When I lose touch with
    my essential self,
        my God-with-me self,
then my false self,
    my ego-self
        eagerly steps up to take its place,

posing as the real thing,
    which it is most definitely
        not.

Holding on to my essential self,
    living from that unshakeable, 
        joyous, grace-filled core
keeps the ego-self
    in check.

The key for me?
    Returning every day,
        throughout the day,
            to the greater, underlying Reality.

Silence,
    reading,
        writing,
prayer,
    meditation,
        listening,
observing,
    mindfulness,
        stillness–

this is how God leads me back,
    this is how my essential self
        settles back into its rightful place.

How do you return
    to your essential self?

Text and image © 2020 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.
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