow of the Tao: My Contemplation of Verse 32 of the Tao Te Ching

Dr. Dyer's book is Change your Thoughts--Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.

Today, I delve into verse 32 of the Tao Te Ching, especially these portions:

If kings and lords could harness them,

the 10,000 things would naturally obey.

Heaven and earth would rejoice

with the dripping of sweet dew.

Everyone would live in harmony,

not by official decree,

but by their own goodness...

Rivers and streams are born of the ocean,

and all creation is born of the Tao.

Just as all water flows back to become the ocean,

all creation flows back to become the Tao.

My hubby recently installed our large, inflatable pool.  We enjoyed it by ourselves.  Our children had already gotten in the day before.  I mounted my inflatable chair and let go.  I allowed myself to float around.

It was sweet bliss.  It was great to spend these few minutes not worrying about anything.  I just flowed with the moving water.  I got lost in the greenery around me.  I watched the birds fly around.

In short, I experienced one of the most pleasant moments in my life because I allowed it to happen.

To understand this verse, you must understand two things.  First, the "10,000 things" refers to all creation.  Second, "Tao" is the Source of everything or the Way.  Now, if we look at the words, you can see that life would be so easy if our leaders could just harness all of creation.  All the inhabitants of heaven and earth would celebrate.

If we just stopped beating against the tide of situations, we would all be happier for it.  Bad things happen.  We can focus on that or we can realize that circumstances, whether positive or negative will occur.  How about going with the flow of things? 

All bodies of water connect at some point.  Who created the bodies of water?  You guessed it, the Tao or the Source of all creation.  

Check this out: Water flows back to the ocean after it has rained.  It's a cycle.  

It's the same with us; we flow back to the Tao or the Source of our lives.  We cycle from life here on earth only to return to our source of being.  Why not let God control our lives?  Let's step out of the way and let God guide us in our decision-making.  I know I've said this before, but sometimes we need to hear a message several times before it sinks into our being.

Thanks for reading today's post.  

I appreciate it.

How about it, my friends?  Are you still trying to control your lives?  Or are you trusting God to control your lives?  Do you fully understand that God is the source of your life and all of creation?  I pray we all trust God to guide us.  Let's not lean on our own understanding.

May God bless you, my beloveds, with His wisdom and peace, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Wisdom Wednesdays.

I am currently drawing inspiration from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer's book and the 81 verses of the Chinese wisdom book the Tao Te Ching.