Mercy's Ocean

Religion, in the latter part of our lives, ceases to be a checklist of morality; it becomes a journey of mysticism. We start with the idea of being good, ticking off commandments and duties, seeking validation in our actions and affiliations. It's a game the ego understands well—perform, belong, obey, and you'll be accepted.

But this game, this performance principle, must collapse, or it will suffocate us. The law, as scripture calls it, leads to a dead end. Many of us, despite our faith, find ourselves stuck in this loop, believing our worth comes from our deeds or attendance at church. It's an age-old critique.

Sometimes, only suffering can shake us from this self-made prison. That's why the cross hangs at the heart of our faith, a symbol of death and resurrection. Yet, despite our rituals, we often miss the point—that we too must die to be reborn. Our ego's constructs of success, morality, righteousness, all must crumble!

This is the moment we feel furthest from holiness, when failure seems our only companion. The ego's solution? Double down on rules, rituals, more, more, more! But true growth lies in less, in the risky surrender to mercy's ocean.

Here lies the path to our True Self, where we no longer need to earn God's love. This is mercy within mercy within mercy. It's not about what we do for God; it's about allowing God's love to envelop us. This is when we truly fall in love with God, not out of fear but out of perfect love.

So, let go of the fear, the need to prove yourself. Embrace the radical idea that you are loved, completely and without condition. In this love, fear dissipates. In this love, we find perfection. In this love, we find God.

May we release the burden of proving ourselves and embrace
the radical truth that we are loved without condition.

In this love, fear dissolves, and we discover the path to our True Self.

In the twilight of life,
Religion sheds its skin of rules,
Becomes a dance of mysticism,
No longer a checklist to obey,
But a path to surrender,
To the mercy within mercy within mercy.

We begin with good intentions,
Tick off commandments like boxes,
Seeking validation in our actions,
But the game grows stale,
The performance principle suffocates,
The law leads to a dead end.

We find ourselves trapped,
In the loop of worth and deeds,
Believing church attendance defines us,
Yet the cross hangs heavy,
A symbol of death and rebirth,
We must die to be born anew.

In the abyss of failure,
Where holiness feels distant,
The ego's answer is more,
More rules, more rituals,
But true growth whispers,
In the surrender to mercy's embrace.

Here lies the path to our True Self,
Where God's love needs no earning,
Just acceptance,
A radical idea,
That we are loved, wholly and unconditionally.

Let go of fear's grip,
Embrace love's perfect embrace,
In this love, fear fades,
And we find our way to perfection,
To God.