Meister Eckhart's Themes

One of Meister Eckhart's themes applies to me precisely, so probably to you too. It is almost as if he knew me, but more likely he knew the larger themes in the experience of coming to earth.

Let me share a quote:

The shell must be cracked open

if what is inside is to come out.

If you want the kernel,

you must break the shell.

We must learn to break through things

if we are to grasp God in them.

Probably all of us have read the Bible, at least the New Testament. We are familiar with Jesus saying that people look everywhere and cannot find the Kingdom of God, but in fact it is within.

That is a meaty sentence! A huge amount is implied. First - there is such a kingdom, it exists. Second - it can be found, and with a little humor he said you've looked everywhere but where it is. The big announcement is that it is WITHIN! It is already inside of us. Therefore, we can find it!

Meister Eckhart addresses this in many ways, and one of my favorites is his idea that it is encased in a shell, and our job is to break through that shell to let it out.

Out and about, I see people who have no light in their eyes and walk in a defeated kind of way. Eyes and body language tell so much. The shell cannot be cracked open from a defeated set of mind. We must break through things, Eckhart tells us, not let them break us.

My Daddy used to say Pull yourself up by your boot straps. That's exactly right. Pull yourself up and get on with it. The people with light in their eyes and a confident posture have cracks in the shell and are going for more. I suppose only a handful of people have totally fractured the shell and dropped it entirely. But I do know that is possible, for others have done it.

I am sure that the hard experiences of my life each have given me an opportunity to make another crack in that shell, I make dents and then fractures as I stand on faith, even in the darkness, even in the deep valleys of my journey. As the shell fractures, I can see streams of light shining out of the fractures. I am encouraged to shed the shell and embrace a life of awareness of God in and through all there is and was and ever shall be.

God in the valleys, leading me.

God in the darkness, shining Light.

God in the pinnacle days, encouraging me.

God in the sorrows, urging me onward.

God in the joys, celebrating in me.

God everywhere, always.