The Answer is “YES” – Now Let it Go

Over the past few years, I have read several books and taken several classes on the topic of prayer.  The more I learn about Unity’s “version” of prayer from Unity greats like Eric Butterworth and Rev. Jim Rosemergy, the more I understand that I am called to release all of my human needs before I enter into my time of prayer and seek to simply become aware of God’s presence.  The problem is, even as I’m trying my darndest to let go of my attachment to outcomes, I have found myself still holding on to my need for things to be a certain way and secretly hoping that if I can just become quiet and aware enough, God will swoop in and make all my dreams come true.   

Recently, I’ve been studying the book The Universe is Calling by the late Eric Butterworth, a legendary Unity minister who pastored a Unity Center in New York City for over forty years before he made his transition in 2003.  Butterworth echoes the descriptions of prayer which I’ve read in Jim Rosemergy’s book The Gathering, as well as much of what I have read by twentieth-century mystic Joel Goldsmith.  In short, prayer isn’t about begging or pleading or even just secretly hoping for God to bring about changes in my life.  True prayer is simply getting quiet enough to experience the presence of God right where I am and understanding that, no matter what my problem or my desire, a consciousness of God is the only answer I need to seek.  This is the essence of the idea “seek first the Kingdom, and all else will be added unto you.”

This is easy enough to comprehend on an intellectual level.  So why has it been so hard for me to put into practice?  Well . . . what I’ve come to realize is that there is a part of me that hasn’t really believed that it’s possible for me to have what I desire or to find solutions to the seemingly chronic problems in my life.  Somehow I’ve been thinking that God’s answer will be a “NO”, and the more I believe that I can’t have my human needs met, the more I am inclined to hold on tight to my notion of how things should be. 

Something that has become clearer to me through Eric Butterworth’s teachings is that God’s answer is always a resounding “YES.”  Can I have a beautiful, comfortable home?  YES.  Can I have a fulfilling career?  YES.  Can I have a blissfully happy marriage?  YES.  Can I travel?  YES.  Can I have a joyful family life?  YES.   God’s answer is always YES.  Just knowing this somehow frees me up to let go of my attachments.   

Now, don’t get me wrong – just because God’s answer is YES doesn’t mean I automatically get what I want.  I still have to mind my thoughts and my actions.  If I want abundance, I can’t be thinking thoughts of poverty.  If I want a beautiful, comfortable home, I can’t be amassing clutter and holding on to things I don’t need or love.  If I want a blissfully happy marriage, I have to make time to connect in a meaningful way with my partner.  God says YES, but God can only do for me what it can do through me.   This is where the rubber hits the road.  

Knowing that God’s answer is YES makes it much easier for me to release my human needs before entering into my time of prayer and allows me to focus fully on expanding my awareness of God’s presence which, after all, is my ultimate goal.   Even if I have no idea how or when my human desires might be fulfilled, the energy of YES changes everything.  

~REBECCA

Thank You!

Recently, Rev. Carmela delivered a series of Sunday talks based on the book "The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity" by Edwene Gaines, a Unity minister.  This happens to be one of my favorite books on the topic of prosperity consciousness, so on Sunday mornings I found myself eager to receive a refresher on each of the four laws and to hear Edwene's stories, which are all very familiar, recounted in the talks.

In one of her messages, Rev. Carmela shared the story of how Edwene made a decision early in her exploration of the laws of prosperity to refrain from complaining, gossip, and criticism for 21 days - because she had heard that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, and she was trying to elevate her consciousness so that it would support her vision of prosperity.  To take it one step further, when something happens that we don't like, rather than complaining or blaming or criticizing, Rev. Carmela suggested that we practice simply saying "thank you" as a way of demonstrating a sense of gratitude and also non-resistance, which are essential for experiencing prosperity, as well.

I decided to try adopting this practice of saying "thank you" in the face of events or circumstances I don't like.  Lately, I've found myself being very critical and grousing at the most minor of inconveniences.  This kind of grouchiness seems to run in my family and tends to get worse with age - haha! - so I can recognize it pretty easily, and I made a commitment long ago not to perpetuate it.  But here I am being grouchy on a fairly regular basis, so it's time to take a look and see where I need to make some changes.

What would it look like and feel like to say "thank you" throughout the day, even when things aren't going my way?  Something like this . . .

My cat peed on my dining room floor again today - thank you.
My oldest child has found yet another way to circumvent the rules - thank you.
Another school shooting and still no action from Congress - thank you.
Nobody in my house seems to know where the recycling bin is - thank you.

I have a feeling it's going to take a while for me to be able to feel true gratitude for the events and circumstances in my life that don't match my vision of how things should be.  For now (I'm sure you can tell) I'm delivering these expressions of gratitude with a snarkiness that probably renders them mostly ineffective.  But I do notice that my energy shifts when I say "thank you."  And I believe that it's possible to get better with practice.  As I continue to say the words "thank you" out loud throughout my day, I imagine I will notice that I begin to soften around the people and situations that really get under my skin and that I will begin to experience a feeling of true gratitude no matter what is happening around me.

~REBECCA