BECOMING ONE WITH THE FORCE

BECOMING ONE WITH THE FORCE

With the recent release of the next movie (prequel) in the Star Wars franchise, Rogue One, along with the sudden unexpected death of actress Carrie Fisher, most known for her role as Princess Leia, I have seen many Memes, tributes and discussions about her “becoming one with the force.”

Now I don't have any idea what kind of person Carrie Fisher really was in her off-screen life, but it got me thinking about (as a Star Wars fan myself)“What does it really means to become One with the Force?” – At least in terms of real life application?

Here are some thoughts I came up with:

1. There really is a true "Force" that we can tap into.  But it's not what the Star Wars universe portrays it to be.

The only true source of "force" or power is "The Power of God."  To many who are non-religious such a power may seem as mysterious, science-fiction and foreign of a concept as the force is in the Star wars movies.  But to those who are willing to study its principles and apply them in their lives - It is a real power which truly does flow through us and affects everything around us.  But to learn how to recognize and use that power or force in our lives, we need to understand how it really works.

2. A basic key to understanding that power or force, comes from first realizing who we truly are.

We must recognize that we are first and foremost, children of a loving Heavenly Father.  We are far more than just an organized bunch of cellular clusters passing through a temporary existence.  We are eternal beings, children of God, who are on a temporary mortal journey in which we experience opposition, struggles, setbacks and challenges - which are opportunities for us to learn, grow, and to become through our own choice, more like the Divine Being from which we came.  This knowledge gives us the proper foundation and perspective in which to view the world around us and our place in it in its true frame of mind.

3. Because of that divine heritage, we must face the fact that there may be certain things in our lives which are out of order with the true spiritual nature of our existence.  Inner demons or sins, so to speak, which we must come to recognize and deal with if we are to progress beyond them and become something spiritually greater.

All of us carry some form of sins, imperfections within us.  Perhaps they are a result of our environment, being raised in a broken home, suffering from physical or emotional maladies. But likely most of our problems are the result of clinging to the darkness and sins that are within each of us.  If we truly want to have the power of God in our lives, we must honestly come to recognize it, confront it, and rid it out of our lives.  This can only happen through the process of true, heartfelt, honest and sincere REPENTANCE.

4. To accomplish this task of repentance and change, most of us need the assistance, advice and support of leaders, mentors and friends.

We tend to need that honest, outside guidance and influence to see beyond our own limited perspective and vision.  Speaking of friends - make sure you surround yourself with TRUE FRIENDS and NOT Accomplices.  An accomplice will go with you down the wrong path and may even be cheering you on in a destructive attitude or behavior, which will end up getting you into trouble in the end.

A true friend is someone who will be by your side, watching out for your best interest, and who isn't afraid to tell you what they really think you need to hear, or if your situation truly stinks like an old trash compactor, but will stand by you and help you through even the toughest situations, no matter what, until you can come out through the other side of it alright.

5. Life can be a real struggle and difficult battle.  Sometimes, in the midst of that fight, we need to pause and connect with the power or force from which we draw our strength.

This means that often, at different times of the day or throughout the week, we may need to stop with all the chaos of what is going on, and take the time to get down on our knees, meditate, pray, and regain the needed internal rest and composure that the daily grind and business of life tends to force out of us if we are not careful.

Prayer is one of the most direct means of putting ourselves into contact with God and His power on a regular basis.  This mindfulness and reflective state is so easily and often neglected, but is also the most simple and powerful way to bring the Forces of Good and Light back into our life if we take the time to do it regularly.

6. We must make the effort to get our of our comfort zone and put into practice spiritual teachings and truths we know in our lives.

Making these types of internal changes can be difficult, and indeed they are purposely designed to be difficult, so that they aren't just easy surface observances, but so that they affect deep and permanent changes in who we are and what we are capable of.

One sure thing is that God doesn't want us to be comfortable with where we currently are.   He is always pleased with the progress we make and the righteous path we are trying to walk, but He will also always show us other ways to improve, become closer to Him and His power and force in our lives.  So don't get discouraged if you are constantly able to see further areas of improvement in your life.  Just recognize that it is another opportunity for you to work at becoming more At One with His force in your life.  Accept the challenge, put in the work and consistent effort that is necessary.  The end "Jedi-like" result will always be worth it!

