Do you know what it means to behold? According to Webster’s dictionary, it means to perceive through sight or apprehension. So, you can see something as it is, through sight, or through the eyes of fear, apprehension. Isn’t this interesting?

Doesn’t this make you think that how you perceive something affects how you react to it? If you look at something and behold it as it is, you’ll respond appropriately.  But if you allow the ego to see it from a fearful perspective, then you’ll react differently. 

The word behold isn’t used very often.  It was very popular in Christian writings concerning where you placed your focus, specifically your attention, was to be on God, not on the world.

Your attempts to keep up in the fast-paced environment around you may leave you with a true lack of presence, both with others and yourself. The ego entices you to live in a utopian future, in the past, or in a technologically enhanced version of the present that promises to provide you with greater happiness. Your recollections, aspirations, and desires aren’t counterbalanced by a sobering realization of where you are right now.

Not being fully present interferes with how you go about living your daily life because it shows up in your home, social circle, spiritual life, etc. Being fully present with someone helps you to slow down, pay attention, and truly accept that person’s joys and sorrows as your own.

We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us. ~ Marshall McLuhan

What Are You Beholding?

This, again, is a question of perception and where you are placing your focus.  Are you always beholding the negative and, therefore, you see more undesirable things? Understand that what you focus upon becomes your reality.

Every day, you encounter situations you may either choose to ignore or choose to concentrate on and ultimately become. When you concentrate on the unpleasant aspects of the relationship, you may become resentful. It may be a condition where you become ill by concentrating on the discomfort you feel. It can be a debt that has accumulated because it diverts your attention from paying bills, which makes you feel less abundant.

What you behold, you become. You develop into what you concentrate on, what you watch, listen to, and associate with.

When I was trying to forgive my mother for the trauma she caused me, I was asking Spirit why I was struggling.  What I discovered didn’t surprise me.  I was beholding the anger I felt, so I became angry.  I was focusing on what she did and how I felt instead of focusing on my healing, which included forgiving her. When I beheld compassion for what she had gone through in her life, then I could feel empathy for her and forgive the pain she caused.

I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy. ~ Rabindranath Tagore

What Aren’t You Seeing Anymore?

We’ve all seen pennies. If I asked you to describe a penny for me, you could mention its value or color, but what if I asked you to identify the person whose likeness is on the coin? What is the message on the penny to the left of the person’s picture? What does the penny’s reverse display? Why does that matter? You cease observing because things are so familiar that you assume you know.

You stop looking sometimes because you believe you have found something worth more or is more important to you now. Sometimes, when you are strolling through a parking lot, you may notice a coin on the ground and choose to ignore it, since it has no significance to you. Sometimes you quit beholding because you just have no need or don’t care about it.

But what if what you see or who you see—can satisfy all of your needs, wants, and questions? What if the ego plans to keep you preoccupied and blinded so you never see the magic of what is?

The actions required for you to behold something or someone take time to do because it requires you to fully be present and take in the completeness and comprehend what is being observed. Again, it’s about questioning where you are focusing your time and energy. What consumes your thoughts? Where are you spending your time? Are you being a good steward of what’s placed in your care?

To behold, you must first believe. ~ Lailah Gifty Akita

Be Honest With Yourself

If you are being completely honest with yourself, you get distracted by a variety of things, including your job, friends, family, ambitious projects, mindless scrolling of social media, and too much screen time. Your daily life moves so quickly. It has been common practice to view “busyness” as a triumph and a success indicator.

I’ve discovered that you miss your soulful self speaking to you because you are so consumed with your activities. See, the bustle of life muffles Spirit’s message. In the periods when you are with your family, when it’s calm in the morning, and when things are difficult. You miss your authentic self in it all because you are so preoccupied with the daily activities that you cannot stop and behold the things that Spirit has arranged for you and the synchronicities.

What do you behold every day? What captures your attention on a typical day? You have a lot to consider in this life. Now you can look into the lives of thousands of people with just one click thanks to social media. You can receive breaking news directly on your mobile device. If you consume enough of it, you frequently end up with a heavy heart and an uneasy mind.

We become like that which we behold. We will never be transformed until we learn how to behold. ~ Sam Storms

Beholding With A New Perspective

Now, I understand you might wonder how this might unfold on a typical day. In an effort to keep your eyes fixed on the positive, are you to disregard the injustices you witness or the issues that develop in your life? No, is the response to these inquiries. Your fixation on those things that are wholesome does not prevent you from observing other things. Simply said, it implies that you view everything else in the light of Spirit and how it aligns with your authentic self.

My husband will always be in my thoughts, but when I’m not focused on the truth, I see him through my life experiences. But when I see my husband through Spirit’s eyes, it’s a much broader viewpoint. It enables me to view things as they actually are and as they ought to be.

Along the healing journey, you have averted your gaze to the negative aspects of your life. But you don’t want to continue to behold those areas because you don’t want them to become and stay your reality.  Allowing the ego to control where you focus means you remain in fear and hopelessness. Instead, you want to focus on what you desire your life to be.

My heart is singing for joy this morning! A miracle has happened! The light of understanding has shone upon my little pupil’s mind, and behold, all things are changed! ~ Anne Sullivan

Moving Forward Beholding

Living gracefully means you ground yourself each day.  It means you are humble and understand everyone is equal to you, which is seen in the way you cherish your connections with others. And you make these authentic connections by being gentle with yourself and others.

But beholding encompasses the ability to see with the lens of love what is. It shows your ability to look past the egoic mind’s ability to cloud your sight with fear. See the wonder of each person, their uniqueness, their strengths, and their weakness, and yet still honor their authentic being by seeing them with love. 

When the Bible discusses beholding Christ or keeping your focus on God, the lesson is about being fully present and truly seeing what is so you can emulate those positive characteristics. Because what you focus on, you become.

So, what do you want to become?  If you don’t want your past to continue, then you need to stop beholding the past. Focusing on what you lack will create more lack. But if you behold your goals and dreams and focus on moving towards those things you desire, what will happen? What you behold is what you become, so your dreams will become your reality. 

Behold God beholding you… and smiling. ~ Anthony de Mello

Do you need help to deal with distractions? Are you looking for support in learning to become fully present? Do you want a strategy to help you create an extraordinary life? If so, please get in touch with me, and we can put together an action plan for you to behold those things you desire and live a graceful life.

To discover how I learned to behold properly, you can do so by reading my book, Raven Transcending Fear, available on Amazon or you can go to RavenTranscendingFear.com for more information.

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Article Name

Behold, It's Meaning And Importance In Living An Authentic Life

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Are you beholding what you desire or fear? Because what you focus on becomes your reality, it's vital to understand what you behold.

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Terri Kozlowski

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Kozmic Soul Solutions

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