Doing or Being Faith

Yesterday I realized that I had dropped the ball on a project for this year's Friends of the Hunterdon County Library Annual Book Sale coming up in May. Why? Because this year's sale has lots of challenges - in fact it won't be like any year before - no familiar routines, no models to fall back on, no blueprint to help guide the committee.

I started to worry and pace the floor of my bedroom. "This is going to be a disaster." "We won't get everything done in time for the sale." Panic - that was what I was feeling.

Then I stopped pacing. "Wait a minute!" I reminded myself: "This is so unproductive. I know that the book sale will go fine, one way or another. I know that all will be well."

One reason I was able to remind myself of these more affirming messages is because of  a statement by Sharon Salzberg in her book entitled Faith. (Rebecca, my 12 Powers study partner, found this book at the Hunterdon County Library.) Salzberg writes that faith is a verb. Faith is something we do, not something that we have. At first I didn't get the difference. If I have faith then all will go well at the book sale. Then I realized that as I was affirming that all would be well at the book sale, I was doing or being faith. And it felt great.

Two recent Daily Words also gave me good advice this week. The Daily Word for Tuesday was Comfort. The meditation begins: "In good times and difficult times, I open myself to the comforting love of Spirit. I relax into this Presence and let it soothe my emotions and bring peace to my mind."

When I was being faith I felt calm and was able to put aside my concerns, sit down in front of our wood-burning stove as the fire was blazing away and pick up a book to read. Again I don't know if I can convey to you just how GREAT that felt.

Wednesday's Daily Word - Present Moment - reinforced my feelings. The meditation begins: "I may catch myself regretting the past or worrying about the future. Yet I know such preoccupation is not helpful to me. In truth, the present moment is all there is, so I choose to live fully in the now."

Even though it's February now, I will finish the book on Faith, January's power (or ability) before I move on to February's power - Strength. Being a study partner with Rebecca is a pleasure.

~ JEAN

Twelve Powers - Faith

Today is day 339 of my 365-day experiment with practicing the Law of Mind Action, and I’ve begun a new study that intertwines nicely with my current “research.”  I am working with the Twelve Powers as described by Charles Fillmore in his book The Twelve Powers of Man.   Fillmore claimed that each individual possesses twelve spiritual abilities, in varying degrees of development, which Jesus expressed fully and which each of us can learn to express in our own daily lives.

I’m working with Fillmore’s book and with a second book which is required reading for Unity Institute’s S.E.E. (Spiritual Education and Enrichment) course on the Twelve Powers.  Power Up!  by Unity ministers Rev. Dr. Paul Hasselbeck and Rev. Dr. Cher Holton simplifies and modernizes the sometimes difficult-to-read Fillmore text.   The Unity Worldwide Ministries website also offers some material on the Twelve Powers at http://www.unity.org/resources/twelve-powers/twelve-powers. Plus, Jean has decided to join me in this study! So I’m feeling blessed with an abundance of materials and rich conversations from which to draw insights and knowledge.

The Twelve Powers correspond nicely with the months of the year - perfect for my Type-A brain, which prefers to study things in a logical, methodical, back-in-school kind of way.  The power for January was Faith, and I spent the month of January immersed in readings on this topic.  In addition to the Unity materials I mentioned above, I also checked the library for books on the subject of Faith, and I found one I loved called Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience by Sharon Salzberg, a Buddhist meditation teacher.

At the beginning of January, I had noticed I was feeling resistant to the idea of exploring the subject of Faith.  There was something about Faith that seemed too vague and fuzzy for me to get my perfectionist mind wrapped around.  Plus, some of the things I’ve discovered in my experiment with the Law of Mind Action seemed contradictory to the definition of Faith as I understood it at first.  So I wasn’t sure I had any Faith in the idea of studying Faith!  But over the course of the month, as I continued to work with the readings, I started to gain some clarity around Faith and to see how I can use my own spiritual ability of Faith to navigate the troubled waters I encounter on my path toward becoming fully who I am.

What I realized this past month is that, contrary to my previous definition, having Faith – to me - doesn’t mean believing that things will work out the way I want them to.  It doesn’t mean if I pray hard enough I’ll get the job I want.  It doesn’t mean I’ll get the diagnosis I want.  It doesn’t mean my children will follow the paths I want them to follow.  It doesn’t mean there will be a “happy ending” to my every story.  To me, having Faith means knowing that no matter what my outer circumstances may be, I am always connected to that wise, loving Center - it’s only a breath away.  And I can meet my circumstances, whatever they are, from my Center with courage and strength and grace and love.   This is a definition of Faith that fills my heart.  

