Many years ago a nutritionist gave me a short formula for healthier eating: What goes in hard comes out soft; what goes in soft comes out hard.
It occurs to me a like formula could apply to our inner life...what goes in bitter comes out sweet, what goes in sweet comes out bitter.
For example, we perceive an incoming remark, action, tax bill, etc., as nasty, hurtful, unfair...bitter in a word. As long as we stay in our reasoning mind with our perception, it is a bitter pill, and we take it personally...resentment aborning. However, when we resist not but trust our inner connection, God, to lead us peacefully through this, we open ourself to a new way of responding...not reacting, but responding. How sweet it is!
Same goes when we receive a lovely compliment, delightful gift, unexpected lottery win...and that feels sweet. Then the compliment sours, the gift ain't what it looked to be, the lottery win turns costly...now we're growing resentments.
Peace of mind begins with our change of mind...from seeking a self-determined objective to seeking God's will whatever that may be. We find peace of mind in an accepting mind when we resist not but trust our inner connection, God.
Believe. Trust. Love and laugh.
Thank you.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
TRUTH IS NEVER NOT TRUE
We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness. -- Thich Nhat Hanh
Like most spiritual things, that cannot be understood with the dualistic or rational mind, but only at the level of soul. -- Fr Richard Rohr
Inertia is my bane today. I blame it on being 80. But if the answer to getting out of ourself, do something about something, was pure truth when I was 40, it is true still. Truth doesn't change, our want-to does.
It's times like these that I find my joy in outside happenings: Tiger just won his 82nd tournament and tied Sam Snead's record; the Nats are still in it...one more, one more; Roger also won, his 10th Swiss Open; I know Ruckus is bounding around heaven bring joy to the angels; God loves me and so do more than one or two actual walking-around people. And best of all, I love them all right back.
Hey, if love is the answer to all our woes, than I can love inertia. I've just remembered two things I need to do today because I want to...both of which move me out of me.
The trouble with spiritual growth is that it works.
Thank you.
Like most spiritual things, that cannot be understood with the dualistic or rational mind, but only at the level of soul. -- Fr Richard Rohr
Inertia is my bane today. I blame it on being 80. But if the answer to getting out of ourself, do something about something, was pure truth when I was 40, it is true still. Truth doesn't change, our want-to does.
It's times like these that I find my joy in outside happenings: Tiger just won his 82nd tournament and tied Sam Snead's record; the Nats are still in it...one more, one more; Roger also won, his 10th Swiss Open; I know Ruckus is bounding around heaven bring joy to the angels; God loves me and so do more than one or two actual walking-around people. And best of all, I love them all right back.
Hey, if love is the answer to all our woes, than I can love inertia. I've just remembered two things I need to do today because I want to...both of which move me out of me.
The trouble with spiritual growth is that it works.
Thank you.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE...IN RIGHT-SIZE PIECES
Never count success by money gained. That is not the mind of My Kingdom. Your success is the measure of My Will and Mind that you have revealed to those around you. -- God Calling, October 29
Unconditional love sounds so desirable yet unattainable both at the same time. I'm about halfway convinced that it sounds unattainable because our mind is stuck resisting the idea of our own ability to pull it off. Well, of course we cannot. That's our springboard to trust in the Lord.
We are taught, but seldom do, trust God can and will if sought.
We must break the concept of unconditional love into teensy-tiny pieces...starting with the idea of love itself. Love is the act of acceptance, and acceptance is surrender, prettied up. So we start with our surrender, surrendering our want-to of any and all things, to the universal force for good, God.
All that is a bare beginning and getting it takes years for some and a nanosecond for others, and we do not get to choose the time or place when the bridegroom will come. Hope for nano, prepare for years, the deeper blessing.
It is in the time of preparation that our mind is changed...the very process of our thinking is upgraded to the measure of My Will and Mind. This then is the font from which unconditional love flows from us to be revealed to those around us...without our control, without our knowledge or consent.
Ah, but be aware: If we think about it, we stop the flow. Our egoic self will have re-entered and declared it impossible...which, of course, it is to self.
The work of the Father is revealed by the Father...love and laugh.
Thank you.
