A Vehicle

There is always a vehicle through which God brings us closer to Him. This can be an experience that continues to repeat itself, a person, a problem such as the loss of a job, etc. It can be all of these things at different times. Maybe it is a friend with whom you have had a long relationship and it turns sour. Some of these vehicles may be short lived, and others may be over a long time, such as the ups and downs in a marriage. Unfortunately, for some the vehicle may come as a tragedy or a disease because we have not listened to God's signals up to that point. But it doesn't have to be that way. The vehicle can be easy if we recognize it early on and surrender to the growth opportunity it is trying to bring. Everything and everyone you experience has the purpose of helping us to remember Him and His Love. It awakens the Christ within us. Sometimes we go through little moves toward Him, and sometimes we go through big moves. And sometimes it appears that we have taken steps back, but you are always on the path to Him, always moving with this purpose.

Expectations

Expectations will bring you nothing but disappointment. Sure, you can expect the mail to be delivered or your son to take out the garbage, but I am talking about expectations you have about what your loved ones and friends should say, how they should act, etc. When we place expectations on someone close to us, we are giving that person a burden, sometimes a conscious one and sometimes an unconscious one. And people resent burdens. In effect, you are saying to them that they are not good enough as they are --- that they have to change or do something differently to meet your standard of acceptance. If you love me, you will ....

When a relationship is based on unspoken expectations, it is not authentic. It is not based on complete honesty, which is what centers us in God. If you and the other person can get to the point where you can voice your expectations of each other, and you can voice how this makes you feel in terms of resentment and being a burden, you are breaking down barriers to allow Love to reveal itself. These barriers have prevented you from seeing each other for who you truly are. What you have been seeing is the false image each of you needs to be in each other's eyes, because your expectations of this other person are a crutch that you want in order to uphold and validate a false image you have of yourself. When you know your Oneness with Him, you need no outside validation. You already have the Kingdom.

In marriage even the belief that your spouse should love you is an expectation that is false. It is a false construct that has arisen from society. Imagine the quality of the Love that can come from your spouse, not because you expect it, but because they want to give it, joyously and unconditionally. This Love is very close to the Love that God has for you and you for Him.

An amazing thing happens when you have no expectations. Everything you receive is a gift! And you are so very grateful for these gifts which begin to spread to all areas of your life. How would it feel to be so grateful for every aspect of your life from every experience you have to every person you encounter?

Giving to Others

When you give to others, do you do it because you think that this meets the expectations of your family or maybe society? Do you think this is what God wants from you? Do you do it because this makes you feel better about yourself, maybe that you are needed? What is the motive, if any, behind your giving --- do you get upset if you are not acknowledged for giving so much of yourself?

If there is a motive, then your giving has strings attached, and your giving "takes away" from you. This is the state where you are always feeling depleted and not taking care of yourself. You give, but there is nothing to replenish, and this can breed resentment in you.

When you give simply because you want to, you have an endless supply with which to give. You are energized, not depleted. This giving is spontaneous and filled with joy. It springs up in you, directly supplied by God, as you are the clear vessel through which He spreads Love. This giving is what you really want to do, because this is what you were created to do. We create through the giving of what we are --- Love. As you give from a joy filled center, you are like a fountain with an endless supply of water. The more you give, the more you have to give. The act of giving is what creates more to give. This is G.I.A. --- God In Action. You are Self less, not self full.

The Right Door

God shuts the doors we are not supposed to go through and opens the ones we are meant to go through. Why do keep trying to go through the wrong ones? Because we are not listening to Him. We think we can do it, that we know what is best. If we will only listen, the River of Life will carry us effortlessly. Life is not meant to be difficult. It is our stubbornness, resistance, fear, and arrogance that makes life appear to be hard.

Who Are You?

What is the concept you have of yourself? Does it have meaning? Take some time today to sit quietly by yourself. Close your eyes and for a moment act like you have amnesia. You do not know how old you are. You do not know what has happened in your life so you have no past to retreat to nor to base any current concepts on. You do not know what you look like. You do not know who or really what you are. Into this space flows Him. Now you truly remember. This is truly who you are and this is what is real.

