“If you want to strengthen your faith, you will need to soften inside. For your faith to be rock solid, your heart needs to be as soft as a feather. Through an illness, accident, loss, or fright, one way or another, we are all faced with incidents that teach us how to become less selfish and judgmental and more compassionate and generous. Yet some of us learn the lesson and manage to become milder, while some others end up becoming even harsher than before.“
I focus on the good I desire to experience.
When I started off on my ‘spiritual journey’, I first attended personal development or self-help seminars. At that time, I was often told that I would understand Spirit more when I become more vulnerable. I detested the word. Vulnerability in my eyes was a weakness that I wanted to avid at any cost. And so I did for quite a while. I believed that strength was power over matter until I realized that Spirit is the highest power of all.
Today, I understand that there is no access to the world of Spirit and one cannot experience God’s ever present Loving without softening, becoming open and vulnerable to the guidance of Spirit.
“If you want to strengthen your faith, you will need to soften inside. For your faith to be rock solid, your heart needs to be as soft as a feather. Through an illness, accident, loss, or fright, one way or another, we are all faced with incidents that teach us how to become less selfish and judgmental and more compassionate and generous. Yet some of us learn the lesson and manage to become milder, while some others end up becoming even harsher than before.“*
Today, we are releasing Resentment and embracing God’s Love for us.
Our Lent Booklet reminds us today that resentment is a state of ‘re-feeling and re-thinking’ a “disturbing and unpleasant experience from the past. Whatever we consistently think about and charge with feeling determines the way we see and experience our world.” We can chose to focus on the good we want to manifest instead.
Today, I invite you to contemplate on Rule No31 and the quote below. Let me know how practicing releasing resentment worked for you today.
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8
Today we affirm: I focus on the good I desire to experience
Join me by reading the daily blogposts I create – SEE THEM HERE (CLICK) – and joining the UNITY CONNECTED FACEBOOK GROUP where I invite you to share about the contemplative questions. (click on the buttons below to join)
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“The true Sufi is such that even when he is unjustly accused, attacked and condemned from all sides, he patiently endures, uttering not a single bad word about any of his critics. A Sufi never apportions blame. How can there be opponents or rivals or even “others” when there is no “self” in the first place? How can there be anyone to blame when there is only One?.“
I open to an optimistic outlook on life.
Well, another one of these ‘easier said than done’ rules. Today, I experienced someone cursing at me and blaming me for something that clearly was not my fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault actually. It was a moment of ‘patiently enduring’ because I knew that the real reasons behind the curse and the blame could not revealed and so could not be discussed.
I took a big breath and asked God the supply me with the additional strength and compassion so I could avoid going into reaction. I felt the anger generated by the accusation, rising insider of me but I stopped it. There is no point in trying to claim my innocence when the real problem could not explored.
Eventually, I managed to let it all go but I could not move into oneness. Instead I moved into compassion with myself.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Albert Einstein
That witticism—I’ll call it “Einstein Insanity”—is usually attributed to Albert Einstein. Though the Matthew effect may be operating here.*
I often hear people talk about wanting to have more fulfilling experiences or to attract different types of people and opportunities or to have more income. It is admirable that we consider making conscious changes in an ever changing world. 🙂
For making lasting change, however, wishing is not enough. We are habitual creatures who are often unaware of our repeated thoughts and actions that actually generate our daily life experiences. So, making changes can be tricky.
Change is personal
When it comes to change, in my experience, we need to understand where we need to ‘intervene’ in order to make lasting changes. First, we need to take a deep look within our own patterns of behaviour and their results. We need to gain clarity on how we generate these experiences. We may want to ask ourselves: What do I believe about myself, others, the world and the Divine so I have these specific experiences? Then we need to start making some changes in areas where we wish to have happier and more fulfilling experiences.
The trap of ‘Divine Order’
God does not make changes in our lives. We do it by thinking and behaving differently. God walks our days with us but we are required to walk our individualized journey ourselves and take the learning from our experiences. God’s main wish for us is to know ourselves as a Divine Being and know that we are Loved. In my experience, Divine Order means Acceptance. I am not to fight my experiences or make them wrong but use them for my upliftment and growth.
Change is a process
The first step to any change is acceptance of what is. As I look at my flaws, the habits that do not work for me any more, I generate a sense of Compassion for myself by being Accepting. That is Divine Order. I accept where I am at JUST AS I AM.
Then, I start releasing the limitations that hinder me from having the experiences I would truly like to have.
Finally, I start to BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY. This is the CREATIVE part of the change journey. God does not tell us what we need to do exactly in order to have the experiences we want. We must start experimenting with life. We need to try out different ways of thinking and acting to find what works for us.
This part of the CHANGE JOURNEYis about interchanging between release and course-correct. I keep on releasing old patterns and try different new ways of thinking and being.
God walks with me encouraging me and cheering for me! Eventually, through the inner and outer journey I have walked, I arrive to new experiences. I affirm them and reinforce them by creating a habit with the new thinking and the new behaviour. Change has taken place.
Our steps are made firm by the Lord, … though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand. Psalm 37:23-24
“The true Sufi is such that even when he is unjustly accused, attacked and condemned from all sides, he patiently endures, uttering not a single bad word about any of his critics. A Sufi never apportions blame. How can there be opponents or rivals or even “others” when there is no “self” in the first place? How can there be anyone to blame when there is only One?“*
Today, we are releasing Pessimism and embracing God’s Love for us.
Our Lent Booklet reminds us today that our thoughts and feelings of pessimistic outlook become the reality of our life.
Truly the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me, (Job 3:25).
