RESISTANCE TO IS

It seems to me that many self-described atheists are just angry at God. Their resistance doesn't seem to be to God, but to others believing in God. And that resistance becomes their God.

Same goes with a great many Fundamentalists...of any religion, be it Christian, Islam, Buddhist, et al. Their chief motivator seems to be in resistance to any religion other than their own. And that resistance becomes their God.

I ponder this in order to motivate me to realize my resistance to today's political climate becomes my God the more I resist that with which and those with whom I do not agree.

The answer is not in cutting myself off from reading newspapers, watching news shows, listening to current events, which is actually the easier thing to do, but it is just another short-term self-determined objective.There is no spiritual growth there.

The lesson comes in hearing all the current events and not resisting that which I am hearing, or those who  carry a "wrong" message. The spiritual growth must come from hearing it and not attaching any judgment...good or bad...to it. Then, and only then, can I quit listening, reading, watching it...it will hold no interest to me at all.

Just this morning I read a note I'd written on this day in 1997 in my "God Calling." I had just learned that a good friend had grievously bad-mouthed me, and I was devastated...why? what'd I ever done? how?...a constant refrain in my mind.  

I had written that although I wanted to "talk it over" with her, I knew from too much personal experience that there was "no spiritual growth there. Today I commit to not entertaining thoughts of what I can say to her now or ever about this. Today I commit to let it be." I determined to watch and see how it all played out over time with my job being to keep my thoughts about her, about the situation, about any part of it as neutral as I could make them, knowing I would need to pull them back, repeatedly, giving them to God over and over.

I was amazed at the number of people who lovingly took no thought to her remarks with no bad-mouthing about her to me or by me involved.

Now, fifteen years later, I have complete peace regarding the entire situation. If not for my note in today's "God Calling," it would not exist to me. My friend passed away a couple of years ago with my heart and mind blessing her and thanking her for being a part of my still more spiritual growth.

This, too, is possible to me when, not if, I quit resisting the is-ness of today.

Thank You.