God Is Not My Spiritual Bell Boy, Revisited 8/5/13

This is not God. I'm
sorry if you were
 mistaken.

     Good early Monday morning,

Sunday, after seeing clients in the afternoon, I went to a secret place, studying for four hours, nurturing me.  Did it feel good, but I got home late.

    In the sidebar to your right, the following post has spiked up the list of popular ones for this week.  I'm posting it for those who haven't read it.  Here it is:

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        Recently, I was schooled in a lesson while laboring on a
project, lugging a suitcase of tasks related to it up the steep stairs of unseeable results.  This undertaking was foreign to me, but I was confident in seeing this task completed.

       Others told me to give up.  Nope.  No can do.  Success often requires faith, and faith is going beyond the dictates of reason and circumstances.  While pushing ahead, if we---as a result of our insecurities---need all the outcomes figured out, where's the faith?

       Faith is doing what takes faith.  (Read here, for more about this idea.)

       I'm not prone to throwing in the towel, when circumstances aren't going well.  There's something to be said for perseverance.

 "In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins–not through strength but by perseverance.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

By phone, I determinedly approached others regarding this challenge;  I engaged contacts face-to-face.  All efforts appeared for naught.  A lack of results doesn't rattle me.

       What I do or don't achieve does not define me.

"I block my well-being each time I base my self-worth on what I do or what others think of me."           Courage to Change, p. 118

Instead, I value the freedom found in leaving my best efforts in God's hands, trusting Him for the results.  I believe in the Power of Persistence.  However, I find it best when endurance is born of prayer and meditation---connecting to the God of my understanding.  Seeking God's will---not relying solely upon my muscle or cognitive abilities---is best.  I am not the end all and be all of any endeavor.  Seeking God's help, relying upon His resources, works well.  As with everything I write, please take what you like and leave the rest. but, I believe.....

      God isn't my spiritual bell boy.

      He doesn't wear a goofy uniform, nor is he my lackey.  You're know these guys, they work at hotels, and tote your luggage to your room, hoping for a tip when they've dropped it off.

       I don't boss God around;  I don't snap my fingers, saying, "God, this is what I want to do (you name it), or need.  Now, bless my efforts, give me what I want!"  Instead, I ask for His guidance.  I commit my ways to Him, letting God establish my plans.

       I like the light Paths To Recovery shines on this subject:

Remember that asking our Higher Power for help does not mean asking for specific results---that is asking God to execute [perform---not kill---as one person I know once interpreted] our will!  Turning our will and our lives over to God means that we put the outcome in God's hands.   Paths to Recovery, Al-Anon's Steps, Traditions, and Concepts, Virginia Beach, VA: (1997). 29, Print.

        Well, today it happened.  The results regarding this endeavor arrived.  God's humor was displayed.  The payoff for my efforts was terrific, the route to this conclusion, unexpected.  Figures.  I basked in seeing a vision fulfilled.  Having things work out for the best when I did "the next right thing" and got out of the way, was lovely.

         One of the persons who prompted me to quit---when I was struggling---was with me when the outcome was unveiled; she was speechless.  Having little faith, produces small results.  "According to your faith be it unto you," a spiritual leader, from long ago, once said.

         Operating from God's point of view, broadens life's possibilities.  Big faith allows God to exercise His muscles, unfettered by our negativity, fear, puny trust and limited perspective.  Faith enables Him to unleash His divine power.  It is humbling, remembering that reality is not reduced to our senses, capabilities or logic.  Thank God for that.

         It's emotionally satisfying knowing, at the cellular level----not just cognitively----there's only one God and we are not Him.  God and us make a powerful team, when we know our role in this duo.  Such a partnership enables us to do our best, unshackled by our limited resources.  Confusion and apprehension is placed in God's capable hands; it is our best option.

        Worry avails little.  Yes, it provides a pseudo sense of control.  But it is still fake.  Even if we think we are in charge, we aren't.  Growth transpires when we realize we are powerless over all the nouns and pronouns in our life: people, places and things. (Paths, p 13)

        Knowing this fact allows us to sleep better, worry less; we become easier for others to relate with.  Faith right-sizes us, reminding us of our need for God.  It also promotes an Attitude of Gratitude, for we've found relief: we no longer live life relying upon our abilities alone.  The heavy luggage carried up the stairs of our concerns no longer rests upon our shoulders, but His.

How About You? 
How is your connection with God?  Where would you like it to be?  How do you define the God of your understanding?

     Writing and reading, due to the Internet and blogs like this one, has become a social act.  Let me hear your response and comments on this subject. I'd love hearing what you have to say!