Because God Is

God Is. Always. It's not God was, or God will be. God is the I Am. Present. Always. I understand now that thinking and focusing on the past or the future only draws my mind away from being in alignment with my Source. And I experience the consequences.
When I am thinking of the past, I'm not here; my mind is somewhere else. The past can bring up feelings of melancholy, guilt, regret, etc. God is not there. When my mind is in the future....I may be worrying, planning, stressed, fearful. God is not there either.
For some time now I have been deliberately practicing being present. My mind will drift, of course, it's what the ego mind does. When I realize this, I bring it back to whatever the present moment calls me to be and do. There is peace and balance here. This is where I want to be all the time. Where God Is!

I Will Not Be Afraid of Love Today

Today's lesson of A Course in Miracles (the Course includes a workbook with 365 lessons, one for each day of the year) is an affirmation; it says "I will not be afraid of love today."  

This is my 5th time going through these lessons since I began to study the Course in 2007.  The more I read, study and practice them, the more my mind opens up to these principles and the more healing I've experienced.  My understanding is deeper and I am able to let go of old beliefs and concepts that have kept me stuck in fear.  

Yet, I was curious when I read the title.  Am I really afraid of love?  I've never thought of it.  As I read the lesson insights by Lisa Natoli, who is a great teacher of the Course, I identified some fears I still experience that keep me from being the love that I am.  I realize that I am afraid of stepping into my True Identify of Love because I don't feel worthy.  I fear being authentic, vulnerable and making mistakes. The sense of unworthiness of God's Love has made me feel that I need to earn the love that is already mine by default.  

This lesson is asking me to step out of that self-concept of unworthiness, of weakness and fear.  No more having to defend my self-image.  I am as God created me.  Let me be that!  I am love, created by Love.  And Love is the greatest power there is.  

This is my practice.  Ongoing.  

From Fear to Love

How automatic it is to fall right into fear when confronted confronted with money issues, or when I perceive someone's disapproval of me or if there is conflict in a relationship.  Fear of lack, fear of losing my image or of losing someone's love.

I realize these are opportunities to observe which thought system I'm in at that moment.  Am I in fear or in love?  As soon as I catch myself, I make the shift in my thoughts from fear to truth.  

This morning I was presented with a money issue.  I felt fear of not having enough, lack. I sat with it for a moment and remembered that I am whole, I am provided for and all is well as it is.  I focused on this and trusted it.  As soon as I did this, I returned to peace.  Total freedom starts and ends in my own thoughts and perceptions.  

It may sound simple.  And it is.  It is the ego that makes things complex and complicated, with lots of "what ifs".  When we trust and practice and repeat, it works.  

God's Peace is Mine

Today's Workbook lesson #273 of A Course in Miracles felt like such a treat.  I focused on its meaning during my quiet time with God which is a mix of meditation, prayer and imagery.  

I imagined the feeling of owning this God-given stillness and peace.  I concluded that being in stillness is my part, making time and space to actually be still and quiet....to listen, to sense.  To be aware.  And then peace is the effect, the result of this practice.  

The even more beautiful realization is that this is a gift.  I don't have to earn it; I can step into it, and practice the stillness.  Because this peace is already within me, when I take my focus away from all the outer "doings" and noise and distractions, I experience the awareness of God's peace.  And I have it with me all through the day.  

I do get side-tracked and forget, so I take out my index card where I write my lesson to remind me.  I do my best to read it as much as possible during the day so it becomes second-nature.  Yes, it takes willingness and consistency.  But so worth it.  This is my practice in spiritual awakening and awareness.  

I Am At Peace When My Thoughts Are Fixed on God

This is one of my favorite quotes from the Bible and I remind myself quite often what it truly means....and try to live it as best as I can.

But, what is it really saying?  How can I practice what it says?

Perfect peace is a sense of complete well-being, with no worries, no fears, and having a feeling of safety and protection from my Higher Power. 

I ask myself:  Do I trust God?  What does this trust feel and look like?  Do I just do a lot of "lip service" saying I trust but then give in to worry and negative talk?  No. Trusting in God means I can rest assured all my issues and needs are taken care of.  it means asking for guidance and knowing I will be answered.  Trusting means remaining steadfast and grounded IN SPITE of whatever may be happening around me.  It's really knowing deep within that God Is and that I am taken care of.  And, of course, this is a result of spending quiet time connecting within.  Listening, being still.

Whenever fear and worry enter my mind, I remember this verse and repeat it over and over until I return to peace. I rest.  I trust.  Aaaaah.  This is what having my thoughts fixed on God and  Truth means.  To really trust God is to experience perfect peace.