Unconditional love sounds so desirable yet unattainable both at the same time. I'm about halfway convinced that it sounds unattainable because our mind is stuck resisting the idea of our own ability to pull it off. Well, of course we cannot. That's our springboard to trust in the Lord.
We are taught, but seldom do, trust God can and will if sought.
We must break the concept of unconditional love into teensy-tiny pieces...starting with the idea of love itself. Love is the act of acceptance, and acceptance is surrender, prettied up. So we start with our surrender, surrendering our want-to of any and all things, to the universal force for good, God.
All that is a bare beginning and getting it takes years for some and a nanosecond for others, and we do not get to choose the time or place when the bridegroom will come. Hope for nano, prepare for years, the deeper blessing.
It is in the time of preparation that our mind is changed...the very process of our thinking is upgraded to the measure of My Will and Mind. This then is the font from which unconditional love flows from us to be revealed to those around us...without our control, without our knowledge or consent.
Ah, but be aware: If we think about it, we stop the flow. Our egoic self will have re-entered and declared it impossible...which, of course, it is to self.
The work of the Father is revealed by the Father...love and laugh.
Thank you.
Monday, October 28, 2019
NEITHER FREEDOM NOR FREE WILL ARE FREE
Is it you, God, knocking at the door seeking to be let out? Or is it my ego Lucy looking so adorable in her Shirley Temple ribbons and bows tap dancing at the door begging to be let in?
Again I know that fear is God in camouflage; his message is ever telling me to walk through my imagined killing fields to the safety of his arms and be freed of me.
Maybe we cannot take the Sermon literally, but we need to adhere to its underlying message. For me, I had to and still must take it literally to discover again that I personally cannot, that I must needs go to God if I am ever going to practice its underlying message...which is love and laugh, love and laugh, and that is all.
Again I know that fear is God in camouflage; his message is ever telling me to walk through my imagined killing fields to the safety of his arms and be freed of me.
Maybe we cannot take the Sermon literally, but we need to adhere to its underlying message. For me, I had to and still must take it literally to discover again that I personally cannot, that I must needs go to God if I am ever going to practice its underlying message...which is love and laugh, love and laugh, and that is all.
God loves us so much. Maybe that's why he gave us free will...so we can use it to find we must needs go to him to get free of that free will.
Just as freedom isn't free neither is free will...ah, but both are more than equal to the price.
Thank you.
Go Nats. (Six weeks ago I couldn't spell baseball, and now my heart is a white sphere with red lacing and a curly W.)
Sunday, October 27, 2019
CALL OUR NEMESIS BLESSED AND BE FREED
Morning blinding flash of the obvious: As long as I give my attack mind fantasies free rein to call my tormentors by name, I stay my self in self. Keeping me no better than the worst of my mental tormentors.
This, too, I need to love.
For my very attack calls to my Father. and as One we call her blessed on my lips, in my head, in my heart, and in my gut so my Soul is freed of me...we call him blessed on my lips, in my head, in my heart, and in my gut so my Soul is freed of me... we call them blessed on my lips, in my head, in my heart, and in my gut so my Soul is freed of me.
Ah, and then I read today's "God Calling," and I knew joy: I see the loving, striving, not the defects. I see the conquest of your particular battle. I count it victory, a glad victory, and the angels rejoice *** My children, count the days of conquest as very blessed days.
Thank you.
This, too, I need to love.
For my very attack calls to my Father. and as One we call her blessed on my lips, in my head, in my heart, and in my gut so my Soul is freed of me...we call him blessed on my lips, in my head, in my heart, and in my gut so my Soul is freed of me... we call them blessed on my lips, in my head, in my heart, and in my gut so my Soul is freed of me.
Ah, and then I read today's "God Calling," and I knew joy: I see the loving, striving, not the defects. I see the conquest of your particular battle. I count it victory, a glad victory, and the angels rejoice *** My children, count the days of conquest as very blessed days.
Thank you.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
GROWING IN GOD-NESS, Part 2
He insulted me, he cheated me, he beat me, he robbed me -- those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace. -- The Buddha
In re transforming consciousness: ...You have to look for the right spot. In some people it is a particular compulsive craving; in some it is jealousy; in some, blind fury. Some may be fortunate enough to have all three. -- "Words to Live By," Eknath Easwaran, December 5
Life with Me is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties....Joy is the result of faithful trusting acceptance of My will when it seems not joyous. -- God Calling, January 8
Our reasoning mind sees all of our true growth in God-ness, or goodness, as the exact reverse of what we want, what our ego-thinking leads us to believe is best for us.
