Lower Your Anxiety Shield

 

 

There’s a story about Star Trek’s Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, traveling through a tunnel, searching for some of the crew.  They come to a point in the tunnel where Mr. Spock continues but Captain Kirk could not.

 

Of course, Spock has the answer, it’s an anxiety shield, meant to keep you out if you have anxiety.  Of course, Kirk has anxiety…his crew is being tortured but he cannot get to them because of the shield.

The answer, the antidote is to lower your anxiety shield.  Of course, Spock does not have anxiety.  Kirk steps back and centers himself and gets the anxiety within to release, and the shield lowers allowing them to go and rescue the crew.

Anxiety is defined as distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune.

Have you experienced anxiety, worry, lately?

Have you lowered your anxiety shield yet?  I must say, I had a very good practice this week, as I lost almost all my files on Thursday.  Even this message which was well on its way to completion.  So, starting Thursday afternoon, after trying desperately to find the lost files, I started over, from scratch.

Luckily, I found the joke!

Anxiety is misusing our inner power; actually magnifying a personal problem into a bigger one.  The more attention we give something by worrying about it, the more we bring it into our lives.

We have often heard the saying, ‘Thoughts held in mind produce after their kind.’  Well, this is what we are talking about.

 And when a person says that he or she is worried sick, this can be literally true.  We have been reminded ourselves for some time now to watch our thoughts and words.

Worry is one of the most destructive emotions to affect the mind and body. Biologically we are not constructed to withstand long periods of time the mental processes and bodily chemical reactions created by the results of worry.

Yet, believe it or not, there is a human tendency to actually search for things to worry about.  And, there is also a hesitancy to give up our worries. A psychiatrist once said that if a place were provided where people could leave their worries, they would slip back under a cover of darkness and reclaim them one by one!

SO if we leave a worry or anxiety in the jar out in the lobby before Service, we would go back and take it out of the jar after Service!

 We need to change our concept about worry. We need to see worry as a potential source of good and as evidence that we love life and want to make more out of life.

 If we would have faith that we are under the constant care of God, we would not be anxious. Anxiety is, in itself, a desertion of trust in God. If we keep our minds occupied with positive, constructive thoughts, we cannot be afraid.

Sometimes, easier said than done, right?  We have all experienced times of worry and anxiety.  How do we turn those thoughts around to something positive and useful?

Think about this….No one needs to tell healthy children to play. They run and scamper; they play make-believe; they enter into and create games. This is their nature and that is all there is to it. Children just naturally cannot refrain from playing. When they do not want to play, the adults around them know that there is something wrong with them.

And this – No one instructs the beaver how to build a dam or the bees how to swarm. A universal law of life directs the organism and indwelling intelligence to do naturally and easily that which is in their nature to do. This natural, orderly, inescapable action occurs without thought! The organism and intelligence just behave in this way. That is all there is to it, and the result is inescapable.

Jesus shows us the way.  His instruction is simple and sound. You are to “take no thought” (Mt. 6:25 KJV) with regards to work, sustenance, or anything that worries you. Keep yourself centered in God, and you will naturally thrive without worry or anxiety.

In other words, seek the kingdom of God.

This means we are to give our attention to God and to making ourselves the kind of people who naturally, easily, and happily express the goodness of God. The resources of the inner kingdom include love, faith, gratitude, peace, and joy.

 With this awareness, we can understand the simple, yet direct promise from Jesus: “All these things will be given to you as well” (Mt. 6:33). As we keep our attention on the kingdom within, we will receive the desirable values of life much more readily than if we pursue them directly. In fact, direct pursuit of material things loads the heart with many unnecessary burdens, which may result in our failure to attain our good desires. And maybe heart issues!

 People whose inner natures exemplify the character of the kingdom do not need to worry about what they will do. Because they are human, their spiritual qualities are expressed in the elements of human living. As the child plays without giving any thought to a decision to play, so the child of the kingdom lives happily without giving anxious thought to the kingdoms’ way of life.

There is of course a difference between worry and concern. It is natural to be concerned about the peace of the world, the economic condition of the country, or the health of a loved one. These concerns are very human and understandable.

 The start to aid others begins with the concern of people. God can only do for us that which God can do through us. Thus, there must be an awareness of a need—not a sense of lack that implies a belief in limitation—an awareness of a need and the concern for its fulfillment. Jesus was aware of the needs of those around Him and was concerned about remedying them.

