Identified by Love
Union with others is established as my own heart and mind align. Aloofness and emotional withdrawal occur in relationships when I feel separated from my own true being. When I take care of the root, the branches bear good fruit. If I focus on a branch instead, then every relational offshoot is weakened. The key to restoration is underground. Winds blow and branches sway; but a strong root system empowers any relationship to weather the storm. Feelings that trigger emotional outbursts are like storm systems, temporal in nature. I feel what I feel, but the feelings do not form my...
Read MoreRest
With a hunger to find God, I found the whole of who I am. He is the principle I long to recognize, the character I long to possess, and the freedom I need to just be me. He establishes my foundation and builds the walls that fortify my city. He is my soundness of mind, my balance, my ability to partner, to parent, to originate, to cultivate, to create, to establish, and to secure. The anguish of certain actions in life have merely been consequences leading to new patterns of living. Over time I have learned that life is learned over time. Life is filled with vital lessons in...
Read MoreThe Irresistible “Woo”
“Mountains crumble in the presence of those who know how to wait, watch, and then boldly walk through the passage that appears before them.” –Guy Finley Mike and I don’t fully understand this place we’ve entered; but somehow, in spite of the darkness (or maybe because of it), we are comprehending what aids our trust and are letting go of that which opposes it. God got smaller in our eyes each time our attention shifted to “our part” in procuring change. Real change occurs – and when it comes it’s not optional; it is God who makes...
Read MoreUndivided Trust
Forgiveness makes me feel better, regardless of the response. Forgiveness, like love and respect, is unconditional. I forgive because it is who I am; it has nothing to do with merit. Even trust is without contingence (although I was taught that trust is earned). I trust simply because I feel better when I do – determining that trust, like love, is a part of who I am. If my trust is abused, I trust on… remaining in agreement with my true being. The way I see it, everybody wins – I’m true to myself, and the trust I extend is more likely to draw out the best in...
Read MoreRemember the New Creation!
When I revisit the illusion that I can alter my own condition impatience anxiously awaits. The pressure coaxes me to bow to the image of a separate self and to demand improvement from myself. If I bow, disappointment steers my perception. Doubt and discouragement flourish – and for good reason – for when expectations are grounded in the belief that I can ”will a change” apart from God then I am destined for yet another object lesson in the impotence of mankind. Self-doubt thrives in separated thinking. Negative perceptions such as, “I’m not good...
Read MoreEasy Steps
Every urge to fix myself is a temptation designed to thwart faith and strengthen the illusion of independence. I am provoked to prove an identity that does not exist. Temptation tries to move me into a position of separated thinking. Dismissing the urge is a continual lesson in letting go. The enticement to take matters into my own hands or to try to make something happen is subliminal. Beliefs below the threshold of conscious thought continually incite the effort to manufacture change. If I take the bait, faith is undermined by inevitable failure. Failure is inevitable because...
Read More