DO IT ANYWAY

The only way to greatness is to make oneself nothing. -- Lao-tzu

What does greatness look like to me? and within me? For a long time now, my conscious striving has been to put the other person first. It is interesting to observe the other person's (or any other person's) reaction to that.

For instance, Ruckus was mauled recently by an unleashed dog (the owner of which I had spoken to previously about her need to leash her dog). After my initial terror and upon learning that Ruckus had not been seriously hurt, I did not castigate her...in fact, I was reasonable. I asked for and got her payment for his injuries, told her that Animal Control had been notified (by the vet since that is the law), and fairly well let it go. The owner was less than gracious with my graciousness. On top of which, I told a friend of mine, and she went ballistic towards the owner. When I answered her questions that I had not chewed the lady a new one, nor did I have any intention of suing, she doubled down on her fury, this time towards me.

Then there is the  acquaintance of mine who had missed a couple of our groups' weekly get-togethers. I sent an e-mail asking if he was well. He took it that I was hitting on him and has been extremely to overly friendly since then.

I haven't found it necessary to set anybody straight...just observed all of these albeit with a sense of disappointment. Which brought the question to mind: What was I expecting? Kudos? Gratitude? Unending praise?

I think greatness may be in those who do decent without thinking...with no expectations on the other end. There's an old saying which I can't remember right now but it's about Something Something Is Its Own Reward. Gratitude or grace...or charity, maybe. Doing the decent thing is its own reward. After all, there was no stupefyingly wondrous thing that I did...it was simply the decent thing.

"The decent thing" just doesn't have a great ring to it...where's the glory in that? Or, more like, where's the ego-victory in that? There it is. There's my realization. I know from hard-earned experience that an ego-victory is not the answer...never was, never will be. It is not only not the answer, it is the trip-tik to rues, regrets and remorses.

So however, whatever, the responses are (within and without) to doing the decent thing, do it anyway.

Thank You.

REST, BELOVED EGO, YOUR WORK IS DONE

Worry not, my precious ego...fret not, for God has your back, too. You can lay down your sword and shield for your fight is over. Your reason for being, your constant concern for me that we will not get ours, is ended.

We have ours. There is no possibility that we cannot get ours for it is within us/without us...there for the using. All we need do is drop our defenses...which do not protect us, do not serve us well, will never save us from anything.

You, my beloved ego, in your efforts to care take us only block God's perfect outworking in us, through us. God's perfect outworking, God's will, is always available the instant we take that leap of faith...by using what is within us now and only now. Not tomorrow. Not when we get rid of our fear. Now. In the midst of our known and unknown fears. That is where God lives...cozied up with you, with me, with us.

Thank You.

GIVING OVER...ANOTHER OF-GOD ACTION

I've been thinking about  "the bad news is we must be willing to give over to the one we are resenting" (from my yesterday's blog). What we really need to learn is that giving over is an asset...a positive...the way to win (for the dual-minded, who still believe that win/lose is all).

Giving over requires going to God first. I personally believe that giving over from our heart, not from our heads, eyebrows up, is a spiritual act. It's the basis, the starting point, for giving up fighting anything and anybody...also a spiritual act that the reasoning mind cannot do on its own. We can do it...not fight...but can we not resent it later? Anybody can keep their mouth shut with enough incentive, but the mind?...oh yeah, there's the brain's bedbug.

So, the goal is first to accept that giving over is the desired action we want to take. But taking the necessary action is...wait for it...doing nothing. It's sitting and waiting on the Lord. It's learning how to clear our mind of clutter...by thinking of rainbows and roses, moonbeams and star-shine...and all that OMG, give-me-a-break stuff that we once put down and sneered at from on high...literally.

Giving over does not have a good rep only because it's so seldom accomplished. And those who do it don't find it necessary to brag about it...because if they're bragging about it, they're not doing it. If they're doing it, it is impossible to brag about it...that's like bragging about breathing.

Giving over is not a self-determined objective that we achieve. I'm guessing it's the ultimate in detachment...we only do it by detaching from our own selves...another of-God action.

Thank You.

RESENT...BE RESENTED

"If we are resentful, we will be resented."

There. That's the singular reason no one on this earth can afford resentments. You will be resented. Only you will not necessarily be resented by the one you are resenting...or just by that one.

That's the trouble with a resentment...it spreads like noxious oil on the water. Noxious oil or tar babies...everyone, everything your resentment touches is despoiled. It strips another's peace of mind, robs another's soul comfort...and they must pay you back.

