Good morning

Good morning, God!  A new day is here, and I have a lot to do on this day.  I'm grateful for that fact, for I've had days when I haven't really had many opportunities to accomplish things, and those days were very difficult.  So though I'll be very busy today, I'm thankful for the chance to be busy.  And I know I won't be busy for the next two days, so the busyness today isn't going to keep me from enjoying the autumn days that I've been given.

So thank you!


A reply:

You're welcome.  Just keep your eyes and heart open for all the opportunities that you have to share the love inside you, and your day will be marvelous.

When It Rains

Hello, God--

Today is here, and I have a whole day ahead of me now, a day that I can make the most of, or a day that I can squander.  I thank you for this day and the opportunities that it brings to me, and I sincerely hope that I can make the most of them.

Of course, today also means a trip to the dentist.  That's a mixed bag, there, for it's very positive--the dentist is going to fix a problem that I have with a tooth--and very negative--it's going to cost a lot more than we really have to spare right now.  In fact, it's one more thing piled up on top of many more things that are making our financial lives quite difficult right now.  Car issues, fewer hours at work, the loss of a steady source of income, annual bills coming due--all these things are adding up to a huge problem these days, and it's getting almost impossible to see any light at the end of the tunnel.  I know that we're not unique in this way--millions of people are having problems making ends meet these days--but it does get quite frustrating and demoralizing.  One of the most difficult parts of it all is knowing that we work hard, and we do good jobs in all that we do--much better than average jobs, yet there isn't any corresponding return on the great amount of effort that we give.

What are we supposed to do when we watch our bank accounts draining, when we look to the future three months from now and realize that there isn't going to be anything left at the end of a month?  What do we do when we work very hard and well, only to be paid less than many other people who do much less work?  How do we deal with it when we're trying so hard to reach a level of stability with our finances, only to see another $500 go away to get a car fixed?

I'm not at that point, but I can certainly understand how people can turn away from God and religion when such difficulties arise in their lives.  How are we supposed to maintain faith when we're promised over and over that God will take care of us, yet we can never get ahead and we can never find financial security?  How can we be living our lives fully and getting the most out of life when there are worries about money on our minds almost all the time?  It simply doesn't make sense.

A reply:

I can certainly see your logic about faith.  I want you to know first and foremost that it is not in my plans to have anyone suffer from worry or from poverty.  It does happen, and it happens far more than I would like to see.  It is not my desire to see anyone feel hopelessness and frustration, except that they function as catalysts to cause people to move on to better things in life and even better lives.  There are no true paradigm shifts in any areas without a sense of crisis to bring them about--and some people need greater crises to cause them to make changes that will improve their situations.  It is not in my plan to see you suffer from worry, but is it possible that the negative feelings you have that result from worry may provoke actions on your part that will make such worry negligible or even non-existent in your life?

And those changes need not be major changes--they may end up being changes in attitude, changes in perspective, changes in acceptance.  Or changes in trust.

One thing that does concern me constantly is the fact that so many people would look at your situation--or the situations of so many others that are similar--and say that it's your fault.  From a worldly perspective, they would say it's your fault because you have the wrong jobs, because you haven't saved enough, because you've squandered money on other things.

From a spiritual perspective, they would say it's your fault because your faith isn't strong enough, because you're not "right" with me, because you need the lessons that money problems and worry will provide you with.

I will say very clearly:  it is not your fault.  Yes, some people do squander large amounts of money and end up suffering financially because of it.  That is not the case here--I know it and you know it.  That is not the case for millions of people who have similar situations and worries.  It's important that you know that you're not facing these problems because you bought a pair of shoes last month instead of leaving that money in the bank.  It's not happening because you ate out three times last month.  It's simply happening.

And it's hard for me to say "have faith in me" when you have had faith in me up until now, and you're still facing these problems.  In all fairness, why would you believe me when I say "have faith"?

One thing that every problem needs is time.  They're rarely solved quickly and neatly.  Over time, you'll watch things fall together in ways that you couldn't predict, and you'll see your problems diminish, slowly and surely.  You'll learn ways to cope with what's happening, and you'll develop strategies for compensating for the issues.  I will help you through that process.  I'll help you to open your eyes to solutions and strategies, and I'll help you to deal with your worries effectively instead of letting them overwhelm you.  I will do all that I can to give you peace of mind and peace of heart, for when you're facing life from a peaceful place, it's easier to see what's needed.

I would love to say "Give your problem to me and I'll solve it immediately."  Life, though, has never worked that way.  It isn't designed to work that way.  It's hard to hear "Hang in there and keep at it, but don't worry," but that's essentially what I'm saying--with the offer to take your worry over myself.  Give your situation to me and give your worry to me, and I will work with you to bring a resolution to them both.

