This post is another one of Fr. Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations; it has been quite a while since I posted one here. But this one, which landed in my inbox last week, really spoke to me.
Mystical Love
Evelyn Underhill defines mysticism as “an overwhelming consciousness of God and an overwhelming consciousness of one’s own soul at the same time.” In my experience, that is exactly what I see happening—that there’s this wonderful sense of my own importance, my own significance, my own validation from above, from on high. “I was once blind, but now I see.” I was once nobody and now I’m everybody—and this change in self image is simultaneous with a discovery of a true God image.
Mystical experience like this is the best possible cure for low self-esteem. You know you were chosen by the One who does the choosing! You know you are intimately loved by the One who does all the loving! When the “Unmoved Mover” says you are good, you would do well to accept his or her version of reality, and let go of your petty carping and complaining about yourself.
Adapted from Following the Mystics through the Narrow Gate (CD/DVD/MP3)
Starter prayer:
“Who are you, God, and who am I?”
Ouch!! Wow!! Wowch, perhaps. I do have some self-esteem issues; but this meditation from Richard Rohr has given me a bit of a kick up the backside. I know that God loves me; I know that he thinks I’m good (as he does all those he’s created). I know those two statements to be true. I might wonder why sometimes, but that doesn’t change their truth. It is time to discard my own self doubts and accept his version of reality.
The email this came from was one of Fr. Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations. If you would like to subscribe too, and I can recommend them, the website is here: The Center for Action and Contemplation. It won’t cost you anything.
About Paul Sibley
Andrew Gosden (now 19) has been missing from his Doncaster home since 14 September 2007. The search continues.
Georgiana on 
John Ortberg said something similar in one of his books. (I’ve only read two, so it either had to be “Faith and Doubt” or “The Me I Want to Be.”)
I remember crying when I read it and had the epiphany that if God thinks I’m good or lovable, then I must be.
For just a little while my low self esteem disappeared. It wasn’t replaced by egotism. I just didn’t feel so low anymore.
Then life happened and I wandered away and the lowness returned.
It’s good to see you Aletheia.
I’ve been a bit out-of-touch more than I would really want to be recently, and not keeping up with blogs very well. I must check on your blog to see what the significance behind the new name might be — but it’s a good choice, has a great feel to it.
It’s quite a thought isn’t it. It’s a shame life has to get in the way again and let the ‘lowness’ back in. I’m hoping this meditation will help me to keep it away, at least, for a little while.
I haven’t read much by John Ortberg. Two different one’s to you: “If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat” and “Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them” (titles by memory, and may not be strictly accurate). He’s quite an inspirational writer, isn’t he?
Paul,
When I first got online I used the name Aletheia Rivers. If you Google those two in combination you might find a bunch of stuff all over the net from the olden days – 2006 or so. Hehe.
I went back to using that name because of wanting to hide from my employer. My boss likes to Google her employees and I really don’t want her prying into my business. It’s not a perfect fix, though, as many comments have been left by me, using my real name, which link back to my blog.
I was inspired to use the name Aletheia by Thomas Moore. My very first blog (which I wish I still had) was http://www.theriverlethe.com. The blog name was Songs of Unforgetting.
I’ve always wanted to read “If You Want to Walk on Water.” Perhaps that will be my next book.
I’ve missed you.
Aletheia
It can’t be easy to keep online life and work life completely separate. As you say, the name change isn’t a perfect fix, but will hopefully help in your situation. I think, if ever my health enabled me to consider a return to work, I would have to consider that possibility. I’ve been very open about the ‘real’ me on here, and I can certainly think of some of my past employers who I wouldn’t really want to see all of it. But that isn’t very likely now, with the way things are.
I’ve missed you too. I’m struggling to get back to normal following three months of particularly bad health, where I barely managed to keep this blog going, and anything much more was out of the question. But I am gradually getting there now.
Good word that, ‘Wowch’ — sums up my feelings on reading this. Wowch!
Glad you had your Wowch moment.