Spiritual Engineering

ONE MOMENT OF ANGER CAN YIELD A LIFETIME OF REGRET.

August 6 from "Totally Within©"

Sometimes the words and actions that fly when we are angry can wound another person so deeply that healing takes months or even years; some deeds done in a flash of rage oft bear life-altering consequences—both for other people and for our self. Learning not to react in anger definitely gives us and those around us a better life.

We have tools that help us mature spiritually and eliminate much of the need for, and indulgence in, these bursts of emotions. We strive to be free of anger but unless we’re a saint, we’ll sometimes find our self immersed in that flash of emotion. At all costs, we must avoid words and acts which we might regret. When anger overwhelms us, it is easy to justify responses that do not reflect the type of person we want to be.

We must insert a time interval between the feeling and the reaction to slow down our response. We pause, take a deep breath and ask our inner spirit “God save me from being angry; help me not react while this feeling is controlling me. Melt this anger and help me find peace.” We keep repeating this until we can find an appropriate (not angry) answer.

Prayer: I pray that all feelings of anger may melt away. Fill my heart, mind, and soul with love, tolerance, patience, and compassion. Grant me that ten second hesitation and guide me to ask for your help before I respond.
Take three relaxing breaths; ask your inner spirit to guide your meditation; pause for a few minutes in silence.

ACCEPTING THINGS WE DON’T LIKE ISN’T EASY and often happens in three stages.

August 5 from "Totally Within©"

ding headfirst into a brick wall and it always bloodies my head, I can deny that I’m hitting the wall or that it’s hurting me (denying the fact of reality); but this leads to repeating the same action and suffering the same result. If I want to quit hurting, I face three progressive levels of acceptance:

1. Resistive acceptance: I understand that the reality does exist (I accept the fact of reality—it is what is); I bear up resignedly and believe that it’s wrong or unfair. (I don’t want that wall to be here; it’s not fair or right but if I want to stop hurting, I’d better quit running into it).
2. Neutral acceptance: I am at peace with the facts; I cease struggling; although I still don’t like or appreciate what has happened, I calmly accept it and move forward with my life. (I don’t agree with this wall being there; I don’t like it or understand it, but it must serve some purpose.)
3. Total acceptance: I enhance my understanding; something makes me see how the reality I face can actually benefit me and I start to appreciate it. (I had the opportunity to view what's on the other side of the wall and it’s keeping a pride of lions from attacking me! I would be insane to tear it down. I’m grateful for that wall.)

Prayer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Take three relaxing breaths; ask your inner spirit to guide your meditation; pause for a few minutes in silence.

If we’re receptive, surprising things can enhance our awareness of God.

August 4 from "Totally Within"

We live off-grid in the high mountains of Colorado and were having a recurring problem with the satellite internet connection. A satellite orbiting 22,300 miles above the earth transmits the signal to a dish on our house. Severe weather conditions or physical clutter on the receiving dish can interfere with the signal but the weather was crystal clear and the dish was clean. A technician found that the receptivity of our home signal would be very strong and then suddenly decrease and break the connection. The measured signal from the source stayed consistently strong. The modem was faulty and a new one immediately eliminated the problem.

Our connection with God is similar. He constantly “beams” love, power, and peace toward us. Sometimes we allow outer conditions (the clutter of people, places, and things) to interfere but the real challenge is maintaining our inner receptivity. It falters when we fail to pause and pray, slow down and give thanks, or recognize the beauty, love, and absolute wonder of his creation. We get distracted by trifles and become immersed with “doing” instead of simply “being.”

But his signal is always there—strong, consistent, and powerful. We simply have to open our hearts, minds, and soul to receive it.

Prayer: My loving inner spirit, help me be receptive. Elevate my thoughts; purify my motives; guide my words and actions so they reflect your will and I may find peace.
Take three relaxing breaths; ask your inner spirit to guide your meditation; pause for a few minutes in silence.

Faith does not prevent adversity; it provides the power and direction to navigate obstacles with assurance, dignity, and love.

August 3 from "Totally Within"

Do I have healthy expectations about the results of a spiritually-directed life? We live in an imperfect world with other imperfect people; accidents, misfortunes of nature, and other people’s choices/actions impact our lives and God does not micro-manage any of these.

Adversity, disappointment, and loss are part of life but practical faith gives us a choice on how we will make the journey. It helps us utilize the two greatest gifts in our life: free-will choice and the inner divine spark, the “kingdom of heaven within”.