Fears Are Back

Good morning, God.  Thanks much for this new day and the new opportunities that it brings to live, to love, to appreciate, and to cherish.  These new days are very important to me, and I'm grateful for them.

I'm going through quite a lot these days, especially concerning work.  My hours have been cut dramatically at one job, and I'm experiencing a lot of fears of authority figures that I haven't experienced in many, many years.  It's the old fear of judgment coming back, the fear that I'm going to be told that I'm doing something wrong or bad and that I'm not going to have the chance to defend myself, or that if I do have that chance, I'm not going to be believed.

I know where this fear comes from of course, but that doesn't help me when it comes in the middle of the night and keeps me up.  And it also doesn't help me to come to terms with it--why, after all these years, is this fear re-emerging?  Why am I having to deal with it at my age?  It's something that should have been relegated to obscurity years ago; instead, I'm finding myself dealing with issues that I've dealt with for years and years--and for no real reason.  The fears are unfounded.  They make no sense.

Add to that the financial fears, and you have a very interesting set of circumstances.  Terry and I just committed to going on a cruise next May, which means that we'll have to spend a lot of money AND that I'll have to take six weeks off from teaching in order to be able to go.  In order to be able to do both of those things, we're going to need to actually have money.  I took the extra job in order to be able to have extra money, yet now it looks like the extra job will be simply compensating for the lost hours.

My two greatest fears, back to haunt me in significant ways.  Why?  What can I do about them?  I feel that the only thing I can do for the first one is to be absolutely perfect in the class or on the job, and there's no way I can be that, of course.  And for the second one, I feel that I'll have to work many extra hours at extra jobs just to have money coming in--is that the case?  I do have other options for income, but they, of course, haven't panned out nearly as well as they could have.  So what do I do here?  How do I deal with these fears?  Is this a question of a lack of faith, or is there something else to it?

A response:

First of all, let me say that this is not about a lack of faith.  "Religious" leaders will often tell you that fears are a result of a lack of faith, but that's not necessarily true.  It hurts me to see so many people turn away from me because they think that they're being "punished" for a lack of faith--their prayers aren't answered, for example, because their faith isn't strong enough--and I wish that people would stop trying to judge the quality of each other's faith.  Your faith is what it is, and given the circumstances under which you grew up, I'm actually a bit surprised that it's as strong as it is.  And I appreciate the fact that you try to keep it childlike and sincere--simple and strong.

You know where your fears come from, and that's a very good start.  When you know their source, at least you can recognize them for what they are--fears, and not reality.  I'm not big on pop culture, but I do like the acronym "False Evidence Appearing Real'; it gives a good idea of what fear is all about.  How do you deal with it, though?  How do you, in your daily life today and tomorrow, put those fears aside and go on with your life in productive and positive ways instead of worrying and wondering?  Isn't that the essential question that everyone must face?  Fears in themselves aren't nearly as destructive as the lack of focus that one experiences when dealing with fears in addition to dealing with all the other things that life throws at you.

I could assure you that everything will be okay, yet if you really can't find a reason to believe that, then my words will fall on rock and not have the chance to grow.  Because let's face it:  if you're not able to take that cruise (and I know that it's your first real vacation in many years), and you still have enough money to buy food and rent shelter with, things are still okay, aren't they?  Your dreams of a vacation have been dashed and you'll be dealing with a very high level of disappointment, but things will still be okay, technically.  But are dashed dreams really okay, especially when they're rather modest dreams that are very realistic and completely understandable?

Your fear of authority and judgment is very real, and it results from your childhood.  It's very common in people who had an alcoholic parent or two in their childhoods.  And this fear triggers a defense mechanism that can be very uncomfortable to deal with--and even very painful in many ways.  I would say that the best way to deal with it is to get to know the authority figures in your life right now--interact with them and learn about them.  They will do things that you don't understand, for they're dealing with a lot of fears themselves.  Their fears will even make them do things that are completely wrong.  But the more you know about them, the better will be your position when things do seem to be going wrong; the more you'll understand what's going on.

Now, some of these people make themselves inaccessible--physically or elsewise--so getting to know them isn't that easy.  In that case, it may make you feel better to write things down.  Write down things that happen so that you're very clear in your mind how things were.  Writing things down, as you know, helps us to clarify thoughts and helps us to see where we might have done something "better" or differently.

This may also help with your money/job issues.  Write down what you need, and write down what you know you have now and what you will have.  Find out what the disparity is.  Then you can brainstorm ways to come up with the shortfall.

And pray.  Pray for guidance and pray for help.  I know that you won't pray for the money in the form of a windfall, but you might even consider that.

Don't play the lottery.  Don't gamble.  Both of those systems are designed to take money, not pay it out.

And try to relax, try to enjoy, and give your best to all you do.  I know you try to do that already, but keep that up.  You can deal with obstacles much better from a place of peace and balance than you can from a place of stress and fear.  Pray for that peace of mind.