Peaceful decision making

Is human will or divine will influencing you? That is an important first question to ask when faced with a decision to make.

One way I tell the difference is in how they feel. For me divine will feels like letting, allowing God to work in me, yielding. It often includes patience, gentleness, and humbleness. It feels very natural and beautiful — like a flower opening its petals.

Human will feels to me pushy, stressed, based on lack, rush, fear of missing out on good. It often pushes it’s way forward without allowing the right ideas to come forward, to grow, and mature. Sometimes it may involve feeling pressured.

This idea of letting and allowing God to work in us is something that is essential to our spiritual growth and progress. It is a feeling of oneness — allowing Spirit to move in you and with you. It is a natural component of spiritual discernment.

I can think of a number of times when discerning the divine will and yielding to it has led to blessings and a greater sense of satisfaction, fulfillment, and harmony.

When we wait patiently on God and seek Truth righteously, He directs our path.–Mary Baker Eddy

When faced with decisions, if one option feels more pushy than another that is my first clue to stop and be still and listen to my intuition. Often the option that is pushy or aggressive is not the option take. Its important not to try and take a step before God is leading you. Sometimes an idea might be good but it’s just not the right time such as a move or a career change. In these cases it’s best to be humble and patient and wait for God to open the way.

The wonderful thing is that it is God who works in us to will and do of God’s good pleasure, which is always good and beautiful.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

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Step by step trusting Him

Graduating from college, moving to a new house, finding summer plans — whatever it may footsteps-1045952_960_720be, God is providing each step of the way.

Recently, my family decided it was time to embark on a new adventure. As I prayed about this upcoming change, it became evident that what we needed was simply to see the next step, follow it, and then each step of the way would be placed in front of us in just the right way.

A beautiful hymn states:

Lead Thou me on…I do not ask to see The distant scene; one step enough for me.

Whatever steps in life we take, it always begins by taking the first step. We don’t need to see beyond this (and it most cases we can’t). It can be tough to see only one step because we want to know the ‘end of the story’, so to speak. We want to see how it will all work out!

beach-972566_960_720If I could have seen in to the future, even just two years ago, I wouldn’t have known how I got there. I would have thought that I simply went from point A to point B without realizing  all the spiritual growth and wisdom gained along the way; or the patience and selflessness that was needed; and I couldn’t have known all the love and blessings that developed along the way in many friendships and precious moments with our family.

So as we face changes in life, we can trust that divine Mind, God, is leading and guiding us. This intelligent Source speaks through the “still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12) and through spiritual intuition. As we silence the “storm” around us — the mental turmoil that desperately wants to know all the answers — we will hear and see each step placed before us at just the right time. We will hear God’s angel messages guiding us along the way.

The Bible says:

Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

God’s light is leading you! He will not leave you in darkness.

Step by step will those who trust Him find that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

We all have the ability to hear and understand God’s will, which blesses us. As we seek to serve to God, He will guide us in the perfect way to bless and serve others on a path of love, joy, and peace.

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John Henry Newman, Christian Science Hymnal, 169
Exodus 13:22 NIV
Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health, p. 444:10 (with reference to Psalm 46:1)

 

 

Standing up for what’s right

person-723555_960_720I love to stand up and defend what is right and true.

Defending who we are as spiritual children of God is a daily part of my practice.

I strive to do the right thing and pray for guidance to know what that is even when doing something as simple as watching a movie or scheduling appointments. I find that divine guidance is guiding me to express my highest sense of right and moral courage in my interactions and decisions.

I certainly struggle to do the right thing just as every one else does. But the desire to feel and express God in every moment is fulfilled by a living, animating Spirit that leads us out of bad situations and helps us find forgiveness.

Christ is such a powerful force that he wipes the desire for materialism and sensuality completely out of thought.

sun-flower-726978_960_720These “new birth” experiences happen continually and some can even happen dramatically. One of my most profound transforming experiences was when I reached out to the Bible during a dark time in my life and I gained a greater perception of Jesus and the power and significance of his healing ministry today, which caused a dramatic shift in my lifestyle, choices and friendships in post-college years. This conversion experience was needed and ultimately set me on the path to helping others find spiritual freedom.

The desire to do what is right is a daily demand moment-by-moment, even though we may make great strides at different points in our life. For me, it starts with my morning “spiritual bath” prayer when I align myself with God. I pour in the Truth of who I am in quiet prayer and listen for God’s refreshing ideas revealing to me who I really am as His child.

You are loved. You are beautiful. You are safe. These are the types of words that divine Love echos in consciousness. I pray with passages from the Bible, writings by Mary Baker Eddy and hymns because these help to strengthen my understanding and confidence in God as I go throughout my day.

I just read an article with a wonderful, powerful example of taking a stand. A mother stands up for her daughter when the school counselor says her daughter isn’t intellectually fit for college. The mother expresses beautiful moral courage based on an understanding of  who her daughter is as God’s beautiful child. Her daughter receives prayerful support and — I’ll give away the ending — she goes to college, gets two masters degrees and completes a doctorate. Wow, good thing that mother had the moral courage to stand up for what is right! (You can read the full story here.)

The comforting thing is that regardless of where we are in life, our Father-Mother God is always standing up for us, revealing who we are spiritually as His children and giving us the daily inspiration we need to follow Him.