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

Prayers

Three years ago a friend of mine suffered an unthinkable tragedy – the loss of a child.  She shared her entire heart-wrenching journey on Facebook - from the day her 7-year-old son had his first seizure, to his brain cancer diagnosis, through his many medical procedures, and finally to his death in her arms in Germany  where they had gone to receive a new miracle treatment.  In my eyes, this friend is a hero.  The courage and willingness to be vulnerable that it took for her to share the intimate details of this awful ordeal with an entire community of friends, family members, and strangers is extraordinary.  We all experienced her son’s illness along with her, and now we are experiencing her terrible pain and debilitating grief, as well.  The depth of emotion that surrounds this story is almost too much to bear, even for me as a bystander.  I can’t even imagine how raw she must be feeling.  My heart aches for her and for her family.   

  

Jacob

This same friend recently commented on Facebook that she is happy for a couple whose prayers have been answered – their child has received a clean bill of health – but she wonders why God didn’t answer her prayers.  Why didn’t God make her child well?  

How do you respond to a question like that when somebody is going through Hell?  It's not hard to see why a person would question God in the wake of such a devastating loss.  I've tried to picture what I would do in her shoes.  Would I get any comfort from the Unity principles?  Would I have the presence of mind to practice the type of prayer that Unity teaches? 

On the topic of prayer, in his book The Gathering, Unity minister Jim Rosemergy states , “A need is not an avenue through which God can work . . . Whatever God is doing, God is always doing it . . . If God could end the wars that plague the earth, it would be done.  If the Almighty could end the pandemics, they would be no more.  . . . If God’s work was handling needs, when a need appeared, it would be met. . . We continue to insist that a need is an avenue for God’s power, and it is not. . . Needs do serve a purpose; they turn us to God.  We identify the need and then no longer focus on it.  We turn to God and release the need . . . and instead we seek a greater awareness of the presence of God.” 

Emmet Fox recommends something similar in his Golden Key exercise:  “All that you have to do is this: Stop thinking about the difficulty, whatever it is, and think about God instead. This is the complete rule, and if only you will do this, the trouble, whatever it is, will presently disappear. It makes no difference what kind of trouble it is. It may be a big thing or a little thing; it may concern health, finance, a lawsuit, a quarrel, an accident, or anything else conceivable; but whatever it is, just stop thinking about it, and think of God instead -- that is all you have to do.”

This way of praying is challenging for me to practice when I have a burning desire for a new sweater or a summer vacation.  It’s hard to imagine that I could muster such faith and trust and non-attachment to outcomes if the stakes were as high as my child’s living or dying. 

Ultimately I know that there is very little I can say to ease my friend’s pain.  I can only be present for her and offer her my quiet support as she moves through the stages of grief in her own way and in her own time.  I would like to believe that the Unity principles would bring me peace if I were in her shoes.  I wish for peace for my friend and her family - knowing that the light of God surrounds them and the love of God enfolds them through this difficult time.  Please join me in holding Jacob's family in prayer.

~REBECCA

Let It In

Last weekend, I was out for a run on my favorite nature trail.  As usual, I was lost in my own thoughts – churning and churning away in my mind and only half taking in the breathtaking beauty around me. 

At one point, I was the only person on a quarter-mile stretch of the trail.  In the distance, I could see a couple approaching – a man and a woman – out for a run just like me, and coming closer.  My first instinct was to put up my usual defenses and prepare for a polite nod and a faint “hello,” keeping my protective bubble intact as we passed each other.  But as the couple drew nearer, in a moment of grace, I had the thought that my exchange with them could be an exchange of love.  Rather than shielding myself from their energy, I could open myself to it.  As they passed and we each said our hello’s, I allowed myself to experience their words as an expression of love, rather than as a threat.  I felt a palpable shift in my energy as I dropped my defenses, if only momentarily, and let their love (really God’s love, showing up as them) in.  What a difference!  

As I continue to work with the idea of vulnerability as the path to true connection, I will have many opportunities to practice being open to receive God’s love from everywhere, not just from familiar people and in the familiar places where I’m used to looking for it.