The color for Faith is blue.  I’ve been wearing a bracelet with a blue teardrop charm as a reminder of my Faith throughout the day.  Now that we’re into February, it’s time to begin the study of Strength, but I plan to keep wearing my bracelet to help me stay connected to my Faith as I move through the rest of the Twelve Powers.

For more information about Unity Institute's S.E.E. program, visit http://www.unityinstitute.org/see. 

~REBECCA

Finding the Good

Two days ago (Tuesday) I fell into my winter "growl." I didn't like anyone (including myself) or anything. My internal judge was alive and well. "Move over so I can pass! Get a job! Shovel your sidewalks!"


I didn't escape. "You only did half the job!! You're not getting anything done!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr."

I'm co-facilitating a book discussion of The Four Agreements with Dan Cavanaugh this month. We got snowed out for our third class on that Tuesday but I must have needed that class. As my internal rants and raves continued, several of the agreements kicked into my brain, thank the Lord.

I was taking things personally; I was making assumptions; and I certainly wasn't doing my best. That night I started to journal about what I was feeling and thinking. I didn't come up with a solution except to turn it all over to God. I also accepted what I was feeling which, for me, is the first step toward my return to being at peace.

Then I read today's Daily Word: Change. The affirmation is "I find the good in each circumstance."

These sentences from the meditation touched me: "I may not notice the positive side of life circumstances as they unfold. I am willing to learn from each experience. Rather than resist change, I look for and find the good in each circumstance. I envision myself someday looking back at this moment and seeing how my willingness and nonresistance helped me in ways I could not imagine. I trust Spirit is bringing me exactly what I need to build my life."

I am willing to find the good. I wish the same for each of you.

~ JEAN

God Within

The Daily Word for yesterday was "Pray for Others." When I see this, I'm so grateful I have Unity's teaching (and Joel Goldsmith and others too) on prayer - that I need only see each person as a beloved child of God, whole and complete and healthy,

A dear friend's five year old grandson is suffering with little strokes. He has had two surgeries in the last few months. In my worry brain I wonder if there is such a thing as a little stroke; in my right mind, I know that all is well with this little old boy.

Another dear friend's son (in his 40s) has the skills and expertise to make a contribution in Africa in the work to contain, slow and eventually stop the spread of the Ebola virus. He chose to travel to Sierra Leone a couple days after Thanksgiving and is still there, missing Christmas with his wife and three young sons. In my worry mind I know that no matter how careful some aide workers have been, they still have contracted the virus. In my right mind, I see this young man "in the green." He made his choice with a knowing brain and I support him totally with my prayers for his and everyone's well being, whether they are patients, family members or a medical person.

Several people I love have various health or other issues going on in their lives. Here's what the Daily Word meditation says:

When praying for others, I center myself in the awareness of God within me. I remember that God is also within those for whom I pray. I affirm my faith in the power of prayer and give thanks for the activity of Spirit in all situations."

~ JEAN

P.S. We just learned that we inadvertently had limited the option to comment on our posts. We've corrected that. We look forward to knowing your thoughts about any of our posts. : )

Rejoice and be glad in it

My mom told me recently that she had a "nothing" day. I replied, "I didn't have much going on today either."

Before that both of us had described the various things we'd done that day. For her it included going out for coffee with a friend.

Several weeks ago I wished everyone an "anything-but-routine" 2015. I've thought a lot about that expression. For me, and maybe for you too, a routine day is just what I want some days.

Then I remembered one of my favorite Bible verses from Psalms - shown here.

My mom and I both laughed together when we remembered my dad not understanding anyone who said they were bored because he never was.

So here's my take away: I will refrain from judging a day as something or nothing by what I accomplished, who I saw or where I went that day. Instead I will enjoy every day as it comes, staying present and rejoicing and being glad in whatever it brings me.

~ JEAN

Little Red Car

Today, as I was driving home with my oldest son after one of his many activities, I got stuck behind a little red car that was moving incredibly slowly.  The moment I made the decision to follow this car around the jug handle, I was sure I had make a terrible mistake.  As we rounded the turn toward the traffic light going 10 miles per hour, the driver pumped his brakes to warn me to slow down, as if I could possibly go any more slowly.  Then, as the car moved through the intersection at 15 miles per hour, the driver beeped the horn repeatedly to let people approaching the intersection know that he was coming through.  