The concern we may have over someone we love or about conditions in general is a step in the right direction. But we cannot stop with concern alone, or else we settle into the dead-end street of worry and despair. We have camped in the valley of the Shadow.  The next logical step is faith in and awareness of the kingdom of God and the principles it holds for us. First comes the concern or the awareness of the need, then the healing of the concern or the awareness of God’s all-sufficiency in all things.

We step through the Valley into the Light.

 The solving of a problem, the resolving of a conflict, or the removal of an obstacle is not something we must or can do by ourselves. God within us is doing the work through us.

Sometimes it may appear that there is little you can do to help a friend or loved one. On the other hand, you may see all sorts of material things you could do, and you may wonder what and how much you should do. A child of the kingdom will remember that the most helpful thing to do for others, regardless of the need, is to think positive thoughts. Anything that you may do in an outer way is but the expression of a thought. It is more important that we realize the nature of that thought.

Positive thinking might actually be a synonym for prayer. We may define prayer in many ways, but essentially it is the act of changing our thought from the limited to the limitless. “Be transformed by the renewing of your minds” (Rom. 12:2). This must be the starting point of all prayer. Have you heard the phrase, “Every thought is a prayer?”

Prayer is not an effort toward manipulating divine law or changing God’s will. True prayer calls forth from within you the sense of God-power. You can turn the full force of this power, like a searchlight, on whatever may concern you. Let your light shine. (We are Lighthouses, right!)

You may think that you are praying only when you assume the manner and employ the words generally associated with prayer. But no matter what you call it, your concentrated thought about any subject is a form of prayer. When you think deeply about anything or anyone, even in worry and anxiety, you are focusing your energy on that thing or person. Worrisome thoughts and thoughts of anxious concern add confusion and doubt to any situation. Every day you affect your body, your business, your loved ones, and the world as a whole by the kinds of thoughts you think.

For this reason, when you are concerned about situations that affect others, first heal your own concern. When you want to help someone else, the starting point of that help must be within yourself.

 The purpose of prayer is to behold the presence of God in that which concerns you. Know that God is not sick; God is not poor; God cannot be confused or out of place. Your prayer is an activity of your mind, and you must put God first in your thought. “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (In. 7:24). This “right judgment” changes the image you hold in your mind. Much as you want to help someone or something in time of crisis, the first step, and often the only step needed, is to change your thought of concern.

The words from Jesus, “do not worry” in Matthew are a command. Wee not to worry.

Complete trust in God is as much a step forward as is the loss of fear and worry. If we can develop the former, we can accomplish the latter.

A person who trusts God works with God’s harmonious plan. But a person who uses his or her thought power to worry works with the world’s confusion.

Matthew 6:33 tells us; “But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”

Rev. Ed Townley explains it this way, “Seeking first the kingdom” means that our purpose as spiritual beings sharing this human experience is to create—choice by choice—the higher spiritual consciousness that Jesus describes as “the kingdom of heaven.” Human challenges and distractions are of secondary importance. So long as our focus remains on achieving our spiritual purpose, our human needs will be met, abundantly and joyfully. Too often we feel we must solve our human problems first in order to make time and space and means to deal with the spiritual. This causes us to live from an energy of fear and anxiety. In fact, according to spiritual law, the opposite is always true. It’s only by committing to the spiritual—to making choices out of love—that we can fully experience and enjoy our human experience.”

In Sirach 30:21-25,

“Do not give yourself over to sorrow, and do not afflict yourself deliberately. Gladness of heart is the life of man, and the rejoicing of a man is length of days. Delight your soul and comfort your heart, and remove sorrow far from you, for sorrow has destroyed many and there is no profit in it. Jealousy and anger shorten life, and anxiety brings on old age too soon. A man of cheerful and good heart will give heed to the food he eats”

 

This powerful passage is a metaphysical reminder that, contrary to some beliefs, we are not here in this human experience to suffer, hoping for redemption sometime in the future. “Gladness of heart” is the essential attitude that will allow us to make the choices that bring a new dimension of consciousness into manifestation through us. Certainly, it is not suggested that we will not experience challenges—sometimes severe. Pain and sadness are an essential part of our spiritual journey. But ‘sorrow’ is more than sadness. It’s a lingering on sadness. “A man of cheerful and good heart” will face challenges, and feel sadness, without believing in those negative energies as real, and seeing them as something to be endured. A good-hearted man (or woman, of course) feels the pain and sadness and then looks for the guidance that will allow him/her to make the choices that will lead out of the negative and into the positive.

