longer.blue

I know when I am close to God. I am laughing. I am having fun with my friends. I can connect with anybody. I am completely present, completely alive, and completely free. I am not analyzing whether people approve of me. I am not calculating my status. I am not protecting my ego. I am simply enjoying the human beings in front of me. That is when I feel God most powerfully. I feel God when joy is flowing through me so freely that nothing another person says can take it away. They can criticize me. They can challenge me. They can give me feedback. I listen. If the criticism contains truth, I use it. If it contains nothing useful, I release it. But I do not allow it to steal my joy. I laugh. I smile. I remain open. That is spiritual strength. When criticism destroys your happiness, another person temporarily becomes your god. Their opinion controls your emotional state. Their approval determines whether you feel whole. But when your joy comes from within, feedback becomes information—not a judgment of your worth. You can learn without shrinking. You can change without hating yourself. You can disagree without becoming bitter. You can hold a boundary without losing your love. I know I am close to God when my ego no longer needs to fight every battle. I know I am close to God when I can laugh freely, love people fearlessly, receive criticism openly, and remain rooted in joy. God does not feel like tension to me. God feels like freedom. God feels like love. God feels like laughter.