Self Worth

Your self worth is not based on what you look like, how wealthy or smart you are, what kind of job you have, and even whether your spouse or significant other loves you. Your self worth is based on your relationship with Him.

How Do You Create More ...

How do you create more of what you want? You create through enthusiasm, gratitude, passion, and joy. These act as fertilizer to the seedling, the idea which you have planted and which you want to grow. Once you think it, you must feel it. Being enthusiastic, being grateful, being passionate, and being joyful is what tells God to proceed full steam ahead. When we fees these qualities as part of our being, we are present, in the now. The now supercharges what you want to create, because when you are feeling the above, you are acting as if  you already have what you want. By affirming what you would feel if you already had what you want, you are actually achieving it now. It may not manifest immediately as Jesus was able to do, but you can see what is possible within the Kingdom. As he said, you can move mountains.

The difficulty for some people in following the above is that they do not see "evidence" or manifestation of what they want to happen. The Sun is hidden by clouds, but you have faith that it is still there. Just because that idea which is your seedling has not popped its head above ground does not mean that it is not growing. If you get discouraged and stop feeling what it would be to create what you want, you are putting your seedling in a drought. And it can die depending on what you do. A lot of people attribute this to God not favoring them, which is really a way of saying that He is punishing them. But God does not punish --- He only loves.

When you want to create something, you must know that you have the power of the gardener. You must continually water and fertilize, and you must know, must truly believe, that the power of creation is at your disposal. Even when appearances show the contrary and it seems that the seedling will never pop its head above ground,  have faith and remember what is real --- you, God, and the power of creation.

Anger and Guilt

One of the interesting things about the dialogue I am having with individuals on The Divine Speaks Facebook page is that God guides me to topics through some of the troubles people are posting about.

Anger and guilt are two peas in a pod. It is very natural to feel guilty about getting angry, especially if you have directed that anger at those you love. This certainly was the case for me. But when you feel guilty about getting angry, you are only perpetuating the anger. No one wants to feel guilty about anything. So what the vast majority of people do is project out that guilt to other individuals, groups, nations, etc. If you blame someone for something, you are projecting out your own guilt. It seems that we can project out something and get rid of it, but this is not the case. Just as a ray of the sun is not separate from it source, an idea cannot be separate from the mind which created it. So your guilt cannot be "disposed" of.

Anger is the vehicle through which we attempt to project guilt. But usually what happens is that this anger creates more guilt in us, and the more guilt we feel, the angrier we get. Look at all of the people who have anger that boils over at times. "Boiling over" is a great term for this, because it is literally like keeping a lid on pot of boiling water. It will stay down a large part of the time, but the water will come out. Anger like this is called sideways anger, because you cannot anticipate what will make the lid pop off. This sideways anger appears to be attached to something that happens, but it is not that. It comes from a deep reservoir of anger that springs from guilt or springs from something that occurred in the past, likely childhood issues. Sideways anger cannot be controlled, because it is not related to what is occurring at that moment. What is occurring then is only the trigger for the anger from the past. Anger is always from the past. You are only mad or guilty about something that happened before.

The only way to heal this anger is to discover what the true source of the anger is. Many people will not know the source --- it may be something that happened in childhood that you don't remember as God protected you. But if it is coming up sideways, it is meant for you to heal from it. After you recognize the source, you can then express anger for that source. Anger is not coming up to punish you or make you feel guilty. It is coming up so that you can release it. You are releasing some type of false beliefs, and when you release false beliefs, magic happens! God is there.

Back to the topic of this post, if you feel guilty about expressing anger, recognize that this is not serving you. It is only taking you down a negative spiral. Forgive and have compassion on yourself for the anger. Anger is going to come up while we are here on this earth. So honor it while at the same time recognize that you would prefer to not be an angry person. And as you learn to not feel guilty about your anger, there will be less of it and more of God's peace. This is a process that really never ends. Be easy on yourself as you grow in your remembrance back to God.

