Psychological maturity is having an appropriate balance of self-love and self-giving.
Self-love that is held, enjoyed, and trusted, is the reservoir from which love can be given away to the rest of the world. We need to “love our neighbor as we love ourself” (Matthew 19:19)—for our own wholeness and for theirs. Without this full inflow and outflow, we remain lethargic believers.
If it is not flowing out of us, it is likely because we are not allowing it to flow toward us. Love flows toward us in every moment: through a flower, an incident, in any person whom we allow to delight us. Sometimes we even find our self smiling at things for no apparent reason.
Spiritual joy has nothing to do with anything “going right.” It has everything to do with things going on within us. Joy is almost entirely an inside job and is not determined by the object enjoyed as much as it is by the attitude of the enjoyer.
It is all inherently sacred and deeply satisfying. All is whole and holy because we stand inside the Flow of Love without the negative resistance of doubting. This is the Ground of all Being out of which all things—and especially all good things—come (James 1:17).
The river is flowing, and we are in it whether or not we are enjoying it. The Spirit is the one who teaches us how to pray, how to believe, how to hope, and how to love. As Paul so honestly says, “We do not know how to pray” (Romans 8:26).
The Great Flow makes use of absolutely everything. “Where sin abounds, grace abounds even more” (Romans 5:20). Even our mistakes will be used in our favor, if we allow them to be. That is how good God is.
2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”
