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Because we crave meaning, we often aspire to become people who are respected and praised by others. Yet, this desire can inadvertently lead us to chase after the exact same things the rest of the world is chasing.

Faith often emerges precisely when we cannot fully understand. Abraham walks up the mountain carrying both trust and anguish. He cannot see the outcome, yet he continues forward, trusting his God.

According to Swedenborg, the purpose of the Bible is to lead people toward spiritual rebirth, or regeneration. For this reason, God embedded deeper truths within the literal stories of the Scripture.

We live as though we are in a permanent state of exile, struggling to find a way back to a lost sanctuary. However, the spiritual truth is more hopeful: the Garden planted by God is still there, nestled deeply within the quietest corners of the mind.

At times, our faith can feel worn thin. In those moments, what we need isn’t a complex argument or a technical explanation, but the restorative strengthening that comes from being held together when we feel ourselves falling apart.

“Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” At first glance, this may sound like a rebuke of weak faith. But when we read this more closely—and perhaps more personally—it reveals something deeper about the human condition.

Perhaps the revelation given to Moses at the burning bush was not the start of a brand-new religion, but a revolutionary reformation of a faith that already existed in the ancient world. It is a powerful reminder that God and humans had a deep relationship long before Abram or Moses appeared on the scene.

We live in a world that constantly measures worth through productivity, income, appearance, and even attention. What, then, is the “right” thing to pursue in this life, if such a thing can be clearly named?

Sometimes it feels selfish to pursue one’s inner peace while the whole world is struggling and suffering. Yet, the Bible teaches strongly about peace from God, and Buddha teaches about the importance of obtaining inner peace.

The inspiration from the story of Easter is that we tend to look for growth within our comfort zones only to find that the stone has been rolled away by a force greater than ourselves, inviting and guiding us to look elsewhere.