As long as we stay based in the belief that we must take our own part, look out for No. 1, namely self, without regard for the other person's part (who, incidentally, is also No. 1 to them), we will miss our true lesson: God has our back. All we need to learn and learn unto living it, breathing it, is simply that...I am not mine, but God's.
As long as I believe that I am my job, I will only look out for me. Give over to God, honestly and sincerely give over to God, and in the giving over, everyone grows in God-ness.
Whether we realize it or not.
Thank you.
In re transforming consciousness: ...You have to look for the right spot. In some people it is a particular compulsive craving; in some it is jealousy; in some, blind fury. Some may be fortunate enough to have all three. -- "Words to Live By," Eknath Easwaran, December 5
Life with Me is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties....Joy is the result of faithful trusting acceptance of My will when it seems not joyous. -- God Calling, January 8
Our reasoning mind sees all of our true growth in God-ness, or goodness, as the exact reverse of what we want, what our ego-thinking leads us to believe is best for us.
As long as we stay based in the belief that we must take our own part, look out for No. 1, namely self, without regard for the other person's part (who, incidentally, is also No. 1 to them), we will miss our true lesson: God has our back. All we need to learn and learn unto living it, breathing it, is simply that...I am not mine, but God's.
As long as I believe that I am my job, I will only look out for me. Give over to God, honestly and sincerely give over to God, and in the giving over, everyone grows in God-ness.
Whether we realize it or not.
Thank you.
Friday, October 25, 2019
UNFATHOMABLE SPIRITUAL TRUTH
As soon as we are presented with a need, we recognize that the demand is made by the Christ on the Christ of us. -- Joel Goldsmith, "The World is New" at p 69
There it is...an excellent example of spiritual truth being unfathomable to the reasoning mind.
We may know from our eyebrows up that all needs are fulfilled by God, but that doesn't stop our egoic thoughts from race-race running on how we are going to get the job done.
We find the answer when we are lifted out of self and into a higher consciousness, deeper within. It cannot be explained...well, it can be but only if words alone are what we seek. Unfortunately (fortunately?), words alone will not change our consciousness...they will either give us hope that this, too, can be ours or sink us into despair that because we cannot make it happen, we cannot get it.
I hold the story of Saul of Tarsus dear. My understanding is that he was not seeking God when God found him in a blinding flash of the obvious. He was changed from a man who believed in what he was living, thinking, doing, being into a new man on the rough road to sainthood. Changed not from a sinner to a saint, but changed from a knower to a seeker. I doubt not as Saint Paul, he was still seeking when he left this world. I hope so anyway.
Here's the nature of my ego...I can hope that Saint Paul was still seeking when he shook hands with Saint Peter at the pearly gates and still castigate myself for not getting it already.
God loves me so much that I can love me and laugh at that...which may be as spiritually grown-up as I ever get. Close enough...for Now.
Thank you.
There it is...an excellent example of spiritual truth being unfathomable to the reasoning mind.
We may know from our eyebrows up that all needs are fulfilled by God, but that doesn't stop our egoic thoughts from race-race running on how we are going to get the job done.
We find the answer when we are lifted out of self and into a higher consciousness, deeper within. It cannot be explained...well, it can be but only if words alone are what we seek. Unfortunately (fortunately?), words alone will not change our consciousness...they will either give us hope that this, too, can be ours or sink us into despair that because we cannot make it happen, we cannot get it.
I hold the story of Saul of Tarsus dear. My understanding is that he was not seeking God when God found him in a blinding flash of the obvious. He was changed from a man who believed in what he was living, thinking, doing, being into a new man on the rough road to sainthood. Changed not from a sinner to a saint, but changed from a knower to a seeker. I doubt not as Saint Paul, he was still seeking when he left this world. I hope so anyway.
Here's the nature of my ego...I can hope that Saint Paul was still seeking when he shook hands with Saint Peter at the pearly gates and still castigate myself for not getting it already.
God loves me so much that I can love me and laugh at that...which may be as spiritually grown-up as I ever get. Close enough...for Now.
Thank you.
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