God KNOWS the way

A King, who did not believe in the goodness of God, had a slave who, in all circumstances would say, "My king, do not be discouraged, because everything God does is perfect, no mistakes."

One day, they went hunting. Along the way, a wild animal attacked the king. His slave managed to kill the animal. However, he could not prevent his majesty from losing a finger.

Furious and not showing any gratitude for being saved, the King said, "If God was good, I would not have been attacked and lost my finger."

The slave replied, "My King, despite all these things, I can only say to you that God is good, and he knows the why to all things. What God does is perfect. He is never wrong!"

Outraged by the response, the King ordered the slave to be imprisoned.

Later, while on another hunt, he was captured by savages who believed in human sacrifices. While on the altar, ready to be sacrifice, the savages found that the victim had a missing finger. Not suitable for human sacrifice, he was released. According to them, the King was not completely whole to be offered to the gods.

Upon his return to the palace, the King immediately authorized the release of his slave. When facing the slave, the King said in an affectionate tone, "My dear slave, God was really good to me for I was almost killed by the wild men. Because of the lack of a single finger, I was let go. However, I have a question. If God is so good, why did he allow me to put you in jail?"

The slave smiled and said, "My King, if I had gone with you in this hunt, I would have been sacrificed for you, because I have no missing finger. God is perfect."

Step out of the shadow

Some people have experienced horrendous situations during their childhood. In many cases, they continue to relive the memory repeatedly.

They become prisoners of the past.

As others from their past move on in life, they remain at a standstill. If they manage to move forward a step or two, the demons of their past resurface -- pulling them back.

 Their behavior towards self and others is controlled by their inner demons. The only way to survive and free oneself from such demons is to step out of the past and enter the present.

Some people are quick to say, “It is easier said than done.

 It is difficult to forget.” 

Nothing in life is unachievable.

It is not about forgetting; it is about forgiving and giving

 yourself permission to let go. 

You possess the key to the cell in which you are a prisoner.

All you need to do is give yourself permission to unlock the 

door and set yourself free.

 It is the first step.

.

After that, it becomes easier to heal your inner child.

Turn the negative into a positive.

By helping yourself, you can help others who are facing or

 have faced similar experiences. 

God has chosen you to heal some of the wounds of the world.

--Alan Batten for Unity of Charlotte

 

My mirror self

I heard a reporter on TV recently use the phrase “war on cancer” and it gave me pause.

Have you ever noticed that we humans tend to “fight” issues, people, illness, just about anything that falls in our paths rather than loving it into something different?  Do you do that?  I know I do from time to time. 

 We seem to wage war with so many things in this life.  Another word for war is resistance which brings a well known phrase to mind:  What we resist, persists.

It all boils down to this:  what we put the most energy into is what we draw to ourselves.  It is a fundamental truth principle that this is true, and yet, it is one of the most challenging lessons that we all face at one time or another. 

 It’s also part of forgiveness. 

Why do we find it so hard to forgive?  Has someone hurt you or betrayed you or neglected you?  Why is it so hard for us to release those feelings?  Who is really being hurt when we don’t?

  Look in the mirror.  The image you see is responsible for how you feel, no one else. 

 Yet, we resist taking responsibility for our own feelings and throw the blame on others.  We create the illusion that we are helpless victims when we are, in fact, the perpetrator of the conflict that exists within our hearts and minds.

  Like good little puppies we keep chewing on that bone of discontent, and the more we gnaw on it, the more we feel justified in doing so and the more we want to continue it because it validates where we are in our lives. 

  We remain resistant to change and, as we know:  what we resist, persists.  But where is the good in that??  Where is the good in waging a war against ourselves?

Wars are waged country vs. country.  Political entities wage war amongst themselves.  It happens all the time and everywhere.  Take a look at Congress.  Take a look at any organization in which a diversity of factions exists.  Until or unless those involved in these “wars” releases the need to blame and accepts responsibility for their part in whatever issue exists—in other words stops resisting—the situation will persist. 

  This is also true concerning our health.

 Why wage war against cancer for instance?  Why not embrace the path to a cure?  Why wage war against yourself because you fall short of what you think you should do or be?  Why not forgive yourself for having missed the mark, learn from your mistake and move on?  Why not embrace every bit of yourself and move on with gratitude?

 

This whole concept is the domino theory in action.  If we can’t forgive ourselves, how can we ever think about forgiving others?

If we can’t love ourselves, how can we ever think about loving others?  If we can’t embrace life rather than war through life, how can we ever expect to create a peaceful and loving world?

 . . . just something to think about.

Namaste.

 --Kate Morgan for Unity of Charlotte