{"id":2941,"date":"2025-05-31T09:46:51","date_gmt":"2025-05-31T16:46:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/?p=2941"},"modified":"2025-05-31T09:46:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T16:46:51","slug":"perfect-just-ignorant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/31\/perfect-just-ignorant\/","title":{"rendered":"Perfect \u2013 Just Ignorant"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"29\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/theres-only-grace\/inbaby-hand3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?fit=135%2C135&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"135,135\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"inbaby-hand3\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?fit=135%2C135&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-29\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=135%2C135\" alt=\"hand in hand\" width=\"135\" height=\"135\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There probably are not many times when you have heard someone claim that you are perfect. Consider all the baggage which needs to be overcome to make such a proclamation: personal judgment, societal norms, biases, and social customs. Yes, it is possible to make such a statement about someone, and yet, do they believe we mean it?<\/p>\n<p>For me to proceed with this writing and ensure that you understand that I\u2019m sincere it my acknowledgement of you, I would like you to hear something from Meister Eckhart, a 13-14th century German theologian and mystic, and an anonymous quote from Theologia Germanica, a mystical writing from the 14th century.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cTo gauge the soul we must gauge it with God, for the Ground of God and the Ground of the Soul are one and the same.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cGoodness needeth not to enter into the soul, for it is there already, only it is unperceived.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Both of these passages speak to the nature of what I\u2019m about to convey to you. You are perfect! Not only you, but everyone you know, everyone around you, even all the people on the entire planet! As a matter of fact, everyone who has ever walked upon this earth is good too! (Notice I didn\u2019t use the past tense form here. More on that later.)<\/p>\n<p>Now I recognize how my last claim there is going to send up alarms claiming that there have been people who committed such atrocities throughout history that to claim them being good is a sign of a deranged individual unworthy of giving any further attention. But if you can pause for a minute before you leave me and look at the title of this posting again, you might be able to proceed as I explore the \u201c\u2026Just Ignorant\u201d portion of this writing.<\/p>\n<p>I need to clarify something here as we proceed. Case matters. Upper case words represent divinely intuitive properties or entities. Lower case words represent sense-based (e.g. sight, sound, smell, taste, feeling) properties or entities.<\/p>\n<h3>The Beginning<\/h3>\n<p>Everything has a beginning, a starting point, a genesis moment. Every human begins at conception when a male sperm enters a female egg, and the creation event begins to unfold. At some point in this drama, the Soul enters the developing fetus. The Soul is the spiritual entity which is made \u201cin the image and likeness\u201d of God. It is the true you. It is eternal and divine. Your Soul is good, is love, is one with the Creator Spirit.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cYou\u201d as the Soul never dies. Yes, it inhabits a mortal shell which travels the time spectrum from birth through childhood, into adulthood, the blossom of maturity, the decrepit march into old age until the final exhalation of life. While people mourn the passing of the shell, they remain ignorant of the upward return journey of the Soul to its divine home.<\/p>\n<h3>The Evils of Ignorance<\/h3>\n<p>Just as people remain ignorant of the return journey of the Soul at death, they also remain ignorant of the return journey of the Soul at conception and subsequent fetal development. Yes, you read that correctly. This cycle is not just a one-off coincidence. The entire planet, even the galaxy, goes through the same cycle of birth, growth, maturity, decay only to begin it all over again.<\/p>\n<p>It is ignorant to believe that mortal humans never follow the same cycle throughout time immemorial. Yet, it is also ignorant to believe that your soul is part and parcel of your mortal coil. Ignorance will claim that it is \u201cmy soul,\u201d in the same way it will profession that it is good while someone else\u2019s soul is evil. This is possible simply because we have never ventured into how our soul develops.<\/p>\n<p>As I stated previously, everyone has a Soul. Everyone thinks they have a soul which is somehow \u201clost\u201d when in reality they have a conscience construct created by their ego to justify their moral values. The development of our ego is similar to a protection device which helps us to navigate the world we are born into. It determines what is good or evil for us and then places us on the side which best suits our present condition.<\/p>\n<p>The Soul only knows goodness, kindness, and love. The Soul can never be <em>\u201clost\u201d<\/em> or unredeemable simple because it doesn&#8217;t originate from the earthly realm. Hence, It does not have an evil nature. What we might view as being evil is simply the matter of ignorance about the Soul and Its influence on our lives.<\/p>\n<p>As we grow and our ego develops, the Soul is moved further and further from the interactions of our decision-making process until one day we proclaim we have a \u201cgood soul.\u201d From that day onward we employ our soul\u2019s moral authority during our daily activities never knowing that the Soul awaits our recognition of Its presence. The Soul will never interfere with the goings on in our lives. It understands that we are ignorant of Its presence and Its purpose within our body.<\/p>\n<p>I have <a title=\"Is Grace Truly a Gift?\" href=\"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2023\/08\/08\/is-grace-truly-a-gift\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">written previously<\/a> how grace in the activating power of God\u2019s love. When you bring into focus how we disregard our Soul in this present incarnation, you begin to recognize grace in a whole different manner. Grace is no longer a covering for sins as much as a divine acknowledgement of our ignorance of our true godlike Self in this material sense-based world.<\/p>\n<p>The Soul needs to be perceived. You will not access It through reading about it or hearing someone talk about it. You can only come to It through deep meditation and contemplation. While this might seem doable for many people it regrettably is difficult because the ego does not want to give up any ground it has taken away from the Soul\u2019s purpose. Your ego will create excuses and delays for you when you begin to meditate.