Day 234 - Don't be Surprised by Setbacks and Betrayals
📖Daily Reading
Join me on my morning walk as we rise and shine together by walking through the Bible daily and learn a practical applicable coaching nugget from the ultimate life coach - our creator (whatever that means to you). No judgement zone here, all are welcome, we are all on a spiritual journey because we are after all spiritual beings having a human experience.
📝 Reflection
Luke 22: 49
But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the son of Man with a kiss?”
So, this is a really interesting moment because Jesus seems surprised. This is really surprising since he has been foretelling the specifics of his coming death and resurrection; the plots against him, one of the twelve betraying him and even Peter denying him three times. I think this can be a valuable concept for us to learn from in a practical way as we take a look inward. The journey of growth, maturity and going to higher levels of wisdom and glory requires us to repeatedly and voluntarily enter into the death and resurrection process.
We humans are walking talking miracles. Our brains and the automatic parts of our brains and bodies are literally keeping us alive without us having to think much about it. Our brains are incredibly complex and amazingly powerful. They do wonderful things like create automatic ways of being and doing that help us focus on other things, it forms what we call habits and patterns which form our identity. In fact it is a circular pattern. Our identities help us form our habits and patterns and they simultaneously reinforce this identity. This identity helps us interpret and organize incoming information and helps us react and behave within a busy world with out having to make new decisions all the time. It puts as many decisions as it can on autopilot.
As we mature and live from our higher minds we may start to become self aware and evaluating certain behaviors and deciding to consciously make some changes. This is not an easy process. There are parts of ourselves and then also others in our lives who will not be too happy with your new decisions. It is threatening to the identity you have of yourself and that others may have of you and even of themselves. A lot of this happens on an unconscious level, because our survival self tries to maintain comfort, predictability and safety through as much certainty as it can predict. Again as a reminder, this is a miracle, this allows our brain to be so efficient. Thinking and conscious, intentional, mindful living takes a lot of effort.
Our habits and patterns are often deeply ingrained and it takes a lot of time and effort for them to ‘die’, rewire and resurrect into the new habits you do want. We often make the mistake of thinking that just because we decide and desire to change that it should just happen. We judge ourselves when we slip up, ‘fail’, don’t get it right or perfect, go back to our old ways, or get surprised by an old behavior ‘betraying us with a kiss’.
These habits, patterns and identities don’t like to go down without a fight, without mocking us, trying to get us to stay the same because even though it is not working for us anymore it is familiar and easier for the survival brain. Believe it or not it is trying to ‘help’ us.
Jesus does not fight back though, he just recognizes and notices. He allows himself to be questioned, ridiculed, mocked, beaten without resisting. He has already decided, prepared himself for what is coming and knows that it is already done. All the humiliation and drama will not change the fact that he will die but he will also conquer death and have new life. We are called to do the same thing as He call us to our higher selves and a higher consciousness and living in his ways. It will be hard at times, it will be humiliating, it will feel like a betrayal at times.
You may even be surprised to momentarily return to your old ways, but your inner knowing and determination will not be deterred it will suffer and not resist the resistance, that only makes it harder. It takes a lot of energy to resist, vs just allowing the whole process to take place and knowing and trusting and staying focused on the new life. Even when you get surprised and betrayed by yourself or others, notice and recognize it as part of the journey and stay the course. See it for what it is even if it catches you off guard, stay resolute new life is on the way and it will be worth it.
I was recently surprised by myself and it was in a situation that felt very familiar in the moment and ‘right’, I had done a lot of work in an area of my life and this surprise almost caused me to feel defeated and humiliated even, but I sat with it, chatted with it, learned from it and got back to it! These are the things that can tend to catch us off guard when we think ‘we’ve got it figured out’. As you are on this growth journey you will start to expect and recognize them as they come, but the first time or two it can really be alarming.
This is why knowing more about the science and respecting the miracle that is our brain and our intelligence makes all the difference. I love see how these clues in scripture when you know what you are looking for, but even if you don’t the Bible is a miracle, and reading it will make a huge difference and help you transform in ways you can’t do on your own. Allow the spirit which is alive and active help you navigate these trials of life and fulfill his calling on your life. If it worked for Jesus, it can work for us too.
After thought- Jesus called it out! He wasn’t only surprised internally- he took control by calling it out!
✍🏼Daily Journal Prompt
How can you accept your humanity and the humanity of others better? Hint - science helps us not take things personally. Science helps us have neutral thinking, acceptance and divine detachment.
📖Tomorrows Reading
Luke 23-24
Coaching Opportunity
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