God-conscious vs. self-conscious

My father’s Daily Word today was great.  (Genesis 3:7)  It talked about the shift Adam and Eve had after the fall when they went from being God-conscious to self-conscious.  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  Of course I may find it difficult to get into a higher, more spiritual place of connection to God.  We spend the majority of our time in this temporal place called Earth where we are physically bound by time and space.  Our lower selves fight everyday for survival and they are well trained to protect and survive at all costs.  So those of us that want to seek God, that want to rise above the clutter, must seek, scratch, and claw our way into a closer connection with the Almighty.  We are unfortunately naturally cut off due to the actions of the first man.
 
I think this is why, at the core, I love music.  It was perhaps the first thing, when I really learned to let go, that brought me way closer to God than I had ever been.  It allowed me to go beyond the temporal into a special and more sacred place.  A place I couldn’t easily access with my 5 senses.  And this is the place I love to go!  And what is interesting about a God-conscious perspective is that it alleviates nervousness or anxiety about performing (at the very last second of course :).  Knowing that it’s truly for His glory, not mine.  Knowing that He has my life in the palm of His hand so I don’t have to fear the outcomes.  This brings a peace that is so far beyond by understanding I can’t help but get excited! (Phil 4: 7) 


And so, as I aim to continue to access my Higher Self, to connect to the Holy Spirit and seek God’s face, I remember to have patience.  Patience with the lower self that has been trained for many, many years to survive by analyzing, thinking, planning, preparing, controlling (or trying to control) all of the circumstances.  Patience with that self as it begins to trust the Higher Self.  To let go of its need for control.  I recognize also that along with patience is a need for practice.  We must let the Higher Self do its “work” each day so that it too can develop a strong muscle.  We must deny aspects of our flesh that we know are just the lower self, aching for attention.  (Romans 12:1) We cannot be the same as we once were.  One of the Elders at one of our churches said to me “if you want something to change you have to do something different.”   So simple right?  And so, Higher Self, Holy Spirit, I welcome your guidance and wisdom and direction.