“What will you gain by winning the whole world if you lose your life? there is nothing you can give to recover your life” – Mathew 16:26 CPDV

“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul” – Mathew 16:26 KJV

“What good is it to anyone to gain the whole world and lose his own self? – Mark 8:36 CPDV

This is one of those classic sayings attributed to Christ himself in both the gospels of Mathew and Mark. It follows a discussion Christ was having with his disciples about what is required of anyone who would like to follow in his footsteps. My favorite translation of this conversation with his disciples is the MSG version which goes:

“Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for” – Mathew 16:24-26 MSG version.

In a world where religion has created so much deception, it is extremely difficult to decipher the true meaning behind these statements because it is not something that can be achieved with the reasoning mind alone. Often times, the fear of being wrong, the fear of challenging human authority and the fear of being rejected by family and community impedes us from resonating with the spirit of truth within the gospel which can never be diluted by human interference. In essence we are more focused on pleasing and living up to existing human standards, traditions and dogmas given to us by authorities within our society, versus being led by the observations of the spirit. To overcome this fear, we must learn to read scriptural texts (whether Bible, Torah or Quran etc.) out of a desire to learn more about the creator and life, rather than out of obligation, a fear of damnation or a desire to make heaven. We must learn to draw close to the creator out of a strong desire to build an intimate relationship rather than a desire to receive external rewards and validation.

It is all about YOU and until you realize this, you will never really experience the full benefits of the gospel of Christ. The gospel of Christ was pretty straight forward, the kingdom of heaven is within you. This kingdom is an eternal-internal validation that gives meaning to all of life and holds the keys and directions to everything in your life. It is the unlimited living water that quenches every type of thirst in every area of our lives throughout our lives. The entire message and purpose of Christ was to restore our connection to our kingdom, our source of living water which happens to reside not somewhere far away in the sky, but very near within us, in our own soul!

It is clear from both discussions we see Christ having in Mathew 16 and Mark 8, that the focus on external validation did not begin today. Since before the time of Christ humans have struggled to understand the true purpose of spirituality as a means for nurturing the soul in order to manifest true well-being, which can then be reflected back into the world through our lives (inside-out). Versus practicing religion as a way to keep up appearances, to please authority and to receive some external reward from God in order to ultimately win salvation (outside in). In both accounts from Mathew and Mark, you see the Pharisees and Sadducees asking Christ for external validations to prove his divinity, as well as his disciples’ minds being focused on the physical bread as well as status/repute within society. The outside world gives external validation but it is only the soul, the true self, the source of life, that can give you internal validation. No achievement, no acquisition, no human connection or relationship can achieve that.

In order to begin answering the question “Are you gaining the world and losing your soul,” It is important for me to define my own understanding of “the world” and “the soul” within the context of the sentence Christ used them in.

The world is everything that gives us external validation from the outside: family approval, societal approval, community acceptance, degrees, positions of status, wealth, fame, reputation, power, sexual attention, material possessions, human authority, business/personal success and achievements etc.

The soul/the true self/ the source of life is the headquarters of the kingdom, which houses our purpose in life, all our gifts and talents, unlimited imagination, gratitude, love, resilience, creativity, peace, true happiness, stillness, power, contentment, confidence, trust, protection and wealth. It is the image of the supreme creator within us that holds the keys to our highest potential and true well-being in life. The soul is not bound by the limits of this physical plain we call the world and it has been confirmed by both quantum physics and spirituality, to continue even after we have died to the world. These arguments infer that the consequences of losing connection with your soul are much greater than the consequences of losing connection to the world. Christ was so aligned with his soul and aware of the value of his soul, that he was willing to lose the world (die) for it.

Throughout his life and from a very early age we see Christ prioritizing connection with his soul over all human approval from the outside world. Whether it was with his parents, his community, his disciples, tradition, Jewish authority or Roman authority. Christ fully followed the direction of his spirit even if the entire world (including his family and closest friends) did not fully understand what he was doing, must have thought he was crazy and judged him harshly for how he chose to express himself.

So how does all of this relate to us in today’s times? None of us are the savior of the world or are saddled with a mission as profound as saving humanity. Most of us will never directly have to fight against the powers that control our society like Christ did, but ALL of us will have to fight for the right to follow our own soul in order to experience the kingdom.

We live in a time where majority of human beings are born programmed to chase the world and the things it has to offer. Let’s use the popular example of the concept of the “American dream.” The American dream was promoted to the average American citizen from birth till retirement/death and it projects into their psyche what was attainable if they worked hard within their society/world. Go to school, get a college degree, get a job, get a car, get married, get a housing loan, pay off debt and retire at 70 with a good 401k plan. This is the path the average person in the world is expected follow by their family, friends, colleagues, community members and authorities. The degree to which one can follow this path prescribed by their world is the degree to which one tends to be accepted within their world.  Choosing to follow a different path, as led by your soul most often leads to judgement, ridicule, rejection and direct opposition from the world (everyone that matters to you). This is why it is so difficult for most people to endure and it is why Christ warned that anyone who must come after him or emulate him, must be willing to embrace these challenges. Christ also lets us know that anyone who is able to “carry their cross” and “follow his path” will be rewarded with and in the kingdom!

So, what does it mean to gain the world? It means to seek for external validation and approval from the world. The world includes our family, friends, partners, teachers, employers, leaders, the media, our jobs, material possessions, fame, fans, status, reputation, authority etc. It means to gain the approval of entities outside of our own soul, to choose external validation over connection with our higher inner intelligence which gives us perfect validation and perfect guidance. Anything that gets us to compromise our principles and integrity, or gets us to overlook or neglect our talent, gifts and intuition, or gets us to abandon the voice of our inner guidance, is gradually causing us to lose connection with our soul. When we lose connection with our soul, we lose connection with the kingdom, our house of purpose and source of abundance. It is from the soul that all good things come to us and it is from the soul that we experience true peace and fulfillment. Chasing after money, knowledge, status, achievements, fame, power, repute and all forms of external validation (the world) only leave us longing for more external validation, therefore, the consequences of losing connection with our soul is discontentment and ultimately, depression. Being led be the soul causes us to become aware of our inner gratitude, peace, love and abundance which guides us in nurturing our talents and gifts, trusting that the process will lead us to our highest potential and our highest level of well-being. Being led by the spirit leads us to the kingdom of fulfillment and from there we manifest the abundance of the kingdom into the world.

The world says give me your soul and I will give you everything.

The soul says you already possess everything you need, share it with the world.

In order to align with the soul, one must lose the fear of being rejected by the world. Aligning with our soul is not easy and always requires a leap of faith because one may have absolutely no confirmation from the outside world! To walk in Christ, with Christ or like Christ you must be willing to walk on water (walk in uncertainty with faith). And to walk on water you must be willing to be led by the living water which resides in your soul versus being led by all the information, connection, knowledge and power in the world.

Many great thinkers see the soul as a representation of Christ within us. The part of every human that remains undiluted by external events and the external world. Some call it our higher-self, the subconscious mind, the kundalini or Christ consciousness. Whatever you call it, endeavor to let it guide you along the journey of true self-discovery and well-being!

one love,

Blink

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