Dear ones,

One of the deepest illusions we live inside is the belief that we must become someone else before we are worthy of love.

More healed.
More confident.
More accomplished.
More spiritual.

But listen carefully:
You were never meant to earn belonging.

You were born into it.

The oak tree doesn’t apologize for growing slowly.
The river doesn’t question its bends.
The moon doesn’t worry about being incomplete.

And yet human beings spend entire lifetimes trying to correct their existence.

We think we must be fixed before we are welcomed.

But wholeness is not something you achieve.
It’s something you remember.

In meditation, people often tell me they feel “too messy” to be peaceful.

Peace doesn’t come from being perfect.
It comes from being honest.

You are allowed to be unfinished.
You are allowed to be human.
You are allowed to struggle and still be holy.

The point is not to perfect yourself.
The point is to perfect your love.

With metta,
Jack

*This article was inspired by themes from my new book out now, All In This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World.