At first, my son and I were frustrated.  Each of us had had a long day, and we were worn out and hungry and ready to get home and relax.  As we crept along behind this little red car, we made a thousand guesses as to why this individual would possibly be going so very slowly – elderly? concerned about ice? or perhaps a child was driving the car?  After all, we could barely see the driver’s head above the steering wheel.  We shouted, “Oh please, I’m begging you, pick up the pace!” and joked to ease the tension.  

On the long, winding road between the highway and the center of our little town, we had no choice but to go the same maddeningly slow speed as this little red car.  The double yellow line stretches all the way from end to end on this particular road – too hill-y and turn-y to allow for safe passing.  Somewhere along the line, as we crept toward our destination, and as my son continued his impatient rant, I decided to shift from frustration to acceptance and started to practice being in the moment.

Once I accepted that I wouldn’t be moving any more quickly, not surprisingly, my whole experience changed.  The movement of the cars, both mine and my leader’s, became rhythmical and soothing.  The ups and downs and lefts and rights along the road began to feel like a sort of Tai Chi for the harried driver.  I tried to calm my anxious passenger.  “Wow, this is actually kind of relaxing, isn’t it?” I said to my son.  He wasn’t quite ready to shift to that Zen place, but I consciously slowed my breathing and began to look at the rest of our trip home as a gift – a few peaceful moments before the rush of dinner and homework and chores and all of the other endless distractions that pull me away from myself on a regular basis.

This was another one of those times when a seemingly unfavorable situation forced me to slow down and allowed me an opportunity to re-connect to my center.  I’m not sure I believe God is responsible for my getting stuck behind that little red car today - I think maybe I just have life to thank for that.  But I am sure that God was there once I decided to shift my attention.  And it's comforting to know that all it takes is that little shift to put me back in touch with that constant, loving presence.

~REBECCA

Happy New Year!

The beginning of a new year is one of my most favorite times.  Each year, as the craziness of the Christmas season winds down, I find myself craving solitude and instinctively wanting to enter into a quiet, introspective mode, which allows me to reflect on all that I wish to let go and all that I wish to usher in for the New Year.   

Long ago, I left behind the practice of setting New Year’s resolutions in the traditional sense.  No more giving up sugar or vowing to exercise more in hopes of attaining the perfect body or the perfect whatever.   Now as the end of the year draws near, I find myself thinking in broader terms.  What do I want my life to look and feel like?  What do I value most, and how can I craft a life that honors those values?

Recently I found a New Year’s meditation online.  In it, the meditation guide focused on three areas of the body – the abdomen, the head, and the heart – and encouraged listeners to reflect on what kinds of  habits he or she could adopt to foster health in each of these areas.  Until I listened to this meditation, I was having trouble formulating any concrete thoughts around my vision for the upcoming year.  But as I went through the meditation process, I noticed some very clear intentions coming in to my mind.

For me, the abdomen represents my physical health and digestion.  Having just started a new job and being catapulted into a busier, more chaotic schedule, the New Year gives me a chance to renew my commitment to my physical health – to choose nutritious foods, to be sure to get plenty of sleep, to stay hydrated, etc.   As I take a look at my new schedule, it will be important for me to build in ways to take care of myself.  After all, without my physical health, all of my other intentions are moot points.

The head, to me represents my mental health and my thoughts.  This past year has brought sooooo many changes in my understanding of how my thoughts impact my reality and how I contribute to my own experience of success.  As I have worked to  incorporate  these new ideas into my daily way of being, I have noticed that I have gotten away from my meditation practice.  No matter what new routines and habits I adopt, the importance of daily meditation and silence, for me, remains a constant.  2015 offers a chance to re-commit to the daily practice of silence as a means of staying clear and cultivating an awareness of God in my life. 

The heart is a symbol of my emotional health.  As much as I don’t look forward to it, I see 2015 as an opportunity to gradually drop my defenses and allow myself to be vulnerable.   In a previous post, I shared about the impact that a TED talk by Dr. Brene Brown on vulnerability had on me.  It’s crystal clear to me that vulnerability is the key to my experience of connection, and since a sense of connection is something I value highly – and something that has eluded me for most of my life – I’m aware that the time has come to put what I know into practice in this area.

As usual, the beginning of the New Year has me filled with a renewed sense of hope and possibility.   I hope that you, too, will have a chance to reflect on the deepest desires of your heart and begin to establish intentions that will bring you closer to an experience of your divine, authentic self. 

Best wishes for a blessed 2015.

~REBECCA