To actually be sane, stable, and spiritual is not easy.

To be sane one must be dedicated to face reality at every level. This means that one must be able to look into the mirror and really see themselves for who they really are and get past all self defense mechanisms. To know oneself is the key. Without self knowledge then everything else is built on sand. If our vision of ourselves, others, and the world is an illussion then nothing will be stable in our lives. Yet, such knowledge is rare for our we love our illussions more than we love the truth. Sanity also requires that we be able to think clearly about how we should respond to the true state of reality. In light of what really exist how would a mature and logically thinking person respond.

Stability would be the ability to keep in the truth and begin to adapt to the truth on a daily basis. It would mean that we are able to compensate for our swings in biological stability and waves of difficult circumstances. We would have the determination to keep to the path outlined by our most mature self and use this as the compass of our soul and our actions. Stability is a hunger adn thirt to live a sane life regardless of the cost.

Spirituality is really the key. Only by being actually touched by the Spirit of God can we see and accept reality. Normally our pride will keep us from seeing ourselves as we really do exist. The Spirit of the Lord must give us humility in order for us to be sane. It is so easy for us to substitute in a “religious spirit” one filled with self righteousness that has been baptized in a false humility instead of actually being naked before the face of God in truth. To be a simple disciple of Messiah Jesus is not simple. So on the one hand we can only be sane if we have been given spirituality and we can only experience spirituality if we have been given the gift of sanity.

So one reality we must face is that this is not easy. To be sane, stable, and spiritual is a narrow path and few will find it. May God have mercy on us and let us be encouraged by the truth that all who seek will find. So let us seek it with all our hearts.

Gravity Works
One of the hardest realities we have to face is that we are not above the rules that are set into the very structure of life. There are principles which no one can escape. Wisdom is being careful to live within the framework of these principles. Folly is when I believe; I can break the rules and use that to my advantage.
We seek happiness. Vice historically has been understood as the unhealthy, insane, and short road to happiness. Vices bring pleasure instantly. Surely, happiness will be found by maximizing pleasure. So as the vices produce pleasure, we feel that we will achieve being happy, and this leads us back to practice the vice once more. This cycle becomes addictive.
Vices have the ability to trigger the pleasure part of our brain easily and effectively. In this way of looking at things “vice” is cheap. But there is always a cost to vice. Addicts make bad spouses and parents. Over the long haul most vices take a toll on our bodies. If we devote ourselves to finding pleasure in all the wrong places we will normally find ourselves isolated, alone, and rejected as we face death.
But how else will we find happiness? If happiness is not found in “vice” then where is it found? Historically the answer to this question has been virtue. Virtue was understood as the healthy, sane, and long road to happiness. Virtue is living a life by figuring out what reality is and then adapting to it. It is striving to be free of illusion and denial.
The most significant transforming moment in a person’s life is when they lose faith in “Vice” and we come to believe that true and long lasting happiness will be found in living a life of virtue in accordance with the principles of life woven into the very fabric of our beings. We decide to not try to “cheat” at life to win but instead decide to strive within the confines of the “rules.”
We believe and accept that gravity works.

To say no to illusions is hard. Illusion often feel better than reality. But when one depends on an illusion to be real that is when the real pain comes. That is when we feel our worlds collapse.

For this reason one must have a commitment to the real world. To seek to know and accept what really exists and not the dreams that we would wish exist. We must have expectations based on what actually does exist.

Yet, we need to be careful to not limit reality. If we do we may never invent airplanes or computers. Sometimes our vision of what is real is far to small. There is greater potential in reality than some of us would ever dream.

So part of being sane is to open to all that is real and strive to discern what is from what is illusion. We must get rid of illusionarythinking and strive for realistic thinking. But we must in this process remember that reality has great God given potentials beyond what we would normally think. Therefore part of facing reality is to be creative and imaginative in our search for what actually exists.

Sanity is the ability to know the difference between reality and illusion.

The struggle is that at times sanity is very painful. It confronts us with painful truths. Death, sickness, rejection, abandonment, and abuse. We fear that seeking reality will kill us. We believe to survive we need to lie to ourselves and deny the truth.

But the illusions begin to have a cost. They begin to create more pain. We also find ourselves lost in our illusions. At some point we do not know who we are.

So we must make sure we see all of reality. The glass half full as well as half empty. Then reality becomes a comfort as well as a challenge. We must come to be content with what really is true. This gives us the sanity we need.