As we consciously focus our attention on the ever-present good we release pessimism. With that we start noticing the presence of beauty, or the sound of laughter that lift our spirit. Writing what we are grateful for each day, we eliminate pessimism and build a hopeful future.
Today, I invite you to contemplate on Rule No20 and the quote below. Let me know how practicing releasing pessimism worked for you today.
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Today we affirm: I open to an optimistic outlook on life.
Join me by reading the daily blogposts I create – SEE THEM HERE (CLICK) – and joining the UNITY CONNECTED FACEBOOK GROUP where I invite you to share about the contemplative questions. (click on the buttons below to join)
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“Destiny doesn’t mean that your life has been strictly predetermined. Therefore, to leave everything to fate and to not actively contribute to the music of the universe is a sign of sheer ignorance. The music of the world is all-pervading, and it is composed of 40 different levels. Your destiny is the level where you play your tune. You might not change your instrument, but how well to play is entirely in your hands.”.“
Leaning fully into love’s embrace, I choose to let go of perfectionism.
Today’s rule inspired me to write about ACTION. Read (and listen to) my blogpost here. On another thought, I contemplated on the meaning of destiny today. For the longest time, I truly believed that I was living my destiny by being helpful and supporting humanity on many different level. I believed that God wanted me to repent by ‘trying to safe souls’. One day, I realized the only thing God wants me to ‘do’ is to be HAPPY. This is my destiny.
We all know or at least guess that this sentence is true and still we often stand helpless and bitter in the face of our life challenges and disappointments.
1.Have you ever wondered why your life doesn’t match your wishes and your dreams?
2. Have you ever dared have a deep enough look at your life, your relationships, your work-life, and your financial situation, and ask yourself :what do I believe about myself, the world, and God that I live this very life?
You see, the answer to the first questions is rather simple: there is too big a gap between what you believe – about yourself, life, the Divine – and the dreams your harboring in your heart.
The answer to the second question is a bit more complicated.
Everyone’s life is an unfolding story of challenges, bravery, learning, courage, setbacks, sadness and happiness, and more. The tricky bit is that we are both the writers and the readers of our story.
These days there are millions of self-help resources out there! We talk and contemplate on the different themes offered in these self-help and spiritual resources but do we actually do the work?
My story started with an undiagnosed anxiety disorder in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. I smoked like a chimney and I had panic attacks. None knew or cared about these symptoms towards the end of the socialistic regime. Eventually, it got so bad that I took a class on psychology at uni and started seeing a therapist. I read numerous books and attended my sessions diligently but nothing changed.
After uni, I moved to another country. My symptoms got worse. I lost even more weight. The books did not help. I did not have money for a therapist. Eventually, I started writing a journal that brought some relief and comfort to my extremely high level of anxiety.
In 1998, my beloved Grandma died and I fell into a depression that I might not have survived, had I not found Insight Seminars through a kind friend in the UK. I literally set through the first course. I did not engage. I could not. I was too clammed up. I just tried to understand what they were saying and was rather shocked that people stood up and talked openly about their deepest wounds. Nevertheless, I knew deep within that if I stuck around I will be able to recover.
To cut a 20-year old story short, I got involved in Insight and Essence Seminars, I volunteered with them for decades, and recruited people to their seminars. Why? Because these seminars and workshops helped me understand that ‘understanding’ is not enough! ACTION = energy in movement makes the difference!
What is ACTION?
In my experience, ACTION is an inward and upward looking movement, not an outward looking one. Running around and trying to find the right therapist, coach or practitioner to fix us, does not make much difference. The WORK is always personal and in a way lonesome. We need to use the support that we are given in a personalized way and heal ourselves. By healing we start releasing all that is false about us and start connecting with the truth of who we are. In that we automatically start living more of our dreams, not much extra effort is needed.
Living the dream is actually being the person who has the dream.
Walking the journey of discovery and unfolding is ACTION. Taking part in LIFE fully – with all its twists and turns – is ACTION. Sitting in meditation connecting with our Divine Essence is ACTION. Practicing Forgiveness and Gratitude is ACTION. Discovering who we are and who we are not by gaining insight is ACTION.
If you ever want to life your dreams – that may change over time – you must take ACTION.
“Destiny doesn’t mean that your life has been strictly predetermined. Therefore, to leave everything to fate and to not actively contribute to the music of the universe is a sign of sheer ignorance. The music of the world is all-pervading, and it is composed of 40 different levels. Your destiny is the level where you play your tune. You might not change your instrument, but how well to play is entirely in your hands.”*
Today, we are releasing Perfectionism and embracing God’s Love for us.
Our Lent Booklet reminds us today that the journey is more important than the perfect outcome. As we focus on the journey untraveled we will find beauty, a deeper connection with others and a greater appreciation for the little things.
Mistakes are only milestones and opportunities to grow, learn and become aware. When fears rear their head, we are reminded to stop, breathe, and bring ourselves back to the present moment. With each breath we remove anxiety and receive peace, love and acceptance instead.
Today, I invite you to contemplate on Rule No29 and the quote below. Let me know how practicing releasing perfectionism worked for you today.
Surely there is no one on earth so righteous as to do good without ever sinning. Ecclesiastes 7:20
Today we affirm: Leaning fully into love’s embrace, I choose to let go of perfectionism.
Join me by reading the daily blogposts I create – SEE THEM HERE (CLICK) – and joining the UNITY CONNECTED FACEBOOK GROUP where I invite you to share about the contemplative questions. (click on the buttons below to join)
Picture Source Unsplash/ Featured Image: rachel-walker–unsplash
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