If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you

For the first time in a while, puzzleheaded me had some fun and felt some warm fuzzies at a Reddit spirituality forum.

Self-Transformation

Posted by Puzzleheaded 

 

If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you.

If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you. – Gospel of Thomas, verse 70

Usernametaken

This is true, you need to help others with your knowledge and experiences, and the Universe will help you too

Mocs

I also believe the universe will bring you those precise people needing your knowledge and experience, and not having to go "save the world" kind of thing. Path of least resistance to what is natural for you.

Puzzleheaded

I would have called it God, because that's what I was raised to call it, but, yes, life brings us what we need to grow, develop and mature, and how that proceeds depends on how we respond, or not. It's probably more helpful, in the long run, if we try to save ourselves, before trying to save something else, which reminds us, unawares probably, of our own need to be saved. Yet, sometimes, something outside of us needs saving and, if we are able to help it be saved, then that's something God laid on us to do, or not. Whether we get some kind of immediate or distant reward for that, is another matter, above my pay grade, at least. However, this post is about internal work, and perhaps can be likened somewhat to Jesus in the Gospels saying, "First, take the beam out of our own eye."

Old timey brain

This has come to me recently from several sources, and it is now making quite a bit of sense.

Sky

The first time I read this quote it brought me such a sense of peace and acceptance of my self.

Puzzleheaded

Back some distance in time, I was deeply involved in psycho-spiritual healing, both as a patient and as a practitioner. I saw really volatile emotional stuff come up out of people and out of myself, which had been living there unknown to the host. After angels got a hold of me, they amplified exponentially that process, and some of what they brought up out of me was absolutely terrifying emotionally. I imagine, if all of a sudden, what lives inside of people suddenly is released, humanity will got stark raving mad, en masse, regardless of religious, spiritual or other beliefs, or no beliefs. So, and this is based on my own personal experience and observations of many other people, I think the Thomas quote I posted here is absolutely spot on for people, or for a species, that wish, or hope, to develop, grow and mature humanly and spiritually. I also think there aren't nearly enough therapists, gurus, priests, shamans, etc., who have themselves gotten cleaned up enough inside, to be of much help to anyone else. Which, it looks to me, means it is on angels, or perhaps advanced Ets, to help humanity bring forth from inside itself, what all lives there, or humanity, in the main, will continue devolving, while relatively few individuals progress.

hairwaytosteven

Yep. The answers are within, not without. So within, so without. First make peace in your inner sacred kingdom and peace will manifest in your outer not-so-secret kingdom. It's working for me.

When I've been at war within, the war inevitably manifested without.

Puzzleheaded

Can't say I ever knew anyone who didn't have plenty of raging war within. I wonder if perhaps Jesus in the Gospels had that in mind, when he said, "Hypocrite, first take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother's eye?"

FrequentBrain 

Authenticity, always

 

Puzzleheaded

But authenticity might not win many, or any, popularity contests :-)

FrequentBrain

This is true, but does your authentic self want or need to win popularity contests?! 😊

Puzzleheaded

First, no.

Second, I tired to make a rhetorical joke.

Third, when we ruin our reputations, we can be free.

GrassFireWater

Right if you are at a party and you drink a cup of piss when people say dude did you drink that you have to be accountable for your actions.

Puzzleheaded

party pooper😎

Lucky7Revolver

Yeah. I still feel bad how I talked to my boss yesterday.

Puzzleheaded

Did you tell your boss that?

walkstwomoons

Makes sense.

Thomas was kicked out during the canonical conference. As were many other books. All are worth the reading.

Puzzleheaded

Ya think the bosses at that conference doubted Thomas? Or, did they doubt including his testimony and advice would not freak out people and they would run like hell?

walkstwomoons

I like the doubting Thomas reference

Thomas and John conflicted, they chose to keep John.

I personally prefer Thomas

Puzzleheaded

Two very different men, maybe the early church honchos cherrypicked the one they felt might be more attractive to market, bring in more new congregants/congregant$?

JCMiller

I need this today. Brought a lot out.

I wish to add: the more humble and connected and open you grow - the more there is to bring out. If you wish to befriend your ego, rather than enslaving or silencing it, it will be an endless supply of life for you and will give you a limitless opportunity to love

Puzzleheaded

Yep, a full time job for the unforeseeable future.

moonshadow

Needed to hear this today, thank you! 💜

Pactolus

If guys like horror/fantasy fiction, John Langan has a story about this exact quote "What You Do Not Bring Forth" in his anthology Children of the Fang. It's short, not scary at all, but one of my favorites of his.

Puzzleheaded

Werewolf lore?

Pactolus

That story specifically isn't werewolf-related, it's more philosophical, but if you go over on r/horrorlit they have tons of recommendations for werewolf fiction. My first two recs to anyone are "Those Across the River" by Christopher Buehlman, and "Cycle of the Werewolf" by Stephen King.

Puzzleheaded

Thanks, merely was curious. Fang, and such. The Thomas quote is about something else altogether, such as, acknowledging, owning up to, bringing up out of us, and finally dealing with the werewolf in us, a not fun or pleasing horror story, but necessary, to avoid our werewolf killing us.

Narrow-Sherbet

GOT is the GOAT :) I have an audiobook presentation if you're interested https://youtu.be/7c2PZU8o5nU

Puzzleheaded

Much thanks, will pass that link along.

NarrowSherbet

Awesome, the GOT has been a huge blessing for me and contains such amazing very rare deep truth ! Namaste Puzzlehead.

NarrowSherbet

I felt like the black sheep for a long time and this passage gave me great comfort...

107. Jesus said, "The (Father's) kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety-nine and looked for the one until he found it. After he had toiled, he said to the sheep, 'I love you more than the ninety-nine.'"

Puzzleheaded

Well, shucks. I'm the black sheep in my birth family😎

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