The good news is that there are tools to use to head off, or cut off, a resentment. The bad news is we must be willing to give over to the one we are resenting.

To give over when we know know know that we are right Right RIGHT. And there's our full-blown resentment, the tar baby with which we nearly cripple ourselves by justifying its existence. And, once born, impossible to rid ourselves of by our own self-will.

The tool that works best for me is to quick say a mental "Thank You" the instant I feel slighted, disrespected, hurt...or, for that matter, complimented or admired. I just keep a "thank You" going at all times because I'm perfectly capable of taking a compliment and at two A.M. awaken to the realization that was actually a well-hidden snide remark...and I'm off, quite literally.

God is so good to me. How else would I know that the spiritual axiom, "Every time something upsets me, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with me," is true? Certainly not by my reasoning mind. But knowing that it is true, turns me in the right direction with the simple thank You.
 
God is so good to me. God is so good. God is.

Thank You.

WE MUST RAISE OUR CONSCIOUSNESS DEEPER

"Leave your nets and follow me." This was Jesus's invitation to the fishermen he found on the shore. And some did...for all I know all did. I'm just awed at the idea...leave your security, your guaranteed money-making job, and take a chance on what a person passing by has to offer.

Here's where the reasoning mind rules...because anybody with a lick of sense would know that's a non-starter...not only a non-starter, but a let's-put-a-little-distance-between-us-and-the-guy-doing-the-inviting.

It is in fourth dimension consciousness that we begin to catch a glimpse of the rightness of the invite...the realization that it is not the man doing the inviting that we are being asked to follow. It is the Me, the I Am, the Father within the man that we are invited to follow.

There are people of such raised consciousness that it shows from their face, from their very person, without their ever saying a word...and not just the likes of the Dalai Lama or Mother Teresa, but everyday people....carpenters and fishermen, prostitutes and virgins and such.

I, personally, have found very few such people in churches, but then I've found none in jails, and I have been in a few churches and also in a jail or two. Although I've been in only one jail for my own transgression, and may I say once was one time too many. But it is for our own benefit that we must seek to raise our consciousness deeper in order to recognize such people...and follow them.

Thank You.

BUILDING OUR BELIEF DEEPER

The hardest part of spiritual growth is the discipline of self, the necessary daily discipline of taking the time to practice the Presence.

It is no easy task to come to believe, but to expect to live happily every after in that certain belief is folly. It takes time just to build that belief deeper. We must develop the practice of remembering that the Father and I are one, then of proving the Father and I are one, then of showing forth the Father and I are one.

When every thought is stayed on God, then what is added unto us is of God. "Therefore, I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. [Somewhere in the Bible.]" There. That's the gold of  all the disciplining to remember, prove, show forth...but the paradox is, that if we've done it right, indeed if we are doing it right unto three days after we're dead, our only acceptable prayer is to know God aright.

We don't get to do all that disciplining so we can get money, a love or a Mercedes...we do all that disciplining to get the realization of God...which, hard as it is for the reasoning mind to grasp, is better than money, a love or a Mercedes.

Thank You.

THE WIDOW'S MITE

My friend and I were talking recently, and we agree that we'd both given more money in this election than ever we had before. I personally donated more money in this election for my side than I ever dreamed I would donate to anybody for anything...including cancer research for my Mama. (Who never had cancer...I'm just saying.) And my poor donations were as dust in the wind in comparison to the millions of dollars that billionaires poured in for their side. I am still pondering the fact that those billionaires' millions were unable to buy the election.

I'm reminded of the story in the Bible of the widow's mite. The way I remember it (which may not be the way it is written, but it's close enough), people of means were showing off their wealth in their donations to the Church, and a widow gave a penny. God was more pleased with her penny than He was with all the "for show" dollars because she gave all she had, and the others were ego donations.

Let it be known that before the election ended, I said...often...that I did not believe that God is in elections...or wars...or football games. I hear people talk about praying for their side to win in all those things, and I figure prayer is never going to hurt anybody, but I don't believe God is in any of those things. I mean, take war...can you imagine praying to God that more people die on the other side so your side can win...and God answering that prayer...by killing people?

I do, however, like to think of myself and my friend and all the other little-dollar-donators as giving the widow's mite. Whose kidding whom, any time I can believe I've done something to please God, I grab it.

Thank You.