 

And lastly, in the powerful words of Charles Schulz, through Charlie Brown and Linus, “Worrying won’t stop the bad stuff from happening, it just stops you from enjoying the good.”

 

 

 

 

 

“We realize you have a choice.  We thank you for the one you made.”

 

I saw this back in Pennsylvania, on the doctor’s office wall as I was visiting for some check-up or other. I thought it a very interesting quote.  And a telling one too.

What is your first thought when you heard it?

We make all kinds of choices through-out our day.    Just think about that for a moment…. what choices have you made so far today?  Maybe to get up!  What to wear? Breakfast items?  To attend today?

 

The option to choose Unity as your Spiritual path isn’t always an easy one.  Oh, it seems very easy in the beginning, it feels soooooo right when you first walk into a Unity Church or Center.  Spiritual seekers often say that finding Unity is like coming home.  Many people cry tears of happiness, and some tears of relief for FINALLY finding where they belong.

Is that how you felt the first time?  Do you feel that again as you walk in the door here at Unity of Rehoboth Beach?

I often do, but I admit, sometimes I don’t feel that special feeling right away.  Sometimes it takes the gathering of you folks and seeing you work together to make this happen.  Then it feels right. That’s when I feel that this is where it is happening, for me and, for many, if not all of you.

Only you can answer that.

SO, I found a while back that this was RIGHT for me.  I had searched for years for my Spiritual Home.

But Right isn’t always easy.

With finding that RIGHT Spiritual home, came responsibility. Personal responsibility.  Unity’s 5^th Principle—putting what we know into action.

 

The Unity movement was founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore in 1889 as a healing ministry based on the power of prayer and the power of our thoughts to create our own reality. The Fillmores regarded Jesus as the great example rather than the great exception; Charles interpreted the Bible metaphysically instead of literally; and they taught that God is present within all of us, in everything.

Charles Fillmore sought to make his spiritual and metaphysical ideas coherent with scientific theory. In philosophy, metaphysics attempts to describe the first, universal or most general principles of the universe, not just of the physical but also of consciousness. The existence of God is not a physics question, but a metaphysics question. The nature of the physical universe is a physics question; what that nature says about the Source of the universe is a metaphysics or theology question.

The “fundamental truth” for Charles was God the good as Primal Cause of all. From that premise, Fillmore sought to reason and, in that way of thinking, found healing and other “goods.” This deductive reasoning is the basis of affirmations. “God is omnipresent good, therefore good is present in my mind, body and affairs.” “God is omnipotent good, therefore all good is possible.” “God is the source of all, therefore I am an offspring of God and heir to all good.” “I am a child of God, therefore I do not inherit sickness.” And so forth.

 

Charles and Myrtle Fillmore both relied upon intuition, meditation, reason and experience to seek spiritual Truth.

A VERY different philosophy from what was taught and believed at the time by most Christian churches.  But the Fillmores found a following and the movement grew to a worldwide presence of centers and churches and study groups.

In part, it grew because Unity is an open-minded, accepting spiritual community that honors all paths to God and helps people discover and live their spiritual potential and purpose. Does that still feel right for you?

 

A positive alternative to negative religion, Unity seeks to apply the teachings of Jesus as well as other spiritual masters. Unity affirms the power of prayer and helps people experience a stronger connection with God every day. Does it still resonate?

Unity emphasizes the practical, everyday application of spiritual principles to help people live more abundant and meaningful lives.

Although personal and spiritual growth come from within, most people appreciate learning, friendships, support and companionship along the way. Unity is committed to helping you find your way to your own understanding—and experience—of God.

Think about that…how has Unity and the philosophy behind it aided you along your way?  Is it still working for you?

Look around you.  We have started with a small group of people and grown to over 60 and now gone back some.  I know numbers are not important in the important sense of helping people find a better way, but they are important in keeping Unity of Rehoboth Beach strong and present.

Unity is still a strong and vibrant part of my life.  Is it still strong in yours?  Let’s talk about that….

Are you a Unitic or a wanabe one?

Are you committed to growing as a follower of the 5 Principles?

Do you see Unity as a Shining Light here in this area?  In your Life?  What are you doing to help us make and keep Unity as a Shining Light so it can be a Shining Light for you?

Take the Mission/Vision/Values card.  What is YOURS to do?

 

See that’s is responsibility.  That is taking ownership of URB.

