Man Does Not Live by Bread Alone
Scene from a compelling video called “Perceiving Reality.” http://perceivingreality.com
Every once in awhile, I see a piece of art, read a story or see a movie that so takes my breath away that I have to see it again. It’s like that beautiful sunset, crisp with details and colors that the mind wants to soak up and hold onto forever.
Yesterday, however, I saw a video (Perceiving Reality) that seemed to have one other effect in addition to the usual fixation. It seemed to erase fixations. I watched the video again and again just to see the fixations that I normally hold onto disappear. This video fed my soul—the spiritual part of me.
Do you know what it feels like to be very, very thirsty. There is an aching inside for water. Nothing else. Those sweet, syrupy soft drinks seem like monstrosities when you’re this thirsty. Only cool, clean water can slake that thirst.
That’s what this video was like to me.
When Yeshua of Nazareth told his followers that man does not live by bread alone, he was speaking of this. But what is this? It’s a spiritual connection. It’s like heavenly music from home that you haven’t heard in countless eons. If you had been away at war, seeing death and destruction, day in and day out, not knowing if your spouse is still alive; this is like coming home and holding your lover in your arms. You feel a great burden lift off your shoulders. You can relax in the comfort of love once again.
The Bread of Childhood
When I was 8–12, living in West Texas, my late father would frequently read to my mother from books of ancient wisdom and spirituality. Every time I would hear him start to read, I would pretend to set up my toys on the living room floor so as to hear these stories more clearly. It felt like a door opening. It felt like old friends coming for a visit. Great joy would well up inside me. Quite often, my brothers would join me there so that they too could listen. My father thought it was magic. If he ever wanted to see us, he needed only to open such a book and start to read—things like The Bible, Autobiography of a Yogi, There is a River and others.
Living by the Bread of the Father
When Yeshua talked of his Heavenly Father, I could sense my own connection. I love my earthly father, but there is a feeling for this unseen “father” that is every bit as strong, but sometimes transcends any earthly feeling.
In 1977, I experienced my most profound connection in this life. Late one afternoon, I found myself stuck in rush hour, Los Angeles traffic. Bummer! One big parking lot ten miles long. What made this even more frustrating were the callous acts of six other drivers—butting in front of my vehicle without signaling or any other warning. They simply swerved sharply and depended on my fast reaction time to keep from hitting their vehicle. Cute!
The sixth time it happened, I was about to blow a gasket. I had the strange idea cross my mind that if too many more people did this, I would end up going backwards.
With that comical idea, something snapped! But in a good way.
Suddenly, I felt bliss replace rage. In an instant! The change shocked me. A moment before, I had felt frustration build to a breaking point. Now, I felt entirely relaxed and at peace. The people around me were no longer a threat. In fact, they could have destroyed my car and my body, and I would not have minded. Forgiveness was that complete. All I had on my mind was love for them and my perfect responsibility for their acts of violence.
I felt the loving arms of the Father embrace me. I felt at home after such a long journey.
The fact that traffic opened up in the next few moments was another miracle I write about elsewhere, but the miracle that touched me most was that of feeling the love of the Heavenly Father and feeling myself give that same love to all those around me.
My thirst and my hunger were no more. The non-physical bread of spirit had filled me.
If you’ve ever felt such comfortable and satisfying spirituality, let me know about it. These are the types of things that need to be shared.
