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A Purpose Higher Than Ourselves

By December 21, 2015January 13th, 2016Blogs

Yesterday we explored the work of Marianne Williamson. She is a bold voice for transformation on the planet. She recently said, “Our salvation lies in being available for the healing of the other. Our purpose here is to be used for something higher than ourselves.” Over the last 18 months we have dug in on the concept of Building the beLOVEd Community, a concept rooted in the notion that we are innately compelled to rise up from our small selves and live in support of a greater cause.

“Our salvation lies in being available for the healing of the other. Our purpose here is to be used for something higher than ourselves.”
— Marianne Williamson

Perhaps due to ongoing world events or perhaps due to my own growth and development, it recently occurred to me that my early years of attending Bodhi were completely supported by a group of convicted human beings, most of whom I did not know, but whom understood the importance of Bodhi and had developed a conscious relationship to financial giving. Whoa! That really hit me and humbled me! Sometimes our biggest breakthroughs live in the simplest of revelations.

The extraordinary life I have today including work, relationships, well-being and financial stability is because of the generosity of people I’ve never met and may never know and their support of Bodhi. My life was transformed by our classes, our workshops, our Sunday Celebration Services, our Sacred Service opportunities and, most importantly, the deep and impactful friendships I made from showing up to those opportunities. Before I developed a conscious relationship to my finances and would give consciously to Bodhi, others paved the way for my awakening.

Before I developed a conscious relationship to my finances and would give consciously to Bodhi, others paved the way for my awakening.

It is to those people that have financially supported Bodhi and the thousands of people that we serve that I am overwhelmed with gratitude. I was 25—you gave a young adult a community to belong to. You gave a single mom a place to feel seen. You gave a hidden leader a place to serve. You contributed to the healing of others. You allowed yourselves to be used by a power greater than your self. And for that I am eternally grateful.

In late 2006 I joined you. It was a Sunday morning in the bottom left section of the gymnatorium at Agassiz Elementary School when Rev. Mark Anthony spoke and something in me woke up, newly. I was compelled to financially contribute to the transformation of humanity—to the awakening of humanity. I was inspired to live a life that was bigger than my own. My life has unfolded in miraculous ways since that day and it took time. It didn’t happen over night but I kept showing up and doing the work.

Today I know myself as someone who contributes generously to our beLOVEd Community. It remains my work to stretch myself over and over again to demonstrate how good I believe this Life can be and to demonstrate how generously I can give and receive.

It remains my work to stretch myself over and over again to demonstrate how good I believe this Life can be and to demonstrate how generously I can give and receive.

So again, I thank you. I thank you for your financial contribution of our community. If you’re reading this thinking I’ve been asking what’s mine to do I invite you to stretch your giving muscle. I invite you to consider moving into a new consciousness around your financial giving through a renewed ongoing commitment and/or a year-end gift. Our financial giving supports the awakening of ourselves and those that find Bodhi and make it their home.

As the year draws to a close, I wish you days of increased awareness and awakening. I hold the intention that you are wildly generous with yourself and those around you. Consider joining us for our New Year’s Eve Burning Bowl Service at 6 p.m. I trust that you complete this year with great intentionality, such that 2016 is set up to reveal it’s greatest potential.

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Lola Wright

Lola Wright is the Spiritual Director at Bodhi Spiritual Center.

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