When hard times or just complacency and mediocrity hit, we must choose: Do I suffer from decisions directed by self-driven will or do I acknowledge my limitations and seek the help so readily available? Do I call on my inner spirit to guide me out of the muck and misery to a sublime peace or do I choose to keep suffering? Do I rely on my limited strength or do I seek additional power?
Strength, courage, peace, and hope are only a prayer away.

Prayer: Dear God, please guide my faith to align with your desires; grant me the humility to seek your guidance, strength, and love; elevate my mind to partake of your wisdom; shower me with grace that I may find peace in the midst of turmoil, tolerance in tribulation, and love in any hardships I face.
Take three relaxing breaths; ask your inner spirit to guide your meditation; pause for a few minutes in silence.

Wrong expectations can corrode and destroy our relationship with God.

July 31 from Totally Within ©"
Most of us do not believe that God will help us win the lottery; however, we may entertain other expectations about this spiritual life that set us up for disappointment.

If we want consistent, reliable, and repeatable results, we need to align our expectations with what produces these results—the truth. Our spiritual parent is interested in our spiritual growth and maturity and not overly concerned with our materialistic success.

God is not Santa Claus to fill a wish list of gifts; he does not suspend natural laws to compensate for our poor choices; he never interferes with anyone’s free will to make them choose according to what we see as right, fair, or compassionate.

God does provide us with strength to break the chains of addiction and alcoholism; he offers the power to guide our mind to beneficial thoughts instead of misery. He grants us love to melt resentments, vigor to rise above the storms of self-will, and understanding to make good choices. He offers insight to find elusive answers, courage to overcome fear, and balance to administer mercy with justice and compassion with wisdom; he leads us to love in the face of condemnation and to forgive the unforgivable. He grants the peace that passes all human understanding; he fills our body, mind, and soul with the security of divine over-care and the unshakeable trust in our eternal destiny.

Prayer: My loving spiritual parent, help me to understand our relationship more deeply; let my prayer that “It is my will that your will be done in my life” be seared into every fiber of my being and all my spiritual nature.
Take three relaxing breaths; ask your inner spirit to guide your meditation; pause for a few minutes in silence.

Reading minds should be left to psychics. Actual communication is more effective than mindsight.

July 30 from "Totally Within©"
Has anyone ever told you—or have you told anyone “Well, you should have known what I meant… what I wanted ... what I needed?” Of course there are some things in a relationship that may be self-evident but communication—actually expressing important desires, needs, and expectations—can often prevent unnecessary hurt feelings and misunderstandings.

Each of us brings our history, experience, personality, hopes, values, beliefs, expectations, and perceptions into every relationship we have. Some may be similar to those brought by the other person and others may be quite different. Sometimes, it’s hard enough to know our selves—why we think, feel, act, and react the way we do, why something that may appear insignificant to others is important to us, or why it may not have been important yesterday but something happened today that made it so. It’s even more difficult to always anticipate these things about another person.

It’s our responsibility to be clear when we feel something is important even if we believe that it “should” be obvious to anyone; words and understanding eliminate the need for reading minds. Today, let us make an effort to communicate clearly in all our relationships and not expect someone to read our mind.
Prayer: My loving inner spirit let me clearly speak and hear with love this day; help me be receptive to the needs and dreams of others; guide my thoughts, words, and actions to demonstrate caring, tolerance, empathy, and compassion.
Take three relaxing breaths; ask your inner spirit to guide your meditation; pause for a few minutes in silence.

Everyone gets into a rut at times. .Some set up housekeeping and live there; others move on.

July 29 from "Totally Within©"

Our rut can be at the bottom of addiction, alcoholism, or overwhelming loss or it may be just an “okay” existence with a lack of initiative or willingness to change. The devastating loneliness and despair resulting from the deep rut may move us to find solutions; however, a less-than-desperate rut may let us settle for a mediocre life.

Do you ever consider “Is this the best I can do? Is this really all that I hope to get or give in this life? Is it possible to live and not allow other people or events control my attitude and feelings? Must I always worry about the future or dwell on the mistakes and failures of the past? Do I have to settle for whatever life throws at me or can I do something about it? I wish life was better than this.”

Practical spirituality offers the direction and power to get out of any rut, transform our attitude and actions, and grasp the wonder of a better life. It offers the tools to face success, failure, and disappointment with equanimity, peace, and poise. We can trade those “okay” days or times of just getting by for days with laughter, hope, peace, and joy. We don’t have to settle for mediocrity.
Prayer: I pray that I may not slide into complacency and accept wherever I am because I believe it is the best I can do. Ignite the fires of hope and the desire to change within me and move me to act according to your will.
Take three relaxing breaths; ask your inner spirit to guide your meditation; pause for a few minutes in silence.