Your Forgotten Self
Mirrored in Jesus the Christ
By David Robert Ord
Review by Angela Hutchinson
In a well thought out composition, Author David Robert Ord presents his knowledge of the bible and the man known as Jesus. We all seem to have our own interpretation of who Jesus was and is in our personal lives. There are those who worship Jesus, those who reject him, and those known as the walking wounded of religion, who attempt to make peace with the historical figure’s teachings and the church. Ord offers his latest work of Jesus’ true character and message in Your Forgotten Self. We are now presented with the information to resolve the inner conflict that may exist between the man, the enormous impact he made on the planet, and Christianity today.
Beginning with the highly organized subject matter, the author presents his vast knowledge in an understandable and reader friendly format.
As we delve into the actual content, it is clear that we are being introduced to a figure that has been misrepresented and misinterpreted over the years. This opens up the mind to question and to better comprehend the actual teachings of Jesus. The relevance of his wisdom today is now more important than ever and is instrumental in true change of the individual and collective world.
“When you truly accept the presence of God in you, you are in the promised land.” When we are ready to receive it, our “heavenly experience” begins here on Earth. This was the true message of Christ. He wanted to bring Divine empowerment to the people, which was a radical belief at the time. He believed we all were the essence of God within. Our spiritual journey begins when we begin to know ourselves. “While Jesus taught that God can’t be identified as a separate reality, he insisted that God can be experienced. He realized that in truly knowing himself, he knew God. His self awareness was the wellspring of his knowledge of God.”
Ord goes on to explain some of our modern day misperceptions, such the second coming. “The ‘second coming’ is an ongoing process of revelation of God’s presence in humanity.” The author also speaks of our evolutionary sense of unworthiness. We are not “original sin”; rather we are the essence of God. “We emerged from God and we have no other being other than God.” When we are able to see our divinity, we reside in the peace and joy of Christ consciousness. “Jesus scandalized his society by showing that the idea that God considers humans inferior is nonsense. He repudiated the common belief that people are on a lesser plane than God.” Though we may “miss the mark” at times, it does not change the core of who we are. Self acceptance and self love are acts of spiritual maturity. The author writes that “self doubt—our continual questioning of our worthiness—is the very essence of sin.” When we experience our own empowerment, we shed the victim mentality and we come into a greater state of living, more aware of the presence of God. The choices we make define who we believe ourselves to be.
When we shift our awareness, we begin to understand and experience true desire and passion in life; “the mark of doing the will of God”. Being true to yourself flows in alignment with God’s desire for you. “By being your true self, you have something worthwhile to contribute.” It isn’t about sacrificing or obligation, when we live fully from our spiritual center, it all makes sense and flows. Jesus lived from that spiritual center and lived with passion. He knew who he was and he was true to himself and to his beliefs. Nothing could shake that center. This is what attracted the masses to him. Ord claims the true battle is the one between faith and self doubt. “Completely unaware of our true self, we live entirely from an unenlightened state of mind, which results in us reaping the consequences of blundering our way through life. The ‘wrath’ of God is the pain we inflict on ourselves-the self hatred and unrest we feel within from living in ways that deny our divine essence.” This is just one example of the author’s incredible insight into how we create our own heaven or hell on earth and how deeply some have misinterpreted scripture.
Unfortunately, most of us must endure crisis situations before we are willing to look within and do the work to realize that “at the heart of each of us is the God for whom we search.” Jesus taught love, peace, and acceptance. His message was considered heretical at the time and he would probably be considered such today. Jesus taught his disciples how to love and accept themselves, empowering them to live a life led by divine consciousness. Instead of living the principles, we have put him high upon a mountaintop, seemingly unreachable or attainable. “…the key to feeling good about ourselves lies in how we see ourselves. We have to believe in our worthiness in order to experience ourselves as worthy.”
Ord delivers a figure we can understand and embrace. Jesus no longer belongs to a religion. The historical Jesus has been liberated and now in The Forgotten Self, we can open our minds and hearts to his teachings without reservation. The author’s interpretation of scripture serves today’s world and promotes a more authentic view of the life and times of Jesus. The Forgotten Self is a wondrous vehicle of hope.
“The journey begins with believing in your Christ self and continues through believing in your Christ self. Faith—trust—is all that’s required. You already are everything you long to be. You always have been. To the degree that you believe it, you will be it.”
-David Robert Ord