~REBECCA

The Universe

I recently caught a clip from the sketch/stand-up comedy show “Inside Amy Schumer,” featuring hilarious (and sometimes quite vulgar) comedienne Amy Schumer.   In this clip, Bill Nye the famous “Science Guy” explains that while scientists once believed that the universe was a “chaotic collection of matter,” they now know that “the universe exists to send cosmic guidance to women in their 20’s.”  The camera moves to several different pairs of young women talking about how the universe communicates with them.  One woman recalls taking a wrong turn and ending up in front of a vitamin store, which she interprets as the universe’s way of telling her she should take calcium.  Another describes her recent anxiety over having an affair with a married man and the subsequent relief she felt when she saw a woman in yoga class wearing a t-shirt that said “CHILL,” which she interpreted as a sign from the universe that she should relax and keep having the affair.

At one point in the sketch, an exasperated Bill Nye just throws up his hands and says, “That just makes no f’in sense.”

I laughed (hard) as I watched this comedy sketch, but not for the same reason I would have laughed five years ago.  Five years ago, I would have laughed because I believed the silly writers of the sketch just didn’t understand the universe and its capacity for sending “cosmic guidance.”  But I realized the other day as I was watching that I was laughing because I am the one who doesn’t understand the universe.  I could see myself in these young women, and I have been just as inclined, even into my forties, to take an insignificant occurrence and turn it into a message from the universe telling me exactly what I want to hear.   Or to believe that if I simply put something “out into the universe” it will manifest without any focused action on my part.

Over the past year, my understanding of God, the universe, and the Law of Attraction has drastically changed.  Ironically, my year-long experiment with the Law of Attraction has made me less inclined to believe that everything that happens is a message from the universe, or that simply putting something on a vision board generates enough energy to make it happen. 

   

It’s so interesting to me how spiritual growth unfolds -how I can be absolutely sure I understand something and, a year later, come to see it from a completely different perspective.  Or how I can grapple with an idea for months or even years until I think I’ve mastered it, and then on the next turn of the spiral, watch it come back around in an entirely different context and throw me for a loop all over again.  I loved this comedy sketch because it shed a light on a part of me that is in the process of growing and changing.  I’m still playing with what I believe about the universe.  I’m working on trying to balance the idea of having faith, but also taking authentic action; of trusting God, but also taking responsibility for my life.  It's not that I don't believe in divine guidance, but I believe it's possible for me to use "the universe" as an excuse not to be accountable. 

In any event, I enjoyed this playful (and somewhat offensive) skit about a spiritual law I've come to know and love. 

~REBECCA

 

The Goodness in my World

Tuesday's Daily Word was Love. Part of the meditation was:

"As I focus on gestures of kindness, my awareness of the goodness in life grows. My life is transformed by Love."

This is my kindness story.

Tuesday my dog Belleville had a lump removed from his left front leg. During our consultation when I picked Belle up, the vet surgeon told me that he had what he hoped was good news. The tumor came out cleanly and easily; it had not attached to any of his muscle. (I'm waiting for the results of the biopsy and hoping that the tumor was harmless.)

When the vet staff brought my doggie out for me to take home, he was limping and his leg was very swollen - more than they expected. They checked to be sure he wasn't bleeding in the wound - it did not appear he was. So they gave me antibiotics as well as pain medicine to take home. The vet suggested that I, if Belle would allow me, put ice on the swelling to see if that would calm the area.

Before I left the office the vet put my cell phone number on his cell phone so he could call me in a couple hours to see if Belle was better, the same or worse. If worse, he would meet me back at the clinic to decide what to do.

Belleville and I seem to have an especially close bond. After we got home around 6:30 PM, he let me put a little shirt on him so he wouldn't scratch or bother his incision and he let me ice his shoulder carefully a couple times.

Coincidentally, Tuesday was my stepson's birthday. We were invited to his house for fajitas at 7 PM. The vet was going to call around 8; I wanted to be with Belleville to see how he was doing so I sent my husband to the birthday dinner.

