Defendng our Defenses.

“Once I defend something I make it real.” -- unknown

There are certain things in life that need to be defended but my ego isn’t one of them.

I guess the question I must ask myself when feeling the compulsion to defend is, “What am I defending?” Most often it is a false sense of me—I defend my defense;those things that offer my ego security and protection. Most often these deal with "image" in some manner: power, prestige, property, possessions. And when I begin to defend I make real in my mind whatever I am attempting to defend.

I make my false-self real by defending it. I build a wall that gives me an illusion of security- emotional, physical, spiritual, or mental but I am never really free living behind my brick wall wall.

My true self doesn’t need defended-- true freedom.

It seems that truth rarely needs to be defended; truth is truth. I have discovered that most often my true self is safe and doesn’t need to be defended. The truth of who I am at my core is where God lives and doesn’t need to be defended.

One of the many things I like about Jesus and can learn from his life is that he knew who he was in God. Rarely if ever did he feel the need to protect himself. He did not have to defend himself or make himself feel secure by projecting or protecting his image, in his core he knew who he was and what he was. He did not build walls that kept people out but opened himself and invited others in. He lived from a place of true-self; he lived from a place of his God-self and by his life and teachings he calls humanity to turn from all that we are attempting to make real by defending and to recognize the nearing reign of God that is within us all. "I came to give you life and set you free."

And when I no longer need to defend I am free to love- God, myself and others.