Seeking Approval or You Are Enough?
Rev. Nicole Atzinggen
“The wise stand out because they see themselves as part of the Whole. They shine because they don’t want to impress. They achieve great things because they don’t look for recognition. Their wisdom is contained in what they are, not their opinions. They refuse to argue, so no-one argues with them.”
– Lao Tzu –
I love the truth embedded in the quote above. How many times in our lives do we find ourselves seeking approval? How often do we unconsciously spiral down the rabbit hole of arguing our point or trying to impress those around us? And then when we realize what we are doing, how many of us beat ourselves up for it? No need to answer because the truth is, everyone struggles with this in some way or another. What’s the saying, “hurt people, hurt people.” I’ve noticed that when I lose connection to my Spiritual Self, it is very, very easy to allow my intellect or emotions run the show and boy can they wreck some havoc.
One thing I’ve also noticed is that we all have a shared desire to belong. We are collectively and individually longing to belong to something bigger than ourselves, more than ourselves, outside of ourselves. This month we will be cultivating a spirit of belonging, not only to our spiritual kin or like-minded people but to ourselves. Like it says at the beginning of the quote, “The wise stand out because they see themselves as part of the Whole.” It’s a simple idea but not necessarily easy. There is no way we can ever separate ourselves from the Whole, from the Divine, from the God within no matter what. Our job is to cultivate and have confidence in this Truth. We belong to each other, we belong to the Earth, we belong to the great Spirit, and WE ARE ENOUGH. Join me this month in remembering and re-membering through the spirit of belonging.
With Deep Love,
Rev. Nicole & Rev. Michael
Rev. Nicole Von Atzingen
Nicole is the Co-Senior Minister at the Seal Beach Centers for Spiritual Living. Her ministry is to remind humanity of its inherent Goodness. One word to describe Nicole is enthusiastic, she is filled with Spirit and loves to share it. She is also a fourth-generation Religious Scientist who admittedly, although growing up in the Science of Mind philosophy, had to walk away for a few years in order to discover the truth of our philosophy in her own life.
(Featured Photo used in the blog by Felicia Buitenwerf on Unsplash)