It is not life and its difficulties you have to conquer, only the self in you. -- "God Calling," January 14
Amazingly, I first noted that line in 1991...meaning, I underlined it because I "got" it. I noted it again in 2005...meaning, I highlighted it in yellow because I really "got" it. I just noted it again in 2016...meaning, I underlined it again and drew a smiley face out to the side.
The great and glorious news is I knew the smiley face for "thank you, God." Because today I am doing that...poorly, half-way most times, but by golly I have hit it out of the park on more than one or two occasions since 1991. And, from my toenails up, I am happily aware that I could and would never have been able to do that all on my own.
Here's the joy: Remembering when I gave over, let it slide, agreed with my adversary without trying to curry his or her favor...did not win. Conquered self!
The rest of the story: It took single-minded focus, prayer and effort for me each time to even consider heading in that direction...while knowing, knowing, knowing better. Not to mention that none, not a single one, of the times that I gave over were anything but bumps in my mental road, each of which I could have made my own personal "stand" for me. For my rights, for taking my own part, for not letting him/her run over me...willing to drop friends like used Kleenex.
The secret for how, when and why God is so good to us revealed: When we align our will with God's will and drop our own will by the wayside. That's it. Our heart, soul, body and brains can and will get happy, sing, turn cartwheels, dance...all because we don't get our own way anymore.
Thank you.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
ON BEING IN THE WORLD BUT NOT OF IT
According to Rohr this morning, "Jesus came to show us that it is our human experience that we must and can trust. *** But most of us are still shooting for the stars. We are looking at ascents and 'higher states of consciousness' and moral perfectionism, while Jesus quite simply comes 'and lives among us.'"
The rest of the story, according to me, is that those of us "still shooting for the stars," and the "higher states of consciousness" are doing so by trudging the path laid out by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon being the instructions for how he came and lived among us...therefore, how we can live peaceably among others.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but to live peaceably among others means learning how to give over...give in...resist not. It is never about getting, it is all about giving. And we cannot do that on our unaided muscle and/or mental power. We need and we have a higher power who can and will do for us when we surrender our very self to It. We resist not.
Nonresistance does not come easy, mainly because its only requirement is that we cease. Detach. Divorce ourselves from our own opinions. Trust. Let go. That is only possible as far as I have found by trusting my body, brains, bones and soul to Almighty God and letting him live my life through me for me.
And that does lift us into a higher state of consciousness while we continue to live in the material world. I'm guessing that's what being in the world but not of it means.
Thank you.
The rest of the story, according to me, is that those of us "still shooting for the stars," and the "higher states of consciousness" are doing so by trudging the path laid out by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon being the instructions for how he came and lived among us...therefore, how we can live peaceably among others.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but to live peaceably among others means learning how to give over...give in...resist not. It is never about getting, it is all about giving. And we cannot do that on our unaided muscle and/or mental power. We need and we have a higher power who can and will do for us when we surrender our very self to It. We resist not.
Nonresistance does not come easy, mainly because its only requirement is that we cease. Detach. Divorce ourselves from our own opinions. Trust. Let go. That is only possible as far as I have found by trusting my body, brains, bones and soul to Almighty God and letting him live my life through me for me.
And that does lift us into a higher state of consciousness while we continue to live in the material world. I'm guessing that's what being in the world but not of it means.
Thank you.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
UP TO OUR ELBOWS IN ANGELS
Relationships break down not because people are bad but because they are illiterate in love. To become literate in love, we must learn how to reduce our lifelong preoccupation with our own needs and feelings. -- Today's "Words to Live By," by Eknath Easwaran
Again we are reminded that the source of all our woes is never out there, and our living in the slings and arrows of our youth...or our yesterday...simply proves our preference for pity rather than love...self-pity to be exact. (I heard someone once say that the seduction of self-pity is that it is so sincere...how true is that?)
We would do well to hold to the idea that those with whom we're in conflict are our angels in disguise. That's how we become literate in love. Those angels' sole purpose is to help us grow spiritually...they ease us into looking within to find what’s really causing our upset. Then with God’s help to right it.
There are going to be days when we will feel we're up to our elbows in angels. Remember, it's a lot easier to pray "thank you" when it's angels, not alligators, we're dealing with. And it is our own attitude that makes the choice.
Again we are reminded that the source of all our woes is never out there, and our living in the slings and arrows of our youth...or our yesterday...simply proves our preference for pity rather than love...self-pity to be exact. (I heard someone once say that the seduction of self-pity is that it is so sincere...how true is that?)
