Clarify from Confusion

Emma Curtis Hopkins once wrote that “order is heaven’s first law.” If the spiritual realm is perfection, and that perfection is reflected in our human experience, then why do our lives look more like a supernova at times instead of harmonious cooperation?

The quick and easy answer is that what looks like chaos can actually be order in motion. A hurricane, for example, is a very orderly and predictable phenomenon. Meteorologists can now use complex computer models to very accurately predict the path and strength of these events.

Being in the path of one, however, is far from orderly. The question is not why something is happening to us (like a hurricane-sized problem), but why we have somehow chosen to be in the situation to experience it in the first place. We often have warning of climatic events that can affect our lives, just like we have warnings of a coming storm. Yet some people choose to remain in the path of certain disaster.

We can do that in our relationships as well. We may see all the warning signs of a storm, yet refuse to get out of the way or prepare ourselves for what is ahead. We can become so sure that what we see around us will protect us that we fail to remember that nothing physical is permanent. We place our faith in what we can see, hoping for survival.

It comes down to a lack of faith. We hope that things will get better, but we don’t really have anything upon which to base our expectations. Ernest Holmes once wrote that faith is not hope. He said that hope was a good thing and certainly better than despair, but it paled in comparison to true faith in God and the Laws by which the universe operate.

Personal storms will come and go. We can be as prepared for these events as we can be for a heavy rain or snow storm. But, when you are in the middle of the storm it is not the time to criticize yourself for not remembering to close the windows in the car. In other words, do the best that you can. In the midst of chaos remember that somehow everything is working in Divine Right Order, regardless of what you see in front of you. Then be gentle with yourself, as you would with a scared little child. To borrow from the quote started by Dan Savage against bullying, “It gets better”. And you know what? It always does.

In Spirit, Truth and Playfulness,

Terry

Blessing Our Way to Happiness

It is said that what we resist persists. The implication is that if we want to get rid of the problem we need to stop fighting against it so hard. But it can also sound like not resisting is tantamount to rolling over and giving up, which gets our ego in a total tizzy. Surrendering our ego doesn’t have to mean giving up either our values or our character.

            Adopting an attitude of acceptance about a person, situation or philosophy is possible without discarding our own views or personality. There is a balance between acceptance of a situation and giving up the authenticity of who we are as individuals. That balance is the realization that we cannot please everyone, nor will everyone please us. There’s no shame in that fact, but if we lean toward or embrace the category of a people pleaser we can get ourselves in quite a mess.

            We often do things that annoy others. For example, I’ve learned not to crack my knuckles around the house. Neither is it a good idea for me to attempt to dunk my cookies in someone else’s milk. Guess it’s a cultural thing that central Pennsylvanian’s like to have their own glass. Back at the trailer park no one cared. You get the point.

            If we meet adverse situations or individuals in our lives with resistance and rigidity it will be like banging our head against a boulder. The boulder won’t budge and we’ll only hurt ourselves. Instead, blessing the situation and loving the person – knowing that everyone is doing the very best they can with what they have to work with and from – will result in a softening of the situation and a lot less stress. Boulders have a way of staying put. That’s fine. We can ineffectively resist that fact to our determent. Or, we can go around, over or under the obstacle, resulting in us reaching our goal. Either way, the boulder really doesn’t care.

            You may be thinking of a boulder or boulders in your life right now. Soften your perception of the state of affairs and bless yourself out of the conflict. The only thing standing in the way of our happiness in this situation is our ego. Thank the ego for its service to you and then choose the path to happiness, blessing your way to happiness.

In Spirit, Truth and Playfulness,

Terry

Read past blogs and messages at http://drterry.blogspot.com/ . You may also hear Dr. Terry most Sundays at Unity of Harrisburg or listen to his Sunday talks online at:  http://unityofharrisburg.org/77212.html/