Accepting Happiness

The Universe is here to support us. One friend of mine used to say we live in a “user-friendly” Universe. We have the ability to speak our word, to exercise our belief through faith that God knows how to produce the result, and to allow ourselves to be guided to our next step in the process.

There’s one little problem in that scenario:  Our ability to accept our good. Have you ever prayed fervently, perhaps for a long period of time, only to have the answer to your prayers show up in a way you didn’t expect? I mean in a way that made you stop and think, “WAIT a minute!”

It’s happened to me. I usually have an idea of how I expect my prayers to manifest in my life. There have been times, however, that the manifestation is so far from what I was expecting that I was unwilling to accept my own happiness. Do you know what I mean?

I’m not even sure as I write this that I am explaining myself sufficiently. What I do know is whenever I have decided Spirit/God sent the wrong package, the incorrect size or the delivery method was unusual, I have later regretted my decision to refuse delivery. Who are we to refuse our good – the path to our happiness?

My dear friend and teacher, the late Rev. Helen Street, used to tell people, “We’re dealing with Infinite Intelligence – NOT Big Dummy in the Sky!” Our egos want to have control over every little detail, when in truth our egos usually don’t have a clue how our desires can work out for our highest good.

Take a look at the good around you that you may have been ignoring because the packaging wasn’t what you were expecting. Open yourself up to receive your good. You might just find yourself surprised beyond belief!

In Spirit, Truth and Playfulness,

Terry

Attachment

            The fundamental foundation of my belief system relies on a personal faith through affirmative prayer. This simple technique changes my attitude about conditions and how they can impact my emotions. Just knowing what I want will change my experience. This same belief gives me the confidence to know that regardless of the problem, situation, challenge or opportunity before me, the outcome will be perfect for me.

            In theory, as stated above, that sounds just absolutely wonderful to most people. How wonderful that Terry is so sure of himself and his faith! It can also be a statement of, as Emma Curtis Hopkins said, “bloated nothingness” if the words are not accompanied by a true belief in those principles. I have times when I’m totally at peace with chaotic events in my life and other days when everything is going beautifully but I’m just not happy. We find out very quickly just how firm our faith is when we are faced with what could be defined as “life-changing decisions.” It’s all well and good, isn’t it, when our lives are going along just peachy and we can believe what we claim to believe about our faith? We smile devotedly into the eyes of our beloved, the sun sets and we are at peace as the lush strings play in the background out of some Disney feature film.

            When our lives are turned upside down it’s another story. Suddenly we become attached to former outcomes. It can become quite upsetting that things are to our liking. But our conditions are the direct result of our thinking and the actions we followed. Granted some, if not a great deal of that thinking, is subjective or unconscious. That’s why we train our minds in the New Thought movement to be more accurately creating the lives we want. Our thinking might even have placed us in a circumstance that, from all outward appearances, may make us think we are a victim.

            Times like this are when learned masters have told us to be detached from the outcome. I don’t believe that’s that case at this point in my spiritual development. I’ve come to see that when I am detached from the situation I am still aware of the situation; I’m simply not participating fully or at all in the process. I’ve also discovered that detachment doesn’t seem to bring me the contentment I desire, the peace that true faith creates.

            Contentment is found in being unattached to the outcome. It is the culmination of letting go of the outcome, knowing that we have done everything in our power to align ourselves with right thinking and can now totally let go. We bask in the radiance of knowing that Divine Right Action is taking place and the outcome really is perfect. Why? Because in the Mind of God there is no time or space, and that outcome is already a Reality.

            I want you to know that I’m not just blowing smoke up somewhere, okay? I have had life-changing events that have brought with them a more defined and perfect idea to fulfill my vision and mission on this planet. During that time what was going on in my life couldn’t be seen by others as necessarily good. But the decisions I’d made were so crystal clear to me, so perfectly unfolding and so dynamically peaceful that the contentment I sought was already mine. THAT is being unattached to the outcome. Give it a try…what have you got to lose? Regret that you didn’t act on your heart’s desire? Perhaps resentment that you allowed someone, yet again, to stop you from having the life you want? Yeah, I didn’t think you needed that either. Join me in creating a life worth living!

In Spirit, Truth and Playfulness,

Terry

Be Yourself

                We humans seem to have a tremendous need for acceptance. Teens seem to have it the worst. Middle school and high school are times when kids are beginning to find their own voice and their own way in the world. They are developing their individuality and seeking to be independent. At the same time, however, they often desperately seek inclusion in peer groups by acting, dressing and speaking like their fellow classmates to appear “normal” or acceptable.

                Organizations can fall prey to the same need for acceptance. The New Thought movement has been plagued with an adolescent need for approval ever since I’ve been involved with it. Why is it that people who have a unique, scientific and spiritual path spend so much time trying to be accepted by mainstream Christianity? Our churches and centers seem to go out of their way to get other churches to like us or be our buddies. Why?

                It’s not like we’re there to get people upset, but we are never going to effectively shout out our teachings to the world while trying to water it down to be palatable for people who have no interest in our way of life. Another minister recently made the comment that we can “try so hard to be everything to everyone that we become nothing to nobody.”

                Our churches and centers should stand out as different. We are, and we should be proud of it. We don’t believe in being the victim of others and fully take responsibility for our lives and actions. Even considering that kind of life virtually terrifies the snot out of most people. None of us are the same. We are all individualized manifestations of the Divine, so why on earth would we want to be like everyone else? It is when we stop being who we are that we become depressed, stressed out, angry and frustrated. If we, as a people or as organizations, are not being who we truly are at our core level, then we are robbing humanity of the unique expression of God that we are.

                There’s only one “you.” Please share it with us, no holds barred, dancing like no one is watching and full-tilt boogey! See? Doesn’t that feel better now?

In Spirit, Truth and Playfulness,

Terry