Waiting

I wanted to do something a little different this week with the blog. I would like to invite my followers and readers to share some of their thoughts around a particular issue. The one that I am personally working with Spirit on right now is the concept of "waiting on God." I am sure that many of us, after having prayed for something and done all that we know to do, were asked by Spirit to just wait.

I am curious to hear about the experiences of waiting on God. What sustained you as you waited? Did what you called forth manifest? What has the experience of waiting taught you?

So, if time permits, please share your thoughts and post a comment. I am sure it will be helpful for everyone. I know it will certainly encourage me. Peace and blessings.

Our Father

From time to time to enrich my quiet time, I will add a book to use in my daily practice. I always ask for guidance from Spirit to lead me to the perfect book. This week Spirit led me to The Sermon on the Mount by Emmet Fox. It was sitting right there on my book shelf. I had read parts of it several years ago, but Spirit was asking me to once again pick it up and explore the concepts. It is a fabulous book and totally explores, in great detail, some of the most profound statements made by Jesus. I will probably be sharing a number of things from it, but today I just wanted to share about The Lord's Prayer. There is something about how he explains each verse in the prayer that brought it to life for me. Just the words "Our Father," took on a whole new meaning.

If you ever doubt that you are whole, perfect, and complete, and made in the likeness of God, you only have to remember these two words - "Our Father". These words remind us of our true nature and the true nature of all of our brothers and sisters. These two words remind us as Emmet Fox states, "that we are limbs of one Body. This thought fills my soul and renews my spirit. My prayer is that the Lord's Prayer will feed your soul as well today.

Be Impeccable With Your Word

One of my favorite books is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. It is also a favorite of one of my coaching clients. Together we are exploring the agreements in our coaching sessions. Although I have read the book many times, I am seeing so much more this time around. We just finished the first agreement - be impeccable with your word. I was just amazed at how I now see the beauty and importance of not just keeping my word to others but to myself. I now see the importance of refraining from finding fault with myself-to only speak loving things about myself. I am learning to quiet that taunting voice that wants to make me wrong or make me feel bad about myself. I also never realized how the other agreements are so dependent on this first agreement. Being impeccable with my word has me loving and accepting myself more which I know ultimately has me loving and accepting others more, just as they are. If you have not read the book or have not picked it up lately, it would be a great summer read by the pool.

The Present Moment

I am sometimes so guilty of wanting any other moment or situation than the one I currently have. The more I seem to resist the moment, the more I stay stuck and go deeper into the "mess." It is like being in quicksand, fighting against what is and tossing and turning trying to pull myself out. We all know what that gets us in the end. So, I continually try to practice being in the present moment and acknowledging it as the perfect moment. Sometimes this is easier to do than other times. I knew when I created the ten commandments that I would have to include this concept. Not living in the present moment and looking for some other moment can kill our spirits and our relationships. I am just beginning to really unravel what Tolle and others are trying to reveal to us about this concept. Here is something to ponder as you go about your day. Here is commandment number five.

5. Live in the present moment

• This is the only moment you have.
• Most of us live today as if it were yesterday.
• You know you are living in the present moment if the present moment is fine just the way it is.
• If you are complaining, whining, criticizing, or judging – you are probably not in the present moment. You want something else.

Gratitude

There is so much going on in our lives today that it is so easy to get off track and forget the really important and beautiful things in our lives. I know I fall victim to this from time to time. When what we need or desire seems to be delayed, we can go down that slippery slope of fear and uncertainty. One thing that brings me back is to focus on what I do have and return to being grateful for these blessings. There is something that happens when we move from what is missing to what is right in front of us. Life will always have its rainy days, but we don't have to get washed away in the storm and lose our footing. Our certainty and assurance is grounded in God's promise to never leave us. There is always a way out of the darkness and struggles we are experiencing. So, I thought I would share commandment number ten toady for you and for myself. Blessings.


10. Be grateful

• Foster an attitude of gratitude.
• Consider keeping a gratitude journal where you keep track of all the things you are grateful for each evening.
• Make sure you capture your accomplishments, - don’t just keep a “to do” list. Keep a list of your accomplishments as well.
• We have so many wonderful things in our lives, but it is so much easier to see what is missing.
• Whatever we focus on increases – focus on being grateful and we will get more things to be grateful for.

The Gift of Giving

I learned so much about myself and the gift of giving this weekend. I had spoken about clutter and clearing away our excess in an earlier blog. But it was interesting how I had defined for myself what was excess and what was essential. This weekend I had to “release” some of my most precious possessions and it challenged me to really reflect on what was essential. I had been saving a lot of the things belonging to my son, because I wanted to hang on to them. I did not think I could part with them. But with God’s grace and love, I was able to let them go and be peaceful about it.

Later in the weekend as I reflected on the love and support I received on Saturday, I wanted to continue to receive revelations about this experience. So I kept asking, "what else is there for me to learn?" I could hear Spirit speak so clearly and tell me "to not hold on to things for tomorrow that can be used by someone else today." It was a wonderful reminder and something I will use forever. I remember Wayne Dyer talking about giving away things and he challenged us to give away the things we loved, not just the things we no longer need or desire.

I can speak from experience now what an amazing gift we give to ourselves when we do this. I know my son is pleased with what I did this weekend. I know he is happy that others are able to enjoy his things and they are not sitting in my private museum. In his words, I can hear him say, “It’s all good mom and I am proud of you.”