The chief end of man is to glorify God and love Him forever.
If I have achieved that at the end of my time on earth, no matter what material accomplishments I attained, no matter what professional designations filled the space behind my name, I will have lived with a precision and success seldom attained.
Once we have determined what the end game goal is, we move back into the present moment and use our time and energy to align with the goal we will work steadily toward. I notice that when we are on vacation, we slow down to the point of stillness. We rest, recuperate, refuel and inside of that experience we are seeking to hear God’s direction for our lives. Sometimes there is a sense of restlessness, low grade depression, discomfort, dis-peace that follows us from home. Those are the times that God will speak into with the most clarity if we but “be still and know that I am God”.
Everyone is going to have different pathways, but mine is to achieve this stillness on our times away. The stillness needs to be incorporated daily into my life and it is to a certain extent, but running a large house and working leaves less time for the amount of stillness I achieve here effortlessly. Since such great revelations and guidance comes from the quiet times, the times when my schedule isn’t the main focus, I have determined that my matrix’s core: to glorify God and love Him forever, will best be met by more retreating.
We have established our main residence in the Pacific Northwest as a retreat, naming it Adytum which means “the sanctuary” in Greek. Interestingly, this sanctuary spoken of is not one entered into by doors, like a cathedral. Instead, its “walls” are breached by Spirit alone as we enter into the sacred space of our heart to meditate in secret with God. But even retreats have to be maintained.
Part of the clarity we have received on this time away in Zihuatanejo, Mexico holds the concept that intentionally creating sacred space by buying a villa here or somewhere similar will allow us more time to fulfill the destiny callings we each possess and live with more focus on God. This place that is taking shape in my imagination is of adequate size. Not too small and not too large. It has no need of equipment like dishwashers and vacuums. It is easily maintained with a broom and dustpan, a dish rack and some simple methods. It is shuttered against the heat of the day, and opened at other times to fresh ocean air. We hear the surf and the birds, and have luscious mango, papaya, banana and coconut palms in our yard. We have a few bikes and walk to most places using a small car only occasionally to explore further when we feel so inclined.
Since my most productive ministering to God occur while walking, this dream place to support my Matrix’s core has room to roam in solitude, or along the edges of the surf in walking meditation. Since my most productive writing, feeling channeled by God, occurs in the early morning I structure my days to accommodate hearing from Him and putting fingers to keyboard to record His mind.
In the past I have seen Donn, God and myself in the tidal blending of the infinity symbol, the laying on the side “lazy eight” figure. Now I realize something….that the subordinate ends to the main Matrix’s goals may indeed be intertwined within the core area itself. I am thinking of health. Attaining perfect health largely by two methods: stress reduction and adherence to a Mediterranean diet and lifestyle of moderate walking. The health is fed by the spirit and the spirit is nurtured by excellent health.
In this point of view, having our simple home in Mexico or another locale for a few months of the year when the weather is dark and cold at Adytum is not a decision based on being a “snow bird” as the world would say. First and foremost, it nurtures our core Matrix making ourselves more available to enjoy and love God.
Secondly, if we are seeking to build the structural integrity of our bodily temple to continue to be of service to God for fulfilling our subordinate goals off the main Matrix’s core, then choosing a lifestyle that supports health is essential. So many of my days are spent with a very real sense of “hurry” and the underlying feelings of “overwhelm” and stress that is created. This lifestyle will not nurture my core matrix’s goals. Yes, I can still have communion with God, and I do. I can still have health, and I do. But it is not in the balance I see most beneficial to advancing both my increasing focus on God and increasing the function and structure of my physical body which houses the Temple of God, my interior sanctuary/Adytum.
God has made us aware on this trip that things that look like more acquisition in the world’s eyes can be of an entirely different nature in His perspective. We added more points to be able to use our timeshare more. More time to hear God, to love and glorify Him. More time to nurture our immune systems with additional vitamin D and de-stressing in our daily shore side walks that lead to swimming in the surf; greater health and de-stressing, achieving relaxation and unity with nature and God.
Later perhaps He will show us the place we can enjoy these attributes and use our subordinate talents to love our community, to serve and fulfill the separate destiny callings He has entrusted us both with individually and as a couple. Meantime, we have created by the additional points, more opportunity to have a greater “pie share” going toward meaningful living by committing to more retreats away.
We understand how asset redistribution must support the core Matrix’s goals of glorifying God and loving Him forever. In other words, using a balanced amount of assets for our spiritual development and enrichment versus using those same assets for income production. For us, this will play out in buying a vacation home in a foreign locale instead of turning that property that is fueling this purchase power into an apartment or duplex with all that additional care and attention required.
I see clearly now that every financial decision will most certainly be referenced against the core desire of the Matrix. There would be nothing wrong with increasing rental holdings but for this phase of our asset redistribution, our spiritual needs and our health needs take supremacy. Income will be generated from another segment of asset redistribution.
This way of living naturally promotes essential balance. It feeds the areas of our life that have eternal value, for when we die our assets do not follow. Using our assets to build the areas that do follow our spirit into life in the heavenly realm is the best possible stewardship. Frankly, I have not heard this taught but it may be out there as a teaching. We are taught to invest in widows and orphans in their distress, to give a tithe of ten percent or more. But I don’t recall being taught to structure our assets to support the chief end of man: Glorifying God and loving Him forever. The direction we have received from God on this trip to Mexico has achieved this insight through the faithful instruction of the Holy Spirit into our quiet space we created for His voice to be heard.