Soften the Edges

When you are having a lot of worry about a certain situation, or you are experiencing a lot of antagonism with another person, soften the edges around those experiences. For instance, if there is someone who you have to deal with and you are having a hard time getting along, in your mind see yourself and that person standing near each other. Instead of well defined and separate bodies, blur the edges. If you can blend the edges, that is even better. For a situation that is worrying you or even causing you anger, see yourself having that reaction. Watch yourself as you do, and then soften the edges around that reaction.

When we soften the edges, we are seeing more in grey than black and white. This allows more of God guidance to enter. It allows you to see the situation or the person in a little different light, and then this can act as the catalyst for a larger change in how you see it. The larger change will bring you the peace you want around this person or this situation.

You can even soften the edges around "past" events or people that are no longer in your life. This may allow you to close a chapter on a situation or a personal encounter that you wish had ended differently. If you see it differently, then it truly has changed.

The Most Important Words and Encounters ...

The most important words and encounters with others are what? Is it the prayer you say to God? Or is it the word you say to a friend who has lost her husband? Is it the quiet moments with your spouse or children, touching them or giving them a hug? Or are the words " I love you" the most important? Everyone would probably give a different answer.

The most important words and encounters are the very next ones. Every encounter with someone, from the most minor to a lifelong relationship, and every word you say, every thought you have, has the power to change lives. Every single one creates a ripple effect that goes way beyond what you can imagine. We want to categorize certain words/experiences/encounters as greater than another, but this is false. They only appear to be greater. Every encounter you have has the potential and is meant to bring about a remembrance in both people. You are helping each other to remember your Oneness with God and who you really are; thus each encounter is holy.

So as you go through your daily routine, when you share an elevator, or when you pass someone in the grocery, remember what the purpose of these seemingly random encounters is. As you do that, you will begin to remember Him, to see Him in everyone and everything, to feel His Presence, and to feel His Love.

Grace

Through His Grace were we created. In His Grace do we live. With His Grace do we love. As His Grace do we become His Beloved. Grace is your holy and blessed inheritance.

 

Respect, Compassion, and Acceptance

Respect, compassion, and acceptance are the foundations of Love. Without these three, Love cannot be present. All three of these start with ourselves and then flow outward. If you cannot have compassion on yourself, then you will not be able to have it for others. All three of these are also tied into self judgment and judgment of others. Non judgment means complete acceptance. As the inner goes, so does the outer. If you accept and respect yourself for who and what you are, you will accept others as they are. Complete acceptance gives you peace, because there is nothing you need to control or do. Complete acceptance allows you to see God within yourself and within others, again as the inner goes so does the outer. Complete acceptance means no changes are required --- God is whole, God is One, God is perfect as is. When we are compassionate, we acknowledge that we cannot judge, based on our belief system, what it means to walk in another's shoes. As we acknowledge this, we reinforce the knowing that we are part of the body of God, part of Love. Just as fear, anger, judgment, and blame are the foundation of this false world, compassion, respect, acceptance, non judgment, and Love make up the foundation of our journey back to God.

The Body

How much time, energy, and money do we spend beautifying and repairing the body? Can we turn our face away from God, from Christ, any further? We have stretched the rubber band as far as it can go, and now it will break. This society glorifies the body when we should be glorifying God. Our bodies are the holy temples that God expresses and works through, and we want to be as healthy as we can so that God has a clear vessel through which His light can shine. But making the body a clean vessel and glorifying the body are completely different. The former simply acknowledges that the body just is; it can be used to bless and spread Love, or it can be used to spread fear and hate. It does not have an agenda of its own. It simply acts in accordance with your wishes. If we glorify the body, we are placing it on a pedestal above God. We are worshiping a false idol. We are worshiping something that will go back to dust. Only you and God are eternal.

