Lots of wild things are happening around us now. The Delta variant keeps Covid a factor in our lives. Major fires are burning, sending smoke across the entire nation. Hurricanes are battering cities. If you sit and watch the news, there is no end of things to worry about.
Yet what seems daunting to the fearful mind represents a huge opportunity to the higher mind. Every thought, feeling, word, and action is a choice between fear and love. The greater the fear, the more powerful the transformation when we choose trust.
The metaphysical minister Rev. Ike said, “At your lowest point, prepare for your greatest good.” When darkness looms, that is the most fertile moment to choose the light. Rev. Ike asked, “Are you gonna give up, or get up?” Every challenge is a prelude to a breakthrough. Setbacks are setups in disguise.
A Course in Miracles tells us, “There is no order of difficulty in miracles” because there is no order of reality among illusions. In a dream, it doesn’t matter whether you are being chased by one bear or a hundred bears They are all dream bears. When you wake up, they all disappear.
A woman had a dream in which she was being pursued by a huge hideous monster. She ran faster and faster, attempting to outrun the beast. Finally the monster caught up with her and pinned her down on the ground. Terrified, she looked into the monster’s ugly eyes and asked, “What are you going to do with me?”
“I don’t know,” the monster answered, “This is your dream.”
Everything you see on the news is your dream. Just because lots of people agree with your dream does not make it any more real. A large number of people in the middle of nowhere does not make it somewhere. You can just as easily—actually, far more easily—focus on the gifts, beauties, and blessings all around us.
At this moment many people are returning to normal lives after the major brunt of Covid. Airplanes are full, people are enjoying vacations, and families are reuniting. The real estate market is thriving. Thousands of firefighters are working tirelessly to quell blazes. Shelters are being set up to house displaced persons, and food banks funded by generous people and volunteers are feeding people away from their homes. For every darkness, there is far more light that comes to offset it.
Worry is not a form of love. Worry is prayer in reverse. If you feel worried about anything, what affirmation can you turn to, to neutralize the worry and keep your mind on track with your vision? You may not be able to control events, but you have total control over how you respond to events in thought, word, and action. “All is well” is not a statement of hope. It is a statement of truth.
Now is the time to keep our eyes on the target of well-being. Establishing yourself in wholeness and trust is your gift to the planet. A spiritual teacher said to a man shooting an arrow, “When the bullseye becomes as big in your mind as an elephant, you will surely hit it.”
One day I was walking through the San Francisco airport on a busy day when many people were rushing about. I also felt harried. Then I noticed a man walking toward me who looked unusually peaceful. His face was relaxed, his eyes soft, and he had a gentle smile. The moment I saw him, I relaxed and dropped into a quiet space within me. I don’t know his name and I never saw him again. But he made such an impression on me that I am speaking about him many years later. He healed with his presence.
Gandhi said, “The pure love of one person can offset the hatred of thousands.” Likewise, the pure trust of one person can offset the worry of thousands.
Let us not be fooled by appearances. The world needs light holders now. That would be us.
