Aug 31, 2015

Ponderings

 

Live in the Now

Understanding that we do better if we can actually live in the Now, or present moment, the next question that comes along is: Just how do we keep our attention in the present moment what everything around us seems to be bombarding us with fretting abut the past or possible calamities that could happen if we stop worrying about them? Let us review for a moment how critical our concerns are, summarizing what we wrote in the last disclosure.

The Past, the Future and Now

 

–The Past: Nothing we do now or in the future will change anything that has already happened, so any time spent chewing on past events over and over is time wasted.

–The future: We have the opportunity to guide the future, but any time spent worrying about the future is time wasted, as the future will not be exactly what we imagine it to be, no matter how rich our imagination.

 

So what we have left is the present, the now. We understand that the best use of our time is to let the past be the past, but how do we put the past in perspective so we can live the present and plan the future to some extent to put the most positive light on the situation so we can find, or continue to find, Joy and Happiness? Note that I said plan for the future: That is the next step to take, as previously mentioned, to stop the worrying about calamities that will never happen. Then we must Trust in the Abundance of God to give us what is best for us, to be able to express Who We Are to the fullest.

 

Looking at the Present

 

The task at hand is finding a way of looking at the present and finding a way of absorbing the present without being wiped out by thoughts of the past or worries about the future. This is no easy task, as sometimes the recent past has left huge craters in our life that are seemingly impossible mountains to climb. When life hands us a bomb that creates wreckage and an impossibly deep crevasse, it is almost impossible to climb out of that hole if we have not taught ourselves how to handle everyday matters in such a way so that we will automatically use the same techniques for the big hurdles in life. Attempting to climb hurdles in an emergency or a disaster without the practice of climbing the everyday hurdles of life is like a couch potato attempting to climb Mount Everest. It is far more likely to end up as a casualty than if one had strengthened themselves by continuous practice and strengthening exercises. So it is with any significant part of life: preparing oneself with continuous living in the Now will build up the inner core of our being to withstand the major disasters when they arrive: and they will arrive. Death and health issues are a basic part of the human condition, but with the practice of living in the presence of God throughout life and Trusting that God only wishes us Abundance, we can meet life as it is, and still find Joy and Happiness. Yes we will weep when we lose someone dear to us, but the hidden wellspring of life will continue to feed us Joy and Happiness even while we weep.

 

But only if we put to practice the steps required to live the life of Joy in the everyday events of life.

 

The Gift of Life is the Gift of God

 

The gift of Life is the gift of God Itself. Once we recognize the basic fact that Life is but God in pure form, allowing us to live and form ourselves in the Image of our very Being, God (we are made in the Image of God, as told in Genesis 1:27), when we choose to do so in a conscious manner, we become the visible and conscious presence of God in our world, giving us strengths and a presence to all who come in contact with us that will surprise us in the power it represents.

 

The steps outlined in these discussions and presented earlier are not the only way to living the presence of God in life and finding Joy and Happiness, but it sets up in a codified way the essence of that path that is followed by all, either consciously or unconsciously, who find their way to the life of Joy and Happiness, for it leads to a basic Trust in the goodness of our Eternal Being who is our rock and foundation.

 

One of the purposes in our physical life is to become that presence of God made visible. The visibility of God in our world is made manifest by what we do with our lives, for when we live out the beatitudes of Jesus in our everyday life by our actions, God is made visible. But action for the sake of recognition is not the response of a God but of the ego, for when we do good things to reap praise we, as explained by Jesus, have already reaped our reward. But when these actions flow out in response to the situations simply because it is a natural reaction, our life shifts to the realm where Joy and Happiness is possible simply because we do what we do, not because someone will praise us for doing the action. When the men who took down the terrorist in the French train responded to what they saw, they responded because of the situation, not because they would be rewarded afterward.

 

The 12 Steps Gives Methodology

 

Using the 12 step approach gives a methodology to the process. The 12 step approach has been done hundreds of thousands of times with great success in the realm of dealing with an addiction, and those that live the 12 steps as a matter of course as a life pattern are always happy and joyful in their approach to life. The steps as outlined in this discourse is a slight modification of the basic 12 steps as given by God for addiction to achieve the positive results to those not afflicted with the addictive personality. These changes to the original 12 steps open up their use in a general situation, and actually form the basis of continued life of sobriety for the addictive personality, as each individual must adjust the 12 steps, consciously or unconsciously, as they continue their life’s journey beyond the immediate threat of acting out their addiction.

 

A Life of Joy

 

Physical life was designed to be lived out in a full and joyful manner, expressing God in multitude ways, as expressed by the joy of animals romping through meadows and in life. The young of every species show this joy, and we have been fortunate to be able see this joy expressed in videos from many sources, and all have watched kittens and puppies expressing their joy of being alive. Above all, we have watched our children or the very young around us just being happy to be alive. What joy I have had watching our young children and grandchildren playing with a box, finding untold joy in the simple creation of a box, much more than in the content of the box which often lies ignored to the side.

 

So we too are meant to live that kind of spontaneous joy over the simple things of life: watching children play, seeing a breathtaking sunset, looking out over the rolling hills or the awesome mountains, or seeing the surf roll in and out in the ocean. Seeing the Joy of Life present to us all the time, in every situation, under all conditions, gives us the freedom to welcome the Joy and Happiness that is always ours to claim, at every moment of time.

 

Instead, we find ourselves worrying about how precise things placed, when we will get the next “great” thing in our life, can we afford this or that, etc. etc., and we forget that God is present, and all will be well if we only give ourselves over to the care of this God who is the All in All.

 

Yes, all will be well, if we but know that a life of Abundance, a life of Joy and Happiness, is ours for the asking, just by Trusting in the goodness of God. As Jesus said, “If you have no doubt, it will be done.” The way to live a life of “No doubt” (Trust) has been outlined in the chapters before this, and I can assure you from personal experience that this methodology works like nothing else in existence.

Give your Self over to the care of God as you understand God, let yourself rest in the assurance that All is Well, for it is so. That level of Trust in the Love of God reaps benefits beyond our imagining.

 

Meditation

 

My Eternal Wisdom, I know you will guide me in my life, just as I know you have always guided me in my life. I am grateful for Life, and I understand Life is your gift to me of Yourself, meant to reflect Your goodness in our life of the physical. I am grateful for the opportunity to be Your expression of Love in this manner in our limited world of time and physicality. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve in any manner you place before me, for I know and understand that nothing is accidental in my life, but all is there so I may express Who I Am to the fullest, even if I do not always respond as would be best, but I also know that You will place more opportunities before me all of my life to further that expression of Who I Am, until the time comes when I am called back to Your Wisdom, to immerse myself unto your rest and become one in Your Love. I have placed my Trust in your goodness, and never been disappointed. I know that you will grant me all that I need to live a life of Joy,