We would do well to hold to the idea that those with whom we're in conflict are our angels in disguise. That's how we become literate in love. Those angels' sole purpose is to help us grow spiritually...they ease us into looking within to find what’s really causing our upset. Then with God’s help to right it.
There are going to be days when we will feel we're up to our elbows in angels. Remember, it's a lot easier to pray "thank you" when it's angels, not alligators, we're dealing with. And it is our own attitude that makes the choice.
Thank you.
Monday, January 11, 2016
THERE NEVER IS A PROBLEM FOR US TO SOLVE
I would guess that everyone wants to have peace of mind...to live without stress...to be happy. Unfortunately, we not only want peace, no stress and happiness, but we want it 100 percent of the time, and we want it gifted to us.
The spiritual fact is that all of these are available within us 24/7, but we can only access them by giving over to another.
The giving over is done not from the head but from the heart, and it is not done once, twice or even thrice. Once we give over to s/he who may be a momentary bane in our life, we must needs continue to think and act as if s/he is our new best friend. [I know from my own personal experience that this is true; it works, I have experienced it...more than once.]
We can be grateful that our hours of spiritual discipline can and will remind us that we need...yes, need...to get off our own cracked track, thinking only of self, and remember that our decision to give our will and our life over to the care of God still holds. That God still has our back, and we need to think only of and for the benefit of others...our current irritant and others.
This is where a self-determined objective must get gone...mainly because self is still in control. Detach from self-determination and rest in the fact that our problem was never a problem to God, only to our self. It isn't that it has already been solved...it never was.
The only way to act on that is to react to nothing. Extend peace, love and joy to any and all. and know each for our angel.
Thank you.
The spiritual fact is that all of these are available within us 24/7, but we can only access them by giving over to another.
The giving over is done not from the head but from the heart, and it is not done once, twice or even thrice. Once we give over to s/he who may be a momentary bane in our life, we must needs continue to think and act as if s/he is our new best friend. [I know from my own personal experience that this is true; it works, I have experienced it...more than once.]
We can be grateful that our hours of spiritual discipline can and will remind us that we need...yes, need...to get off our own cracked track, thinking only of self, and remember that our decision to give our will and our life over to the care of God still holds. That God still has our back, and we need to think only of and for the benefit of others...our current irritant and others.
This is where a self-determined objective must get gone...mainly because self is still in control. Detach from self-determination and rest in the fact that our problem was never a problem to God, only to our self. It isn't that it has already been solved...it never was.
The only way to act on that is to react to nothing. Extend peace, love and joy to any and all. and know each for our angel.
Thank you.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
AGAIN...I'VE GOT GOD'S WORK CUT OUT FOR US
My friend Gertrude needs to know....
More rightly, I want to tell Gertrude....
The thing I need to remember is that whatever Gertrude, or any of us, needs to know, we will learn through the perfect source, God's will and word.
My blinding flash of the obvious, It is not my message to carry, it is my seed to plant, makes that perfectly clear. My seed to plant is what I show forth...not what I say, but what I do. All the pretty words in the world without like action are just pretty words, mocking the speaker.
My blinding flash of the obvious, It is not my message to carry, it is my seed to plant, makes that perfectly clear. My seed to plant is what I show forth...not what I say, but what I do. All the pretty words in the world without like action are just pretty words, mocking the speaker.
The trouble with waiting for God's will and word to make their way to Gertrude is...she's driving me bat-belly crazy right now.
Sometimes I feel like God enjoys toying with me...because I can preach a good message. Like, it seems just a minute ago that I was quoting, "If someone hurts you and you're sore, there's something wrong with you, too." Isn't that profound? Sometimes I can sound almost as good as the Trumpeter...the devil made me write that.
Who's kidding whom? I just wish Gertrude would shape up.
Sigh.
]
Thank you.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
"AMAZING GRACE," GRATITUDE'S THEME SONG
To be free...to be free of me...that is the only object we each must be free of...that which is known by each of us as...me.
Free of me means being free of my thoughts about me...those less-than/better-than thoughts about me.
Less-than thoughts just beat us up, usually in the dead of the night, usually about deeds done, words spoken, sometimes years ago, sometimes yesterday, but done. Over. Can't take back. And surrender is not an acceptable option...we haven't beat our self up enough yet.
Better-than thoughts are our hurt and/or angry thoughts resisting the you-done-me-wrong words or actions of an intimate. Those that pierce our heart...we should know when we land on that phrase alone that we are in victim territory...but it hurts too good to stop.
The seldom looked-at fact is, when we get into that compulsive mental rehashing of our hurt, we are invariably reacting in kind. We become that which we decry. It is cosmic, but it is true. That is because there is no God there, there is only me...me with my favorite pet, Ego. Ego, who only knows and constantly says, "Somebody [else] has got to pay."