About 20 minutes later, my husband walked back in with some food. He said "Your daughter-in-law says if you can't come, we'll bring dinner to you." Wow!! How great was that. So they brought all the fixings for fajitas and an ice cream cake over to our house so we could celebrate together.

During dinner, the vet called and I was happy to report that Belleville was the same and seemed to just be wanting to sleep. He replied, "Well you have my cell number now. I will have my phone by my bed - if you need anything call." Wow again!!

These two gestures of kindness showed me vividly the goodness in my world. Experiencing this goodness makes me want to be good whenever I get a chance - to pass it along. And I am grateful.

~ JEAN

Free to Do or Not Do

I was working with a friend recently. I told them "I'm going to work on this today." They said "We could do that today." And I rejoice to say that I responded "You can do that, I'm working on this today."

I give myself permission not to always concede to the other person. Their choices are not mine and my choices aren't theirs and that's okay. It's also okay for me to say so. I won't be nasty but I will be firm. I support their right to choose how they will spend their time. I also am free to choose how I will spend my time.

Driving to Unity on a recent Sunday I spoke out loud to God. I said "I let go and let You. I don't have control over anything or anyone and so I let go. I stop trying to control this situation or that, I stop bloodying my head. I let go and let what happens happen. I do what I can and let everything fall into place as it will, as You will."

Out loud was good - though I still have to remind myself from time to time. And it was freeing.

Free is today's Daily Word. I love Free as the Daily Word. It always reminds me when I most need it that I am free - to come, to go; to do or not to do anything; to work or play (rock on my front porch); to be, to pay attention, to listen to God's guidance, to be open and receptive. And today's meditation reminds me to be grateful for and celebrate my freedom. The affirmation is

"I celebrate the free Spirit I am."

and from John 8:36:

"So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed."

~ JEAN

Using My Mind and Voice

My childhood name, given to me by my siblings, was bossy cow (not my favorite nickname). I "made" my younger sisters and brother be my students. My parents even bought a set of four attached school desks and chairs from the "olden days" so they, my "pupils" all had a place to sit. These were the kind of desks where the top lifted up so the students could put their books, papers and writing utensils inside.

I wanted to be a teacher in the worst way when I was young. Circumstances happened when I was in my early 20s and I never did pursue that dream. Later I realized that it was okay. I wasn't really cut out to be a teacher and I only recently realized that I liked marking papers with a red pen when the answers were wrong - that was the attraction - the red pen!!

I was raised to think for myself, to speak my mind, to be independent, to be in charge. I shared what I was thinking and feeling with my parents. When I worried about a second exchange student coming to live with my "family" in Chile, I wrote a long heart-felt letter to my parents telling them my worries.

In college, when I intended to travel to Washington DC for an anti-war concert I told my parents while others kept it a secret from their parents. After two years in college when I didn't have a clue what to major in, I told my parents I needed to quit college until I figured it out. It didn't occur to me not to tell them. That means to me that they were open to hearing what I had to say.

I haven't changed in that, now. I continue to speak my mind. I try always to do so with sensitivity and with diplomacy. Nevertheless, I have inadvertently stepped on some one else's toes. I am fairly sensitive so I usually know when I might have offended this person or that one so I check in with them. I apologize.

Then I do some soul searching - what did I do to irritate this person or that one? I check to see if the offense is about me or about the other person. When I know it is about the other person, I realize that sometimes my speaking up and speaking out is intimidating to others. I know other people squelch what they think and feel. I can do that but try not to. Look at the ability for May: power to speak our truth.

I don't want to make myself sick because I push down my thoughts and feelings because they might hurt someone else's feelings. And so I give myself permission to speak my mind. Here's the Bible verse that spoke to me many years ago - It told me God loves my mind and expects me to use it.

Mark 12:30 - And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment.

In fact Matthew, Mark and Luke all included variations of this commandment. So my message to you is to speak up and speak out - with kindness and love - but speak up. It is good for your health and you will only get what you want and need if you tell others.

~ JEAN