 

In Isaiah 42:9, it says: “See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.”

 

Whatever happened in the past is done.  What we place into manifestation by our imagination and then fruition, is what is coming.

What do you see as Unity’s future?  Let’s meditate on that for a bit.

 

Now….what did you see?

 

 

Take another few moments and lets place in prayer that the perfect future space comes to us easily and in the perfect time.  Or as Carol placed earlier this week and is an excellent prayer:

In the beautiful space of Your world, our ideal meeting place manifests, one where we can be at home with one another & the God of our being. We walk from what no longer serves us into a fountain of blessings as all our needs are met to perfection. And so it is! Thank you, Mother/Father God!

 

 

Edgar White Burrill said, “We walk into new life under our own power.  No one else can carry us.”

We have to open the door, and walk through it too, not just look inside.  I have walked through the door of committing to Unity of Rehoboth Beach.  But we all must step through if we want it’s presence to continue.

The 10 Commitments

Most of us know about the 10 Commandments.  And actually, there is discussion as to if 10 is really the correct number, but that discussion can be put off until another day.

Today we want to look at the 10 Commitments.

What is the difference between commandments and commitments?

Well, look at the definitions: commandment means “an important rule given by God that tells people how to behave,” the act or power of commanding.

A Commitment is a promise to do or give something, a promise to be loyal to someone or something, the attitude of someone who works very hard to do or support something an agreement or pledge to do something in the future.

So, with a commitment, we are pledging to honor something.  And it’s within our integrity to honor that pledge.  If we wouldn’t honor it, it would be against our integrity.  And THAT would have us questioning that very integrity.

Can you think of instances in your life where you had a commandment to follow and where you had a commitment?  And can you feel the difference?

 

Let’s take a look at these 10 Commitments and see what they could mean for us.  You have a sheet in your bulletin so you can follow along.  I invite you to make a note where you feel you could make a commitment and what it might look like.

 

1. I make a commitment to Love. Love has many meanings to all of us.  If we look at the 12 Powers, it is the ability to attract, unify and desire. “faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

And also in 1 Corinthians 13:4, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. “

 

Notice, commit to love…as in a verb.  I believe we are to be loving and that will express what we truly are—LOVE.  Because God is Love and we are of God, so we are LOVE also

 

This is unconditional Love.  The love we all strive for.  For ourselves and for others.  And we are given the how in I Corinthians….

 

2. I make commitment to Wholeness. Wholeness means entire, total: containing all the elements, complete, undivided. On a spiritual sense, we think of wholeness as mind, body and spirit.  So we would commit to taking care of all aspects of our being…. seems a healthy thing to do. But do we do it?

 

There’s a lot of information out there about wholeness.  We each must discern what it entails for each of us.

 

3. I make a commitment to Positive Expression. This is easy…to define anyway…think positively, speak positively, act positively.

Easier said than done though, right?  Can you at least start to watch your thoughts and words and deeds? The more we become aware of our thoughts, the easier it becomes. Soon we catch ourselves before the thought completes itself, and eventually we stop the thought before it starts.  Before you know it the thought never occurs.

 

4. I make a commitment to Let Go. Perfect for fall…the trees give us the perfect example of letting go, except for the oak leaves, they hang on until spring, but they still let go, in their own time.

 

I know sometimes we need to process things before letting them go.  But we have talked before about not camping in the Valley of the Shadow…grieve, fume, have your rant about whomever or whatever, if you must.  But let it go as you walk through the Valley so you can be at peace and grow from the experience, whatever it was.

 

And you can move on.

 

Here’s an exercise from Richard. Rohr to help: Imagine you are sitting on the bank of a river. Boats and ships—thoughts, feelings, and sensations—are sailing past. While the stream flows by your inner eye, name each of these vessels. For example, one of the boats could be called “my anxiety about tomorrow.” Or along comes the ship “objections to my husband” or the boat “I don’t do that well.” Every judgment that you pass is one of those boats. Take the time to give each one of them a name, and then let them move on down the river.

 

This can be a difficult exercise because you’re used to jumping aboard the boats—your thoughts—immediately. As soon as you own a boat and identify with it, it picks up energy. This is a practice in un-possessing, detaching, letting go. With every idea, with every image that comes into your head, say, “No, I’m not that; I don’t need that; that’s not me.”