We very well know the answer to our persistent thoughts...less/better, makes no never mind, they are resistant and, therefore, compulsive. The question we must needs answer is: If all of that is true (that being what we're compulsing over) what is wrong with me that I cannot...no, will not...accept it?
Again we come to that mental fork in the road...continue thinking on this? Or pray our thank you prayer?
Then, no matter our choice, hum "Amazing Grace."
Thank you.
Free of me means being free of my thoughts about me...those less-than/better-than thoughts about me.
Less-than thoughts just beat us up, usually in the dead of the night, usually about deeds done, words spoken, sometimes years ago, sometimes yesterday, but done. Over. Can't take back. And surrender is not an acceptable option...we haven't beat our self up enough yet.
Better-than thoughts are our hurt and/or angry thoughts resisting the you-done-me-wrong words or actions of an intimate. Those that pierce our heart...we should know when we land on that phrase alone that we are in victim territory...but it hurts too good to stop.
The seldom looked-at fact is, when we get into that compulsive mental rehashing of our hurt, we are invariably reacting in kind. We become that which we decry. It is cosmic, but it is true. That is because there is no God there, there is only me...me with my favorite pet, Ego. Ego, who only knows and constantly says, "Somebody [else] has got to pay."
We very well know the answer to our persistent thoughts...less/better, makes no never mind, they are resistant and, therefore, compulsive. The question we must needs answer is: If all of that is true (that being what we're compulsing over) what is wrong with me that I cannot...no, will not...accept it?
Again we come to that mental fork in the road...continue thinking on this? Or pray our thank you prayer?
Then, no matter our choice, hum "Amazing Grace."
Thank you.
Friday, January 8, 2016
PRACTICE THE ART OF FLOWING
My morning blinding flash of the obvious: Leave, stay, or learn how to flow.
My Easwaran's "Words to Live By" has as the lead quote today: In deep meditation the flow of concentration is continuous like the flow of oil. -- Patanjali
My Easwaran's "Words to Live By" has as the lead quote today: In deep meditation the flow of concentration is continuous like the flow of oil. -- Patanjali
I'm taking it that flowing, to flow, is my guideline today. Learning how to flow is simplicity itself. On paper. Or when we're advising someone else on how to do it. Doing it our own self, however....
To flow is to move forward...one can't flow backward. And one can't stand still if we're looking to flow.
It is nonresistance. That's what flowing is. Nonresistance. And the reasoning mind immediately throws out its "yes, but...," and "what about...?" Going, of course, for the worst possible case scenario that has no likely chance of happening, but...what if? What if someone drives by as I'm walking Ruckus, hops out of the car, grabs Ruckus and drives off? Wouldn't I resist that? You can bet your bottom I would.
But why conjure up the unlikeliest? I could just as well project someone saying something with which I disagree with me replying, "You may be right." That's flowing.
Or I could imagination someone I less than love saying something snarky that has a built-in takedown answer just begging to be said. Am I willing to practice honing that reply to a humorous shrug...not to top, not to stop, but to flow?
Clearly, it's all about action...we can practice not resisting that which begs to be resisted, and not by using self will. We could just as well tape our mouths shut if we're going with self will. No. Practice not resisting by using spiritual principles. Practice thanking God for that which looks like a problem to our eyes but is his opportunity to shine using us.
Here's where we can say, Knock yourself out, God. I'm willing, and you've got the power. There. That, too, is flowing.
Thank you.
To flow is to move forward...one can't flow backward. And one can't stand still if we're looking to flow.
It is nonresistance. That's what flowing is. Nonresistance. And the reasoning mind immediately throws out its "yes, but...," and "what about...?" Going, of course, for the worst possible case scenario that has no likely chance of happening, but...what if? What if someone drives by as I'm walking Ruckus, hops out of the car, grabs Ruckus and drives off? Wouldn't I resist that? You can bet your bottom I would.
But why conjure up the unlikeliest? I could just as well project someone saying something with which I disagree with me replying, "You may be right." That's flowing.
Or I could imagination someone I less than love saying something snarky that has a built-in takedown answer just begging to be said. Am I willing to practice honing that reply to a humorous shrug...not to top, not to stop, but to flow?
Clearly, it's all about action...we can practice not resisting that which begs to be resisted, and not by using self will. We could just as well tape our mouths shut if we're going with self will. No. Practice not resisting by using spiritual principles. Practice thanking God for that which looks like a problem to our eyes but is his opportunity to shine using us.
Here's where we can say, Knock yourself out, God. I'm willing, and you've got the power. There. That, too, is flowing.
Thank you.
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