My Shift

“Doesn’t back seat driving drive you nuts?” I asked my mom.

“Not really.” She replied. “I appreciate it because they might see something I don’t.”

And with that simple exchange several years ago my attitude began to transform. The wisdom of my mom’s perspective was, I believe, God speaking to me through her.

There are a couple people who are my back seat drivers. Before I had that brief conversation with my mom, I bristled every time one of them told me how to drive. After all I have been driving for over 40 years. Do they think I’m stupid? My defenses erupt. Thinking someone else considers me stupid isn’t pleasant and neither is feeling my defenses erupt.

Wednesday’s Daily Word was Transformed. Here are some parts of the meditation: “I look into my heart to see what I can shift to better align with God…. I affirm: I trust God’s power to renew and change my life. I am transformed in mind, body and spirit. Repeating this statement many times leads me to change the way I think.”

I knew I had made a positive and healthy shift when, this week, my husband and I decided to go see the movie “Mr. Holmes.” I was the driver that day. As I pulled onto Interstate 78, I said to him: “You need to be prepared.”

“Why?”

“Because you have to pick our parking place.”

“Oh, okay. I think I can do that.”

And we laughed.

The meditation ends with “I am grateful for the power of God!”

Amen to that.

~ JEAN

P.S. The movie was very good.

Unexpected Blessings

This past week, while I was on vacation at the shore, I happened to pick up my copy of the book “Break Out! 5 Keys to Go Beyond Your Barriers and Live an Extraordinary Life” by Joel Osteen.   Part of my morning routine is to read something inspirational before sitting down for meditation.  And on this particular day, Mr. Osteen’s book was exactly what I needed.

In one chapter, entitled “Explosive Blessings,” he talks about how we should always be ready to receive unexpected blessings.  

Boardwalk - Photo Credits to Dave Stoker

“You may think your current situation is permanent.  You’ve been there a long time, and you can’t see how you could ever move up.   All the facts are telling you it’s impossible that things will improve, but God has ways to increase you that you’ve never dreamed of.  He’s saying today, ‘You need to get ready.  I have explosive blessings coming your way.  Where you are is not permanent.  I will take you higher . . . I will suddenly change things for the better in your life.’ ”

The encouraging words from this chapter created a tremendous shift in consciousness for me.   They helped to begin to free me from a cycle of negativity and frustration which was beginning to feel like a new permanent way of being for me.

After I finished my reading and completed my meditation, I went out for a run on the boardwalk.  As I ran south, the wind was at my back and running was easy.  But when I turned to go north, I was running into the wind, and it was difficult.  On any other day, I might have given up and started to walk instead.  But having just read that God can turn things around at any moment, I found that I had more stamina to deal with my current challenge. 

I’ve been reading a little from the same book each day before my meditation.   Although Joel Osteen and I differ in many ways in our understanding of God, I believe that he has the third Unity principle down pat – “we create our own reality through our thoughts and beliefs.”  And my thoughts and beliefs could use a little pick-me-up recently, so I’m very, very thankful for his inspirational words.
  

~REBECCA

 

Beauty

I see beauty all around me today:

I've named her Callie

Our first dahlia

I woke up this morning to 63 degree temperature, sun and a cool breeze. Perfect as I walked my doggies! "Our" feral cats were about this morning - there are six including the one that lets me pet her and pick her up - not the most beautiful of cats, but beautiful in my eyes. Newcomers to our garden this summer are several spectacular dahlia plants. It gives me a hint of what Katherine Ballantyne's gardens must look like.

And at Unity:

When I walked into our office this morning, greeting me was the beautiful bouquet of snapdragons Katherine brought for last Sunday's service - sitting on my desk. These are also from her gardens. Wonderful sight.

Dave Moran dropped by with supplies for the kitchen. He shops for Unity when he's out doing his own personal shopping. Thank you, Dave. Bob Faltings is push-mowing the lawn today. As all of us who have lawns know, as we are blessed with rain so are we blessed with rapidly growing grass. Thank you, Bob. Connie Wilson and all the Joel Goldsmith/Infinite Way students have just passed through my office this morning. They are a happy group are studying "The Altitude of Prayer" right now.

Our kitchen renter is in today. She is mourning the loss of her father last Thursday. I totally honor the beauty and purity of her love for and of her grief for her father. And yet she has faith and joy that he is with her mom now.

From the Daily Word for today: "When I look at the world with loving eyes, I see God expressed in all things....Beholding God's glorious creation, my heart is filled with love and gratitude."

I affirm:

I see beauty in and around me.

~ JEAN

My Desktop

I recently changed my desktop image at Unity to this:

When I turn on my computer at work, I smile, take a deep breath and am filled with gratitude. This image reminds me to let go and let God. I don't have to worry about Unity. Unity is God's church. My job is to get on with the things I have to do today: finish Unity's First Quarter Highlights, change the toilet paper, put the bulletins in the backs of the seats for Sunday's service, invite the usher/greeter team to volunteer for the Sundays in July and August, do the deposit and send an events calendar to Natural Awakenings magazine for their next issue.

I credit Unity with teaching me that I don't have to have the answers. In fact, I'm learning to turn my questions over to God too.

Holy Spirit often sends me answers over night. I wake up with some direction or a resolution to a situation I have been "Golden Keying." Rebecca wrote a description of Emmet Fox' concept of  the Golden Key prayer in her last post on Prayers. I "Golden Key" everything now.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not perfect at this. I have my "knee-jerk" reactions and I've learned to have them in safe places with safe people - my husband, my sister and a couple good friends. I have my worries and I'm grateful that I've learned to stop the worrying sooner rather than later and turn the situation over to God.

I love a visual spiritual reminder in front of my face whenever I turn on my computer at Unity. My wish for each of you is that you find your own similar regular spiritual reminder.

~ JEAN