 

Sometimes, a boat turns around and heads back upstream to demand your attention again. Habitual thoughts are hard to not be hooked by. Sometimes you feel the need to torpedo your boats. But don’t attack them. Don’t hate them or condemn them. This is also an exercise in nonviolence. The point is to recognize your thoughts, which are not you, and to say, “That’s not necessary; I don’t need that.” But do it very amiably. If you learn to handle your own soul tenderly and lovingly, you’ll be able to carry this same loving wisdom out into the world.

 

 

5. I make a commitment to Thinking and Feeling. This too, can sometimes be painful.  If we think things through we can come to the root of disagreements.  Byron Katie has a great process called The Work.  And it is work, but it helps us see what is true.  If we keep in mind that the only moment we have is the current one, then many things that happened are no longer true and we can let them go.

The ‘feeling’ part comes along as we work through the thoughts and events that happened and we find ‘our Truth’ to them and can learn from them and then let them go.

It also can be a part of our everyday life.  If we do not allow ourselves to ‘feel’ we become robots, unfeeling, not responding to the beauty and love surrounding us, but instead armored against feeling hurt and then losing the joy of love, fellowship, of experience.

 

6. I make a commitment to Life. Life is the ability to energize, vitalize, animate and invigorate. It goes with what we discussed in the previous Commitment…to FEEL.  Emotions are what makes living, living.  We must LIVE our lives to grow, to appreciate what we have, to have no regrets at the end of this life.  Dance!  Don’t sit on the sidelines. Engage in life, in whatever way you have chosen as your point of interest.  Family.  Art. Sport. Crafts.  Reading. Get to know your fellow travelers.  Life offers so much…. go out swinging!

 

 

7. I commit myself to Integrity. Do you know what makes up your integrity? If not, maybe it’s time to ask yourself that question.  It is so easy to live one’s life if they have made peace with their integrity, choices are easily made.  When a question is placed before you, and your integrity is well defined, an answer to the choice is easily seen and then made.  Often times the choice never presents itself because it is not where you are at this time in your life.

 

One knows when one goes against their integrity…they know it very well.

 

8. I make a commitment to Consciousness. Consciousness…that’s what we are all working towards, right?  The more conscious we are, the more in each moment we are, the better able to connect with our inner Christ.  So, yes, we are committed to more consciousness, moment by moment. To awaken from the sleep that we entered when we started becoming DOMESTICATED.

 

 

9. I make a commitment to Honesty. This is part of one’s integrity.  Honesty toward others may be easier that honesty toward one self.  But that honesty is important for the inner growth and the transformation we all are looking toward.  All these Commitments, if you have taken notice, are helping you toward knowing who you are, to transformation.

 

10. I make a commitment to Appreciation. Gratitude.  Simple.  The answer to many things.  It starts with being grateful for all your gifts…even those that do not look like gifts at the moment.  They will in the end.  So, be grateful for what comes into your life, look at it from all perspectives.  See the whole gift.

 

And speak, show that gratitude daily, in as many ways as you are able.  A simple THANK YOU works wonders.  Treat others as you would like to be treated.  THINK of others as you would like to be thought of…thoughts are energy.  Thoughts create.  SO think good thoughts – always.

 

SO, how did you do?  DO you have some things to work on?  Some items to do, to make a part of who you wish to become?

 

Anyone wish to share a bit?

CHASING RABBITS

 

Minister Fred Craddock told this strange story. He said: “I was visiting in the home of a former student of mine, and after a great dinner, the hosts excused themselves in order to put the children to bed.

 

They left me alone in the living room with the family pet, a large, friendly greyhound. With the family out of the room, I knelt down and started petting the dog. I said, ‘You’re a good doggie, a beautiful doggie…how are you doing, Mr. Greyhound?’”

 

Fred says, “I swear it’s true, that greyhound turned and looked up at me and said, ‘I’m doing great; thank you very much. Thanks for asking.’”

 

The preacher was taken aback. He had heard of miracles, but never a talking dog!

So he asks, “Are you a talking dog?”

 

The old dog barked and said, “Yes, I’m a talking dog. Rather amazing, don’t you think?”

The preacher said, “That is amazing! I understand that you used to be a racing greyhound.”

 

The dog said, “Yes, I was. But I quit.”

 

Fred said, “You quit? Why in the world did you quit? Did you quit because they didn’t treat you well?”

 

The dog said, “Oh, no, they treated me wonderfully. They gave me the best care. They brushed me every day. They fed me the best food. It was great. But I quit.”