7. You must learn to act in Faith, not out of Fear.  Those who have seen "Rogue One" most likely remember when the blind Chirrut Imwe walks out into the midst of a bunch of Stroomtroopers, with nothing but his stick, while saying, "I fear nothing, for all is as the Force wills it."

Life itself is a walk of faith.  We are all spiritually blind to some degree, or at least go through life, "seeing through a glass darkly."  We must learn to trust in the knowledge that God loves us and has our best interest at heart.  We may not always know why the battles of life are raging around us, or what the ultimate outcome of those struggles will be, but with FAITH and TRUST in Him, we can learn to move forward with confidence and faith into that unknown future, without being limited by fear and doubts.

8. You don't have to be one of a select few of the higher Jedi order (or Priesthood leadership of the Church) in order to draw upon the powers of the Lord to be victorious in life's battles.

The Lord loves each and every one of His children, and will pour out His blessings to everyone who seeks to follow His ways, apply His Grace regularly, and ask for His assistance.  His promise is that He will always provide sufficient for our needs as we strive to become one with His will and purposes, whether we are of the Jedi order or simply an average person who trusts and relies upon Him.

9. There may not be Jedi temples of learning and training, but God has given us something even better - REAL temples of worship where we can go to learn things of a higher order, be endowed with real Power and learn how to better gain access to the forces of light and good that are available to us.

Perhaps the simplest and best way to understand what these temples are all about can be conveyed for the purposes of this post in the following short videos:

Temples are truly places of not only worship, but of learning how to better access the true powers of Heaven and Force for good in our lives.

10.  There is such a thing as a light saber - or at least a saber of light!  Let me explain with the following analogy:

Imagine the game of American football.  Players take the field dressed from head to toe in protective equipment - from the cleats on their feet, specialized padding all over their bodies, and even specially designed helmet on their heads.

Can you imagine being handed the ball during a football game, dressed only in a pair of flip-flops, shorts and a tee-shirt, and having any success of not getting injured while trying to run through a fully organized and suited up defense?!  It would be insane to consider such an attempt.

Yet consider that even when they are fully dressed in protective padding, the best and most successful ball carriers are still going to take some hard hits and devastating tackles through the course of the game.  That's not because they don't have skill, but just because the opposing forces in the game are also very well equipped and trained to stop you.

Now imagine if a skilled, and fully suited running back was headed down the field, but he was not only wearing his protective pads, BUT ALSO CARRYING A LIGHT-SABER!

Carrying such an awesome weapon would not only cause the defenders to hesitate in trying to tackle him, but would also allow the ball carrier to more easily slice and dice his was through whatever the opposition was throwing at him.

Now lets take this analogy into real-life spiritual terms.  We have all heard of "Putting on the Whole Armor of God" as found in Ephesians 6: 10-18.  But notice that in addition to all the pieces of protective armor the Lord is promising to provide us, He is also giving us an Offensive weapon, "The Sword of the Spirit."

This sword of light, or Light-Saber, is a truly magnificent and effective weapon, which if properly used, can help us navigate much more easily through the opposing forces of life.

Consider when the police encounter an armed criminal.  With weapons drawn, they issue the command, "drop your weapon!"  That is because they know that if they can disarm the person, they will be much safer and easier to handle.

The same goes true for us in a sense.  If the adversary can get us to become distracted in how we live, and through sin or neglect, get us to put down the sword of the Spirit, then he has much greater success as gaining control over us in our lives.  We must always be vigilant to live in a way so that the Spirit of God can be with us as a sword of truth and light to help guide us through the forces trying to keep us from reaching the goal line.

In summary, if we truly have the desire in our hearts to "Become One with the Force" or have as our mantra, "I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me."  Then we must live, act and progress in a pattern that allows us to be changed and become one with that Force and power of God, which truly does exist in all around us.

In fact, that relationship of achieving a state of "At-One-Ment" through the atonement is something they also desire to have with us, as the Lord stated in John 17: 21-23 when he prayed:

"That they may be one; as thou Father, are in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us... that they may be one, even as we are one.... I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one..."

MAY WE ALL BECOME ONE WITH THE FORCE, AND MAY THE FORCE BE WITH US, ALWAYS!