Faith

Faith is not something that is increased by things happening outside of you such as miracles or divine coincidences. Because you are One with God, your faith is complete. As you release your false beliefs, you uncover those things which are blocking you from seeing that your faith has always been there. It is not the outside events or experiences which increase your faith. It is your complete faith which creates and brings you these outside miracles or events. The more evident this reality becomes to you, the greater the number of miracles/events which you bring to yourself. It is a nice upward cycle of faith. Your faith will be tested at times, not because you are being punished, but so that you will see how very strong your faith truly is

Can You Make a Difference?

If you are in a completely dark house, what happens when you light just one candle?

Each of us is a piece of a large puzzle. The puzzle is incomplete without the piece that is you. Not only are you critical to the puzzle, you are critical to the pieces around you. These pieces cannot go into the puzzle unless you are already in there. We are all dependent on each other to complete the puzzle. The puzzle is God.

All or Nothing

Are you the creator of what happens to you in this dream, or is everything that happens to you not created by you? If everything is not created by you, who is creating what happens to you? Or is everything that happens to you totally random? I assume that if you are reading this, then God is important in your life. Do you believe that God creates everything that happens to you, or does He only create part of what happens to you? If so, what parts are the ones He creates? How does He choose?

Your belief system may incorporate several things from above, and these beliefs may change often as you have certain experiences. Maybe if you have a "good" experience, He has created that, but if you have a "bad" experience, then you cannot quite understand why He created that. Or maybe you think He only creates good experiences. We talked about things blending to grey in a previous post, but this is a different situation, as this is truly one way or the other. God cannot be active in your life only at certain times. You cannot create only at certain times. If so, that would mean complete randomness and chaos in the body of God. So in order to understand from a higher perspective why we have certain experiences, we need to first build the foundation of the house. This foundation is that there can be no partiality, otherwise God would not be One. Either everything is random, which would be very scary for all of us, or the other option is that God or we create everything that happens to us. The belief that God doles out good and bad experiences is consistent with the ego view that everything is separate, especially God. But from our perspective of Oneness, we know that God is not separate from us, thus He expresses through us. We are One with Him, and you can say that we create what happens to each of us with Him. Since there can be no partiality, everything that happens to us is created by us.

So now the question may arise as to why you create "bad" experiences for yourself. But that is a question based on wrong assumptions, kind of like asking whether you take a Ford or Chevy to drive across the lake ( it is a question that makes no sense based on your belief system). From a perspective of Oneness, we can see that this world is a dream of separation. We are the writer of the play that we are staging, and we are also the main character in the play. But we need to make sure that when we are acting in the play, we remember that it is a play. We cannot take it as real. Everything (no partiality) that happens in the play is meant to bring us back to a remembrance of Oneness with Him. When we see from this perspective, we know that there cannot be any "bad" experiences. Bad and good are an ego perspective. Sometimes it is very hard to see this in the midst of tragedy, but His Love, His blessings, and His Presence is in the midst of everything, in all experiences, from the greatest blessings to the worst tragedies. Nothing happens that is random, and nothing happens as punishment.

The Past

What binds us to the past? Nothing can, but we believe we are bound to it by the power we give to regrets, guilt, self judgment, unforgiveness, anger, shame, etc. There is a difference between being in the present moment and remembering a past experience versus living in the past. In the former you remember, you re-experience, the feeling of joy and love from an experience such as your marriage or the birth of a child. Although this happened in the "past", you are bringing it to the present moment, which is all that exists, through the vehicle of those attributes you inherited from God --- joy, peace, and love. In the latter, you are not living in the present moment, because the power you give to regret (just one example) binds you to no mans land. The past does not really exist, so you are not there, but neither are you in the present moment, because in this one moment, nothing false exists (regrets, guilt, etc).

If we have regrets, we are saying more than the fact that we wish we could have done it differently. We are beating ourselves up (guilt, self judgment, unforgiveness --- all legs on the same stool), and not allowing ourselves to experience the wonder, joy, and peace that comes from the present moment. Now, you can say that you wish you had done something differently but be in the present moment. We all have things that we would have liked to have done differently, but we can choose how we look at these "regrets", and we can choose whether we judge ourselves.