<\/p>\n<p>However, there is great reward for those who persevere in the meditative quest for Self-realization. Not only do you get to meet who you\u2019ve always been, but you also begin to understand the true purpose of the Soul in this incarnation. The deeper you go into your Soul the more ignorance dissipates and the revealing of your divine nature manifests.<\/p>\n<p>To discover your Self is a choice you will make sometime in the life cycle of your Soul. How about starting today?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There probably are not many times when you have heard someone claim that you are perfect. Consider all the baggage which needs to be overcome to make such a proclamation: personal judgment, societal norms, biases, and social customs. Yes, it &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/31\/perfect-just-ignorant\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amazonpipp_noncename":"","amazon-product-isactive":"","amazon-product-single-asin":"","amazon-product-content-location":"1","amazon-product-content-hook-override":"2","amazon-product-excerpt-hook-override":"3","amazon-product-singular-only":"","amazon-product-amazon-desc":"","amazon-product-show-gallery":"","amazon-product-show-features":"","amazon-product-newwindow":"3","amazon-product-show-list-price":"","amazon-product-show-used-price":"","amazon-product-show-saved-amt":"","amazon-product-timestamp":"","amazon-product-new-title":"","amazon-product-use-cartURL":"","amazon_featured_post_meta_key":"","_amazon_featured_alt":"","amazon-product-template":"default","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[4,6,5],"class_list":["post-2941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-24","tag-grace","tag-mike-hillebrecht","tag-teaching"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2ITDy-Lr","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2918,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/07\/with-in-limits\/","url_meta":{"origin":2941,"position":0},"title":"With in Limits","author":"mike","date":"December 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I have written numerous times about the \u201comni\u201d nature of God. Many fail to extract the underlying truth behind these important truths: An Omni-God has a limit. Now that may shock your religious sensibilities because you have always believed of God as being \u201cother\u201d from you. Therein lies the trouble\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2024 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2024 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2024\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3104,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/31\/who-am-i\/","url_meta":{"origin":2941,"position":1},"title":"Who Am I?","author":"mike","date":"October 31, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"At some point in your life, you are going to ask this question. It is possible that you\u2019re going to ask it many times throughout your life. In each instance you will look at all that you have accomplished and endured and probably come up with an answer which is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2025 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2025 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2025\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2253,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2020\/02\/04\/stop\/","url_meta":{"origin":2941,"position":2},"title":"STOP!","author":"mike","date":"February 4, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Seriously, just stop. Now breathe, through your nose. Slowly, deeply. Let your belly rise with each inhalation. There is a line from a song by the Police which states, \u201c\u2026every breath you take\u2026\u201d Keep breathing, deeply, through your nose. In the second chapter of Genesis it states that God formed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2020 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2020 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2020\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2971,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/04\/no-one-to-give-and-take\/","url_meta":{"origin":2941,"position":3},"title":"No One To Give and Take","author":"mike","date":"October 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The journey of the spiritual life is one of revelation in who you truly are. Revelation is only valid when it smashes through the preconceptions of a deluded identity and forces us to accept a truth that has always been. Acceptance is not merely acknowledgement by the shaking of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2025 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2025 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2025\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3040,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/19\/the-dark-night-of-the\/","url_meta":{"origin":2941,"position":4},"title":"The Dark Night of The\u2026","author":"mike","date":"October 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"If you\u2019ve been around the Western church franchise for any length of time you have probably heard the phrase, \u201c\u2026the dark night of the soul.\u201d It is supposed to reflect the deep, intense longing for communion with the Divine during a time of perceived absence. These times are often when\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2025 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2025 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2025\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2210,"url":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/2019\/04\/22\/being-part-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":2941,"position":5},"title":"Being &#8211; Part 3","author":"mike","date":"April 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The prevalent doctrine of mankind is that we are tripartite, comprised of three elements: The body, the spirit and the soul. The body, often referred to as \u201cthe flesh\u201d in the New Testament writings, is the meat sack we all hoist about in our daily meanderings. Organs and blood vessels\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;2019 Postings&quot;","block_context":{"text":"2019 Postings","link":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/category\/2019-postings\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"hand in hand","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mikehillebrecht.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/inbaby-hand3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2941"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2945,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2941\/revisions\/2945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mikehillebrecht.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}