 

“Did you quit because you didn’t like racing?” asked the preacher.

 

“Oh no,” said the greyhound. “I loved the feel of the wind in my face.”

 

“Well, why did you quit?” asked the preacher. “Was it because you never won a race?”

 

“Oh no,” said the greyhound. “I won race after race. I won lots of trophies and lots of money for my owner.”

 

“Well, then, why did you quit?” asked the preacher.

 

The dog said, “If you really want to know…one day I was running as fast as I could. I was running faster than I had ever run in my life and I caught up with the rabbit and I discovered that it wasn’t even a real rabbit! All of my life I had been running round and round in circles, trying to catch something that wasn’t even real.

 

Think about it.  Does it ring a bell with any of you?

What have you been chasing for a part of your life?  The perfect job?  Maybe the perfect home?  Often our biggie – the perfect partner or spouse?

Saving the good china for …..when?

If we believe and understand quantum physics, nothing is real…all this is an illusion.

But we all understand that we are living a human experience despite the illusion of form and substance.

So we must do what we are able to do to move forward in this physical form.  And that means being Present in the moment…whatever moment it is, for as many moments as we are able to be present.  And the more moments we are present, the happier we are, the more compassionate we are, the more at peace we are.

Let’s look at our greyhound friend from the beginning of the Lesson.  He, or she, was focused on the end of the race, the rabbit.  The dog didn’t appreciate the race at all.  The only time appreciating the race was mentioned was the feeling of the wind on its face, and at an average of over 39 mph, that would feel a bit breezy.

What’s at the end of your race?  Is it a job?  A certain amount of money to retire?  Just TO retire!

SO, then what are you missing?  One thing for sure is THE PRESENT MOMENT.

It’s all about connecting with the inner Christ so you are able to feel the peace that passes all understanding.

Our poor racing dog was even taken out of it’s normal instinct by those controlling the race.  And no reward when the race was won!  What does a dog care about trophies?

What do we care about trophies?  Are we looking at the end product or are we enjoying the ride?

Too often not even enjoying the ride.  AS we look at our journey so far in life, we too often put off until, whenever, to look within.   It happens later in life to many, when they finally think it’s time.  Or maybe a Spiritual 2×4 hit them…maybe more than once!

Our Tuesday Discussion Group is discussing “A New Earth” by Ekhart Tolle.  We have had some wonderful discussions regarding it.  We are just starting the last chapter and it is filled so with interesting wisdom, I told the class that we may have to read it word for word to get it all.

One of the interesting tidbits from Tolle is the “Three Modalities of Awakened Doing.”  We have been talking about consciousness and awakening throughout the book, and that Tolle thinks awakening or consciousness is our most important purpose, for many reasons.

Awakened Doing is just what it says….you are ‘awakened or conscious’ while you do whatever it is you are doing. That brings meaning to your work, whatever the work.  There is no dislike or stress, everything just flows.  Ever have days like that?

So, here are the 3 modalities to awakened doing:

Acceptance, enjoyment, and enthusiasm.  They each have a certain vibrational frequency of consciousness.  If you are vigilant, you can make sure that you are experiencing one of these whenever you are engaged in anything.

Briefly, acceptance – if you don’t enjoy what you are doing, if you can’t change it…then accept it…for this moment, this is what this situation requires and do it willing.  That takes the stress off immediately.  Breath in acceptance and breath out stress about the situation.

(April)?

The second modality is enjoyment.  When you accept what it is that you are to do, a sense of aliveness from that surrender turns into enjoyment.  Enjoyment will replace wanting as a motivating power behind people’s actions.  If you are enjoying what you are doing, ego is no longer an issue.

The third modality is enthusiasm, the deep enjoyment in what you do plus the added element of a goal or vision.

Think of some vision you may have held.  When you set a goal, the enthusiasm level jumped.

When Darla and O’Neal and I sat on their deck over a decade ago and said that the energy was here for a Unity, we set a goal.  As we journeyed along, the vision became clearer and the enthusiasm gained momentum as we drew others into our vision.

 

 

Our retire greyhound didn’t enjoy its work…racing.  SO there was no enthusiasm.  And since he or she could not accept that work any longer, he quit!

Now he enjoys a different a different ‘job’ and probably does so enthusiastically.

 

We’ve all heard this before, it’s the journey, not the destination.

When we begin to believe that there is greater joy in working with and for others, rather than just for ourselves, then our society will truly become a place of celebration.

Jean Vanier