How do we take a "negative" experience that happened in the past and let it go? We think differently about what happened. For instance, if you had something traumatic happen in your childhood, you now have the benefit of a much wiser perspective as an adult. What that little boy or girl thought at the time the experience happened is very understandable, but you are now an adult, and it is likely that your resources to heal from that experience are completely different. By staying in the present moment and bringing that experience into that moment, you can transform it. We heal things by bringing them to the present moment. That is where He is, and when we come to the present moment, we are acknowledging who we are and our innate ability to heal ourselves.

Trust

Think about something you really want to happen. Do you trust, are you 100% certain, that God will make it happen? If not, why not?

My terminology in saying that God will make it happen is not the best. A better way to say it is that God and you will make it happen as He expresses through you. How can you know with certainty that something is going to happen? Well, you have the POWER to make anything happen. But I am not talking about moving mountains here (although that is the case) --- I am referring to something like the publication of a book, a promotion at work, a solution to a problem. Your task is to believe with 100% certainty and trust that it will happen. How it happens, and the time frame it happens, is not up to you. That is where God comes in. You have expressed your need, and you know that it will be taken care of. All you have to do is sit back and follow the guidance of what you need to do to make it happen. You don't have to worry about the details, as you completely trust the end result.

Unfortunately, what happens for a lot of people is that they start out with a very high trust level, and then something happens which makes them doubt a little. Instead of concentrating on the end result, they are worrying about the details, and they begin to doubt the end result. Something may happen after that which is "good". It reinforces their trust. Then another "bad" thing. You do not want to be smacked around by the daily ups and downs. These are appearances. Everything could look very bleak, but a "miracle" could happen at anytime. Miracles come about through 100% faith and trust. So make your perspective a very high one, and leave the "driving" up to God.

The Great Teachers

When you look for a great teacher, you are looking for someone who is "close" to God. While there may be a number of people that fit this role, you can look no further than children you see every day. They are GIA --- God in Action. Because they have "recently" been with Him, they are not "tainted" by the world and adults. The younger they are, the less they have been taught to act and conform a certain way. They express "true" emotions, and by that I mean that they freely show what they are feeling. They have no agenda in their interactions.

Look at the joy on a child's face as he or she plays a game. Everything is a wonder to them, because everything IS a wonder, and they see it for what it is. They not only live in the joy that is our inheritance form God, they ARE the joy. This is the same joy that you see on the face of the mystics and prophets, past and present. They know this world is not real, so why would they let their joy be affected by any experience or any person. They have no expectations or agendas.

Anger is an emotion that scares many of us. We are afraid to let our anger out, and we are afraid to be on the receiving end of someone else's anger. It brings up the belief that there is guilt attached to someone, and we run from guilt. Thus, a large majority of people do not know how to express their anger in the right fashion, because anger is not to be feared. People either keep it bottled up, which leads to depression and/or disease, or they let it out in inappropriate ways by screaming at or demeaning someone. But look at the raw unfiltered anger of a 2 year old throwing a temper tantrum. They are not judging themselves for doing it, and they do not have an agenda. They are just mad, and once it is over, it is over. There is no afterthought about it.

Now, let's talk about the emotion of fear. Look at the fear and terror on a child's face who is either being hit or screamed at by an adult. For a lot of us, we had similar experiences when we were children, and when you see that happening to a child, your heart melts for that child. Having the feelings of great compassion and sadness for that child is certainly enough for you to want to not do that to your own kids, and really for everyone you encounter.

The fear experienced by a child who is going through something like that is real. It is a raw unfiltered emotion. Unfortunately, that emotion is not one that a child benefits from. Once that fear is experienced by the child a number of times, the child becomes tainted by these interactions. They "learn" to speak or act in a way that limits these experiences, and once they do that, they are no longer the free beings they were when they entered this dream. This happens at different ages for different kids. Blessed are those parents who do not let their judgments or agenda affect who that child is MEANT to be. The saying "becoming more open" is no accident. When we do this, we are returning to a place we were before, one where we express our emotions and feelings in a forthright but non hurtful manner. We are literally opening so that God can express through us in a very demonstrative way.