Jesus said to the disciples:
“I have told you these things so you may have peace.
In the world, you will have difficulties.
But take heart, I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

Some Ideas to Contemplate:

• As Jesus—Master Mystic, Healer, Teacher, and Wayshower—concludes his long discourse to the disciples, he reminds them that they can be one with God (Higher Power, Supreme Universal Energy, etc.) and do what he has done (John 14:12).  Everything he teaches is to help them maintain their grounding and equanimity when life is overwhelming and topsy-turvy.

• In essence, Jesus explains what the real world is: the spiritual realm, the province of divine ideas and infinite possibilities.  This is where we recognize the multitude of choices we have, not the either/or, black-and-white, one-and-done aspect of the outer world.  When we live in the spiritual realm, we can be grounded and calm amid chaos and dysfunction, just as Jesus was.

• Mystically and metaphysically, to overcome the world means to live from the inside out, rather than allowing others’ expectations and standards to determine our worth and wellbeing.  The outer world likes conformity.  Fit the role.  Meet the standard.  Follow the crowd.  But Jesus is an iconoclast—a countercultural maverick—who was made into an icon—a luminary demigod.  Jesus does not follow crowds.  Crowds follow him!  So when we choose Jesus as a role model, not a god, we, too, can express our inner Christ, our true soul self.

Practices for the Week:

• Remember: You are a spiritual being with a radiant soul, living in a sacred body temple, having human experiences.  
• Reflect, with self-compassion, on how you struggle to conform to others’ expectations or standards.
• Imagine and visualize how your life might be if you set standards for yourself.
• Illustrate, journal, and/or record all the new standards you can imagine.  Then practice living them.

\© 2026 – Rev Jenn Sacks – All rights reserved.

Photo from Shutterstock by Oleg Medvedytskov.