I have written before about the
only REAL thing I can do in my illusionary world of my perception is to think
loving thoughts and allow loving actions to follow naturally. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?
It isn’t.
How can I think loving thoughts
in the face of the fear that is all around me: Newscasts and Web postings that
are full of fear mongering politicians? Terror attacks on our and foreign soil?
Hateful speech voiced by folks in line with me at a grocery store? Vile, angry
messages on bumper stickers?
I try to enter a personal state
of peace by having loving thoughts – but it doesn’t work. I truly understand
that the opposite of love is fear. I comprehend that each of my thoughts is
either contributing to the ocean of love or the sea of fear. So, I try (through
sheer will-power and mental discipline/determination) to think thoughts grounded
in love. But I’m still upset and angry, which is simply a nice way of saying
“I’m still in fear.” Then I realize my errors: I’M the one trying to think
loving thoughts. I’M looking for MY peace in MY egoic world of form to occur as
the result of MY determined, willful loving thoughts.
How’s that working? As I said,
it doesn’t work for me.
These two issues – My egoic
Felix trying to be good enough to be loving and My attempts, through force of
will, to change the physical world around me. Both of these issues mean, of
course, that I believe that the key to my peacefulness is for me to change the
world because of my forced love. What an insane idea!
I know my peace comes from the
inside out, not from the outside in. So why do I continue this insane path? The
simple answer? It’s all Felix knows what to do.
As Beverly Hutchinson McNeff
states in the Jan/Feb 2016 issue of The
Holy Encounter magazine [Miracle Distribution Center, Anaheim CA, p.12 – www.miraclecenter.org]:
“How do we escape this lonely, suffering world? How do we change our
minds? How do we experience freedom and the gifts of God? It does not come by
our denying the world or condemning ourselves for the choices we have made….
“We will never find freedom [or peace or love] by turning off the
television, not reading the newspaper, or running away from painful
relationships, but neither does it come to us by beating ourselves up for the
choices we have made or staying in an abusive environment. Healing comes as we
gently take responsibility and remind ourselves there is another way, and our
realization that we do not know how to find this ‘other way,’ This not-knowing
phase will allow the Answer God has given us, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit,
to show us a healing solution in every challenge. The Holy Spirit only needs
our willingness…in such a way that we feel His peace and value it more than our
suffering. Problems will still come to us, but through His Vision we will see
only the loving acts or the calls for love, and our desire will be to answer in
like form.”
When I am agitated, fearful,
angry, or frustrated, I only need to still my mind. I need to be only a little
willing to allow the Holy Spirit to show me another way of looking at things. I
need only to acknowledge that I no longer want fear nor its offspring, anger
and hate. I need only to acknowledge that I want peace – the peace that is
beyond understanding – and I want love.
In short - I need do virtually nothing.
A new way of looking at things
comes from the Holy Spirit – not from my intellectual processes and my
cognitive discipline. The subsequent sense of peace comes from my experiencing the resulting perception
that the Spirit has provided. He does the work. I merely have to be willing to
allow Him the tiny opportunity to change my perception.
I still do not understand why
that is – sometimes – so hard for me to do. I am glad I’m a work in progress rather
than an example of perfect spirituality.
Although these messages are
mostly for me, thanks for listening. As always – feel free to forward this
message to your friends, family, and those accompanying you on your spiritual
journey.
Happy New [and peaceful!] Year.
Don
#1 Jan 2016
Copyright 2016
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