THE ESSENCE OF GOD

I'm thinking that the answer to all relationship problems may well be in being the first to reach out to the other in respect...period.

The first step in that first step is in the willingness to change our mind...which, according to me, cannot be done by self-will alone. Self-willing a changed mind is just saying that we have. Then we grit our teeth and mentally take the inventory of the other...listing all the reasons s/he is keeping our changed mind from bringing peace.

I suspect becoming willing to change our mind is so difficult because we automatically assume that means we must admit that we are wrong, thus we lose. And our ego shouts, "Lo-ser! Again. Still."

No. The willingness to change our mind is simply becoming willing to see the entire situation from a different angle. Through spiritual eyes. Then we let the spirit within us guide our eyes and our thoughts away from self. We lift up our eyes.

That's when thinking of, say, a lily of the valley is invaluable. We can't be mentally fixing our problem if we're not thinking about the problem. We learn the art of refocusing...bringing our thoughts back, repeatedly, away from self to our spiritual picture.

In that exercise we lose our ego-victory need to be right. There is no right or wrong in a lily of the valley. Just the essence of God.

Thank you.