Episode #149 The Incredible Truth (and Relief) of Your Greater Reality – Cultivate Wonder

Hey friends, it's Jen, and I want to encourage your heart today. Your reality is greater than you even know. And I know this because my reality is greater than I even know too. See, when we talk about reality, oftentimes we're talking about what's tangible, what we can see, taste, touch, experience in the physical world around us.

But that is not our greatest reality.

Now, before anyone gets concerned, I'm not saying we need to take ourselves away from this reality. This is part of our reality. This is a lesser reality. And also. The spiritual world is our greater reality. You might have heard the saying that as humans, we have a body, but we are spirit.

That's true. Like tents, our physical bodies are what we live in here on earth, but our truest selves are our spirits. And in the same way, our greatest reality, our truest reality is found in God.

You might've also heard this talked about in terms of God's kingdom, which is also true. We live here in this physical world and also, we're part of God's kingdom as believers.

When Jesus was living as a human on earth, all throughout the Gospels, he called people to repent, which means to think again and choose a different course. And the call, the exhortation he made to them was to repent for the kingdom of God is at hand, or like it says in Luke 17:21 “the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

See, God's kingdom isn't just off in heaven in a place we'll see and experience someday. God's kingdom is something that we get to live in and participate in today. right now.

I am an American. I live in the great state of Texas. And also, I am the daughter of the King of Kings, and I live as an active participant in his kingdom. In Isaiah 9, there's prophecies that are talking about Jesus. They're talking about his ministry. And in verse 7 it says:

“Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:7)

God's kingdom does not end. His throne is established forever, and it's established with justice and righteousness.

In Matthew 24:35, Jesus is speaking and he says, “heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” God's kingdom will outlast everything in the tangible world. And it doesn't just start someday in the future, and it doesn't just exist somewhere separate from us, but it exists for us right now that we get to participate in it.

But God's kingdom isn't the full scope of our greater reality.

God Himself is our greater reality.

In Isaiah 44:6-8 it says,
“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
‘I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and set it before me,
since I appointed an ancient people.
Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.
Fear not, nor be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
And you are my witnesses!
Is there a God besides me?
There is no Rock; I know not any.’” (Isaiah 44:6-8)

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts. I am the first and I am the last. Besides me, there is no God. Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people.

Let them declare what is to come and what will happen. Fear not, nor be afraid. Have I not told you from old and declared it? And you are my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? There is no rock. I know not any.

See, our reality isn't just God's kingdom. Our reality is God Himself. Because of who He is. Because of His character and nature. Because He has no beginning or end. Because his word will not pass away because his kingdom is here among us and he himself is God with us.

He is our greater reality. And this changes everything about how we live, because we can live aware of our greater reality.

If I'm only aware of the pain and the heartache and the trials and the circumstances of life on earth, then things can look really bleak.

But, if I grow in my awareness, of God being my greater reality, of who God is and of his kingdom come and of my invitation constantly to engage with him, of your invitation continuously to engage with God as your greater reality, then it gives us a firmer footing. He is our rock. There is no other.

And we can stand on him today.

Not just someday in the future.

I write about this in A Beckoning to Wonder, because this invitation to slow down and to notice God and to see who he is and to experience more of what he's like, that takes place when we experience our greater reality while we're still here on earth living in this lesser one. I'll read a few lines for you from the opening poem called “Letter to the Beholder”

“Essential
abundant
inherent
overlooked.
Reality.
The state of things as they actually exist.
Immune to the pressure of popular opinion.
True beyond perception.
God is our greater reality.
God as he actually is.
And because of him, life, as it actually is, too,
Both more faceted than space and time and senses.” (Jen Weaver, “Letter to the Beholder” in A Beckoning to Wonder)

That's what we get to participate in in ever increasing measure. Let the truth be louder than any lesser thing. Your heart longs to experience more of God's reality. It's what we're made for. And so here's our question to ask him today:

God, please tell me something true about the greater reality that I have in you.

Have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

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