Grateful for Abundance

My husband and I left Sunday afternoon right after church for Panama City, FL. We were going down to meet up with some divers to get our advanced certification. We were clipping along at a pretty good pace when we had a complete blow-out. We limped our way over to the right side of the road out of traffic and called Triple A. The kind of truck my husband drives does not have a spare tire, so we had to get a room for the night and spend time the next morning locating someone with the kind of tire that goes on his car. Our plan B was to rent a car and pick up the truck on our way home.

As we sat by the interstate waiting for our tow truck, we talked about how grateful we were that we are in the financial position to make this simply an inconvenience rather than an emergency. We talked about how grateful we were for our abundance.

We talk often about abundance in Unity. We say that we deserve it and that God is an abundant God. Sometimes it feels very abstract. It is at times like this that I see how our abundance gives us a safety cushion for when life does hit. I know that money is not our source and at the same time, I am thankful that for today, we are financially blessed enough to be able to do things we love like diving along with the ability to handle the mishaps that come with life.

My desire is that everyone experiences the kind of abundance that allows them to do the things they love and to be able to take care of the inconveniences that come along. We as a ministry are here to assist people with creating that kind of abundance in their lives, whatever that may look like for each person. I again saw first hand how it is not an abstract teaching but a real nuts and bolts principle to live. I continue to stay committed to facilitating others and myself so we all can experience the abundant life that Jesus taught and modeled for us.

PS-We got the tire fixed that day, headed down to Florida, got our dives in and will be advanced certified when we get back to Murfreesboro. We now sit in a beautiful condominium right on the beach with the ocean serenading us as we settled down for the evening. God is good and I am so blessed.
Abundant blessings for all.

Where is God in all of this?

This morning, I watched with the rest of the country as events unfolded around the tragic event at Virginia Tech. My heart has been heavy all day as I think about the victims and their families as well as the young man who was driven to commit such an act. There are so many questions that we just don't have answers to. What drives someone to do this? In Unity we teach that God is absolute and that we can never separate ourselves from God and God's love. At the same time, we live in a relative world where we see separation and pain and loss. It is in this world where we see ourselves alone, disconnected and abandon. I can only imagine the deep sense of disconnect that young man must have experienced. And now, there are 32 families who are struggling with their own sense of anger, helplessness and loss. The question then becomes, "Where is God in all of this?" That is where we keep our hearts open so that God can express through us. When we feel the sorrow of this loss, we are staying connected to one another. When we open our hearts with compassion and generosity, we are allowing God to be present. The absolute principle is always present. The potential for love is never absent. It is up to us especially at a time like this for each one of us to stay true to what we teach about God's love. I have taken the time today to call and text people to let them know that they matter to me. The reports say that no one knew the young gentleman who committed this act. What if we take the time to get to know someone who is not normally on our radar? Can this simple act make a difference? I have to believe it does. I cannot do anything directly for the people in Virginia. I can hold them in my heart and honor them and our humanity with my tears and sorrow. Then, I can step out of myself and approach someone I wouldn't normally talk to and let them know that they matter. Maybe this simple act can make a difference for someone so they feel less alone and isolated. That is all I know to do with something like this.

How much good can I allow?

We showed the Secret last night and it was wonderful. We had almost 40 people there sharing the experience. During the discussion afterwards, someone made the comment that sometimes it is God's will for us to wait for our good. I heard how I have thought and said the same thing for so long. That has been a belief that I have worked with quite a bit. For a long time, I believed that God withheld things from me. It was like God teased me with a dream then said that you can't have it right now.

Today, I realize that it is not God that withholds my good, but it is me. It may be that I see a vision or have a desire and in order to allow it into my life, I must grow in some area. It may be the reason for the desire is so I will grow a particular quality or heal a limiting belief. So, if I find myself waiting for good, that is not a bad thing. But, it is not God withholding it from me either. It is like when I was in college. I had to finish the course of study before I was ready to do the work I prepared for.

It is the same thing with accepting God's gifts into our lives. It may be that we need a time of training or growth in order to be able to fully utilize the gift. The time between the initial desire and its manifestation is the time when I prepare myself to allow it. I grow in my sense of worthiness, value and capability and the Universe designs it perfectly so I can full enjoy my new abundance. Life is sweet!

Our reason for being

For whatever the reason, I have noticed the news more recently. I hear the reports on how the science on global warming has been watered down by the time it has been presented to the public. I hear how things are much worse than any of us were told. I hear how fighting continues in Iraq and about the violence here at home. I sometimes feel overwhelmed and helpless by it all wondering what we can possibly do to make a difference.

Then I see the people who come to church on Sunday and during the week for classes. I see people getting involved and working for something they believe in by offering their time, their talent and their financial support. I see how their lives are changing. I see how people are more loving in their relationships and more aware of their environment. People see themselves as the way that God gives glory to our world and in turn they see it in those around them. They change. And this change does ripple out and affect others and our world. There are so many other groups doing the same thing and we are changing the face of the planet.

It feels like a slow process and sometimes I wonder if we are making any headway at all. Then I see the reports on how individually we are making a difference in our communities and our world. My vision all along for our ministry has been to create an atmosphere where people can awaken to their splendor. My belief is while we do that, we offer that same experience and belief for others. When we recgonize how life is sacred, we become incapable of doing harmful things to each other and our world. This is how we are going to reduce the stories of war and violence and destruction and send the reporters scrambling for news because there is very little bad news anymore.

Some people say I am unrealistic, that I live in the clouds. Yet, there has to be those of us who believe in the goodness of humanity and the presence of Spirit. We hold the high watch and support each other as we do our own growth and invite others into their spiritual splendor.
Sounds like a good topic for a talk! :)

The Forgiveness Process Continues

The forgiveness process continues. Last week, I encourage our radical forgiveness class to fill out a forgiveness worksheet every day. That is operating under the assumption that someone will disappoint us at least once during the day. In my humanity, I can safely say that I will have unrealistic expectations of someone who will not fill them. As a minister, I cannot ask those in the congregation to do something that I am not willing to do. So, I have filled a sheet out every day since last Wednesday. I am amazed at how the same feelings, beliefs and patterns keep showing up no matter what the situation. It has been incredibly eye-opening for me. I knew that my beliefs colored the way I see the world. This has made it tangible in a way that I am starting to recognize it before it can grow and fester. I see much more clearly now that my experience has very little to do with what is really happening. It is all about how I see things and my perception is based on my beliefs. I have some intense grief as I see my patterns and at the same time, I experience great feelings of expansiveness and awareness of my connection to humanity. I am eager to see what will happen after 49 days of this practice. Stay tuned.