WE BELIEVE IT BY DOING IT

Blinding flash of the obvious: Resentment, too, makes one of us all.

It is in resenting another that we are given the opportunity to see ourselves and vice versa...for invariably we are each doing that which we are resenting in the other.

The opportunity to see ourselves rests in our willingness to change our mind, to divorce ourselves from our own opinion. Such a seemingly simple action. I do believe it is the hardest action I have ever had to take, will ever have to take.

The ego's belief that it is right is steel-strong and sealed to all but God...and God is not available on demand.

This is where our reasoning mind becomes our tool for good. We channel our thoughts toward good...not prettifying the resentment, that's just coloring it pea-green instead of puce. We channel our thoughts toward all things good...our perfect pet, a beautiful memory, God's goodness, grace. We dwell there until a feeling of peace flows through us.

The hard lesson alearning is this is not a one-shot deal. Our thoughts need a constant reining in, ever directed toward God's needs for us and away from our wants for us. Since we do not know precisely what God's needs for us are, we do this by thanking Him.

We thank Him that His will, whatever it may be, is being done in and through us right this very minute...then believe it.

Thank You.

IT FEELS LIKE LOVE

I have come to believe that everything we resist really does come back to us and with a sharp poke right in the ego.

I have a friend who has "unresolved anger," of which fact he is inordinately proud...that makes me sooo angry. He should know better; he sets himself up as oh-so spiritual and blahblahblah, says my wannabe spiritually fit and detached-from-you ego. I've known him for 40 years, he has ever been this way. My only question is to me: What is wrong with me that I cannot accept this about him?

Upon hearing that I'm being honored at a big deal dinner at a fancy-schmancy place, and that I am dreading going, another friend insisted that I was going to have a wonderfully fun time. Not to mention that I should be grateful for the opportunity being presented to me. All this in the face of my always having said that I am intensely uncomfortable in a room full of people. And to me, a room full of people is six or more...possibly five, probably any number over three. I had to stop myself from resisting her insistence because we were both getting more than a little testy about it. Same question to me. I could have simply smiled and said, "I wish."

Everybody probably starts out in life wanting to be understood...but if we live long enough and are reasonably aware of life around us, we at some point realize that if we're wishing to be understood, we'd better get cracking on trying to understand.

To our ego, giving, rather than seeking, understanding is like forgiving...it feels like losing. Which explains the paradox that it is in losing that we win...because being graced with understanding of another, with forgiveness for another is the pearl beyond price. And it feels like love.

Thank You.

KEEP STEPPING, FIND PEACE

It is in the practice of spiritual principles that we realize the conundrum that returning love for hate at first gets you misunderstood, often gets you ridiculed, may get you hate...and we do it anyway.

I found a note I'd written over 20 years ago saying that since I started trying to live the Sermon, I'd never felt more misunderstood. The paradox is that I felt so much better within myself about myself and my world (when I wasn't reacting in kind to my perception of the slings and arrows) that I was willing to continue trying to live more by the Sermon. Maybe that's the basis for "if someone slaps you upside your head, turn the other cheek."

I have found no other way to consistently feel better about myself and my world than by trying to live by the Sermon...doing good "to those who despitefully use you" is truly going beyond reason to love.

The reasoning mind will balk every step of the way...but if we keep stepping, we do arrive at peace.

Thank You.

RESENTMENT...ANOTHER FORM OF FIGHTING

"We have given up fighting anything and anybody" is the key to a spiritual awakening. To me, it is based directly on the Sermon on the Mound's "Resist not evil," at Matthew 5:39. It is a deeply spiritual instruction that we realize as truth. 

Our first insight toward achieving that spiritual awakening is our realization that the key word is "fighting." We give up fighting.

Kow-towing, placating, appeasing, playing the doormat simply breed resentment...which is just another form of fighting. We finally accept that our reasoning mind cannot get us there. We must look deeper to a higher consciousness. That's where we find that when we give up fighting, a cosmic solution is given us, and both sides come out the winner...i.e., at peace with each other.

I'm guessing we spend the rest of our days practicing our new instruction until we finally realize that the "anything and anybody" is simply our ego-victory self...always, ever, and always.

Thank You.

GOD SERVES US ALL

I read my friend Mac's wonderful Reflection yesterday in which he quoted Teresa of Avila saying we are God's hands and feet. I love that reminder. I try to remember that being God's hands and feet, we are also God's voice, God's very representative on this earth.

Sometimes I represent Him better than other times, but the fact that I can know that to be true is God's grace. Which means that when I'm representing me, my ego-victory self-will in the lead, God's grace is the only thing that can turn me around, head me back in the right direction.

Willingness is the key to that happening, and it is on me to maintain it...to maintain a willing head, heart, soul. That is my best reason for having my quiet time, my reflect on God's grace time, early every morning...to bring my ego-victory self back into alignment with God's will.

Again, I am reminded: Ego always legislates for itself, and God always serves us all. Which includes any and all perceived friends, foes, and don't-counts...God serves us all.

Thank You.

TO LIVE WITH, BUT NOT ACT ON

My morning's blinding flash of the obvious: Forgiveness, like love, is already within us just waiting to be used. It is folly to ask for God's forgiveness...God is love and cannot withhold or supply conditionally any good thing.

My reasoning mind's take on that: Our ego cannot, is incapable of, giving over to forgiveness.  To our ego, forgiveness equates to losing, which, in fact, it is...losing our resentment, losing our resistance to love.

I wonder if all of the within goodnesses, i.e., love, kindness, patience, forgiveness, et al., aren't controlled by God's grace. They cannot be called into use by self will for self will is for self. Even with the highest sounding motives, self is the driver...I think I hear echoes of the long-ago advice, "Get out of the driver's seat."

Forgiveness of self cannot be realized through self determination. A self-determined objective, however, is the basis  for our decision to give over, to surrender, to accept God's will, whatever and whenever that may be, as the only way to forgiveness of self and others.

It seems to me forgiveness only comes when we give up all hope of reaching, attaining, our desire to forgive. We finally accept that we will simply have to live with, but not act on, our sense of self being wronged. Then we are unblocked and grace can rush out, freeing us from our resentment, our hatred...and that particular sense of self being wronged is finally realized as a necessary factor in our life's search for peace, for love.

Thank You.

STAYING, NOT STRAYING

Doing, actually doing, spiritual growth is a pain. Me never gets to win. I wish I were talking to you...I could set you straight in a minute. As in, "Me winning is just an ego trip. It's in giving over to God's will that we get our spiritual win. That's where the peace we seek is."

To which i feel like saying, "Baloney."

Finding my gold, I am grateful that I do know that this me-trip won't last long. It makes my very heart hurt is why. I am grateful that I know that this is just me walking in the right direction.

I can't remember how long it's been since I've had a me-attack that did not end with me gladly giving over. Which is no great shakes...I have no choice today. Because I know that there is no win, there is no ultimate feeling of win, in not giving over. I have been there too many times, and it's a harder trip back then it is staying in God's giving-over place.

And for knowing that, I am truly grateful.

Thank You.