One day, a man joined the monastery and took a vow of silence. He was allowed to say two words every seven years.
After the first seven years, the elders brought him in and asked for his two words. “Bad food,” he said. They nod and send him away.
Seven more years passed. They called him to come in and asked for his two words. He said, “Hard Bed.” They nod and send him away. “
Seven more years passed. They called him again and asked him to speak. “I quit,” he said.
“That’s not surprising,” they said. “Ever since you came here, you’ve done nothing else but complain.”
Are you like this monk? You may be religious, you may be attending church, and you may be praying all day–but if you keep on focusing on what’s bad–you’ll never be happy.
Do you want to be happy?
The key to happiness is gratitude. A grateful person is a happy person. And an ungrateful person is an unhappy person. Here’s my definition of a grateful person: A grateful person focuses on what is good.
It’s almost the same definition for a loving person…
Love Does Not Keep A Record Of Wrong
A loving person focuses on what’s good in the other person. And an unloving person focuses on what’s bad in the other person.
At the end of the day, I believe that only love can change you. How can love do that? Precisely because Love focuses on the good. (1 Corinthians 13 says “Love never keeps a record of wrong.”)
When you focus on the good in you, that good multiplies, grows, develops, and reproduces within you. When you focus on the bad in you, that bad multiplies, grows, develops, and reproduces within you too.
That’s why I believe only God’s Love can change you forever.
God’s Beauty Is Within You
What does God see in you?
Genesis 1:27 says that you’re made in His image.
Personally, I believe that’s what He sees in you. Your beauty. Your Holiness. Your magnificence. Your splendor. Your glory.
We’re too familiar with the Doctrine of Original Sin. Original Sin says we’re depraved at our very core. That we’re big-time sinners through and through.
That’s true.
But we need to balance this with an equally important Doctrine called the Doctrine of Original Innocence. Original Beauty. Original Holiness.
I have a deep personal experience on this. I actually changed my life when I stopped focusing on my sin and started focusing on God’s Love.
My Story
Let me speak from personal experience.
For the longest time–for 15 years–I was in bondage to all sorts of addictions. The most obvious one: I couldn’t stop looking at pornography. I was shackled. No matter how I tried to pray hard, or read the Bible, or attend church, I kept falling and falling and falling…
During the entire time that I was locked up in my addictions, I focused on my sin. I hated myself. I punished myself for my sin. The more I focused on my sin, the more it multiplied.
But one day, while I was praying, feeling so ashamed of myself, God gave me a glimpse of what He saw in me. And I was totally blown away.
While I was feeling so ashamed of who I was, criticizing myself for being weak and depraved and perverted, I saw God awed by how wonderful I was. He said to me, “You’re wonderful just the way you are.”
It was like both of us were looking at two different persons. God showed me that He didn’t only love me, He actually liked me. He was fond of me.
On that fateful day, I heard God tell me, “Bo, I don’t look at what you do wrong. I always look at what you do right.”
God’s love healed me. My addictions were healed! I’m a free man today because of that overwhelming love.
Sin-Centered vs. Love-Centered
For all those years, I had a sin-centered spirituality. (As a young preacher, I preached against sin all the time. I was also very judgmental in my attitude towards others.)
Looking back, I realized why. Subconsciously, I was preaching against my self.
Here’s what I realized. A sin-centered spirituality spawns more sin in my life. I say this not because I read it in a book. I say it with 15 years of personal evidence to prove this! The more I focused on my sin, trying to get rid of it, the more I fell into it.
But when God invaded my soul with His love, something changed. I began to see that God wasn’t like me at all. He wasn’t obsessed with my sin, He was obsessed with me!
Gradually, a love-centered spirituality formed in me.
And what did I notice? A love-centered spiritually spawns more love.
I repeat: Slowly, my addictions became less urgent. Until one day, I woke up healed by God’s Love.
How? God’s love filled my heart so much, there was no more space for sin.
A Little Analogy
To explain this, let me use Western medicine and Eastern medicine as an analogy.
In Western medicine, the doctor focuses on the sickness.
But my Health Mentor is an expert in Eastern medicine. And he doesn’t focus on sickness, he focuses on health. He doesn’t focus on germs, bacteria, or viruses. Because Eastern medicine’s theory is if you’re immune system is strong enough, it can prevent disease and heal any disease.
Western medicine is 1000 years old. But Eastern medicine is 4000 years old. Western medicine is very useful, especially for emergencies. But Eastern medicine is better when it comes to making you healthy.
God is like Eastern medicine.
God doesn’t focus on your sin. God focuses on you.
The difference is huge.
Makeover Or Makeunder?
Some people want God to change them, to give them an extreme makeover. But makeover is changing your appearance by using cosmetics, hairstyle, and even surgery.
I prefer makeunder. Makeunder is removing all that is artificial, false, and pretending, and exposing your authentic beauty.
Here’s my point.
God’s message to you isn’t, “You’re so ugly, I want to puke. Gosh, you look horrible. Let me change you so I can love you…”
I believe God’s message to you is, “I love you just the way you are. Because you’re beautiful just the way you are. But if you allow me to love you, I’ll make you even more beautiful!”
That’s what I heard from God.
And that’s how I got healed.
My friend, do you want to be healed too?
Receive God’s Love today.
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
PS. Start Your Own Business or Improve Your Existing Business! I believe becoming an entrepreneur is one of your most important paths to financial blessings. On July 2 and 16 (Saturdays), we’re giving an Entrepreneurs Workshop. You’ve got to hurry. There are very few seats available. To know more, click the link below:
