If you have a defect of character—an attitude, thinking pattern, or behaviour pattern, you're holding onto—you might ask yourself: why?
Well, the answer people give is often 'I'm selfish'.
Unfortunately, that does not really cut it.
What makes a defect a defect is the fact that it does not work, either for me or others, all things considered. There may be a brief short-term kick, but this is invariably outweighed considerably by the down-side.
Imagine a kid with a toy that does not work.
The parent cannot put the new toy that does work into the hands of the kid till the old toy is discarded.
The kid is not being selfish in holding onto the broken toy. If the kid were really operating out of selfishness or enlightened self-interest, it would immediately throw the broken toy away and hold its hand out for the new toy.
The problem, therefore, is not selfishness but a foolish fear of God: the idea that what God has in store is actually worse than the broken toy.
God is love. Full stop. That's what makes God God. If God contained fear, God would be something else. The fear is simply an error that has found its way into your consciousness. All that has happened is you have made a mistake. Unmake the mistake, discard the broken toy, and hold your hand out.
Well, the answer people give is often 'I'm selfish'.
Unfortunately, that does not really cut it.
What makes a defect a defect is the fact that it does not work, either for me or others, all things considered. There may be a brief short-term kick, but this is invariably outweighed considerably by the down-side.
Imagine a kid with a toy that does not work.
The parent cannot put the new toy that does work into the hands of the kid till the old toy is discarded.
The kid is not being selfish in holding onto the broken toy. If the kid were really operating out of selfishness or enlightened self-interest, it would immediately throw the broken toy away and hold its hand out for the new toy.
The problem, therefore, is not selfishness but a foolish fear of God: the idea that what God has in store is actually worse than the broken toy.
God is love. Full stop. That's what makes God God. If God contained fear, God would be something else. The fear is simply an error that has found its way into your consciousness. All that has happened is you have made a mistake. Unmake the mistake, discard the broken toy, and hold your hand out.