What is enlightenment?

I am a seeker; I look for truth, knowledge, wisdom, understanding in this world, other worlds, and the next world. To me, the most important concept is "relationship" but another favorite is "language," and another is "help." These are some themes to which this blog will be dedicated. I seek to develop from immaturity to maturity in body, soul and spirit. (As a woman of this earthly realm, I struggle with the desire to appear young outwardly while struggling to become aged and wise inwardly.)

The root word of "enlightenment," of course, is "light," itself an incredible word with so many various meanings. "Light," as in bright, as in un-heavy, as in fair-complected, as in the verb- the action of lighting, as in lamp, as in natural daylight. Now, from the dictionary (my second favorite book) we turn to the Bible (my favorite book) to understand the term light.

"Light" as in Genesis 1:3 "Let there be light", Psalm 27:1 "The Lord is my light and my salvation.", John 8:12 in which Jesus says "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

In all of these forms of the word, I want to seek out the light. To take it in as the way to save myself, but also to let it shine through me as a way to help the world around me. Thus, back to my original concept of relationship, because it is only by right relationship with God that I can receive light, and it is God's light that I hope shines through me.

Enlightenment, therefore, to me, requires a connection to God the father, the holy spirit and His son Jesus, on all levels:
1. bodily- my hand reaches out to the Bible, my eyes take in the words, my mouth (or in this case, fingers) speak the words
2. soul- my mind takes in the information, relates it to my experiences to form understanding, and relates it to others' experiences to form wisdom, my heart soaks up the words like a sponge, accepts it and loves it
3. spirit- that which remains when all else is gone, the eternal aspect of me- the quiet voice that whispers to me what is good and right. My spirit recognizes the word and is strengthened by it, my spirit feels at home and rested, supported when I am "in the word". (meaning dwelling on the Bible)

By this point in my life, I had expected to have far more maturity than I find I actually do have. Arrested development, damage to my spirit in my earliest days, has prevented this. I have spent at least half of my life trying to free myself to move beyond what has stunted my growth. By my own relentless efforts, I made little progress. Then I turned this burden over to the Lord. Matthew 11:29-30 Jesus says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is "light'.

Through Christ, I've begun to make rapid progress in my journey toward enlightenment. Praise God! I believe this is a journey that takes a lifetime and ends in the place of eternal peace. I welcome you to follow along or to find your own path. The secret is in the map, the map is in the Bible. Godspeed!