Letting go is a conscious decision allowed by the awareness of trust.

Letting it flow is still a matter of trust. Once we let it go, then it’s time to observe and enjoy the show of whatever we are aware of or experiencing, because it is then that the process of His creating is allowed to be.

I continue to work to allow God’s Love flow through me that I may a part of His creative Hand. Like I said, it’s easier said than done. But like anything else, it’s a matter of practice. It’s the practicing that opens the doors to the miracles. And every miracle always makes it worthwhile.

Blessings,
Irene

I’ve made a decision.

Most of us know that negative attitudes keep us down and positive attitudes lift us up. And I have been struggling with my desire to grow my business, be domestic, homeschool, grow myself, and never seem to have enough time to do it all. I’ve asked myself where can I have more time and there’s not much leeway. I have complained in my mind and out loud a several times over the past several months. But I’ve been trying not too because I’ve been trying to break myself of that limiting mindset. I’ve been trying to figure out how to break free of feeling overwhelmed and still be able to get everything done that I want, need, and should.

As a child of God, I am a cocreator in His plan. Because of God’s Love, I am given free will and the power of choice. So I have decided, rather, I have chosen that I will have it all. God wants me to know abundance, so ok, I accept. I will be true to who I am and as God guides me. If He has put into my heart that I want to do all these things, then I will. God does not make a path for me that I cannot travel (Ephesians 3:20). So I have the full support of God’s Love to help me. My dominating thoughts on the matter are no longer “I don’t see how I can do this”, but now they are “Ok, Lord. What’s next? I feel drawn this way, so lead the way and show me how it’s done.”

I have reframed my perspective. In doing so, I no longer feel “can’t” but instead feel “Yes, I can.” With which attitude do you think I’m going to be more efficient, productive, and happier? Can you apply similar principles to something going on in your life? What recurring negative thoughts do you have that you might be able to reframe?

Call on God’s Love to guide you how to reframe something and let it become a liberating and empowering experience. After all, if you knew how to rise above your challenge, you would have already done so. God knows what you need. Call on our Lord and know that because of God’s Love, you will be heard and answered, although not necessarily in the way you may expect. Be open and trust. Let yourself be open to listening to the Truth held in God’s Love.

Remember, Love is all that matters and God’s Love is all that we want. Opening yourselves to that will bring you more of what you want.

I say yes to that. What do you say?

Blessings,

Irene

I went to a Women’s Leadership Symposium the other day for the first time. It was a worthwhile experience in that I learned some great information and met some great people. There were also perceptions that I didn’t agree with, and that was good too.

One of the things I remember the most was about how, in general, women have stronger “likeability” needs than men do. (Whether this is true or not I do not know.) And that as long as we worry about what others think about us or let what others think about us devert us from who we truly are, then we are still giving our power to others.

That hit home and I needed to hear it. I love how God works. His timing is always a miracle in itself. It is God’s Love that created the forces for me to hear what I needed to hear. I’ve been aware that I have concerns about what others think about me, and I’ve been asking our Lord how to break myself free of such concerns. I had not, however, realized that by holding myself back, I was giving power to others. This greater awareness is a huge step in my process of breaking free from these issues and fears of mine. The next step is prayer, since I’m not clear on what’s next in my growth process.

I know to trust in God and let myself be. When you let yourself be, then you are open to the grace and flow of God’s guidance. At least that has been my experience. My challenge is to trust myself to understand how God’s Love guides me and to let go of any guilt that comes up from not feeling “good enough”.

I’m sure none of you have ever felt this way.

So while I know that I’m fine the way that I am and so is everyone else, I deal with old crap just like the rest of us do. But I will not give up, I will learn to Be, and I will Become. I will let myself be open to God’s Love and all of life’s experiences. For that is the only way to feel alive. Anything else is just survival. So I will pray and be open. That is my next step. And I will take the one after that and so on.

How about you? What is your next step?

Are you going to take it?

Is the alternative better, or is the alternative the same old stuff?

I guess it comes down to what do you want and what are you ready for?

Whatever God has brought us to, God has also given us the power to get through it. And we will. It is by the nature of God’s Love that He will bring us to that which we will get through.

That works for me.

Thank you, Lord.

Blessings,

Irene

Most people don’t like change. I completely understand because I used to be the same way. But I grew weary of stagnation and learned how to welcome change as opportunities. Sometimes it’s easy and other times I am breaking through deep held barriers within myself piece by piece. Very hard stuff but worth it. I know that it will lead me to something better, so I welcome it (although it may take me a while).

Once we learn that all opportunities/challenges are gifts from God, it becomes easier to let go of our holdings and let Him guide us to that something better. And that something better is always God’s Grace and Love encompassing all that we want and are becoming if we let ourselves. Within His Grace and Love is what our awareness of faith, trust, love, forgiveness, joy, compassion, and everything else beautiful comes from.

It seems that it would be simple to let ourselves trust God and the process of how things work in life knowing that His promises to us will be fulfilled. But often it is not. We’ve been hurt, disappointed, betrayed, traumatized, sick, and all the other “negative” things that cause us to put up protective layers within ourselves. These protective layers are walls that we cannot see through and they blind us from seeing God and His work in our lives. Many of us are completely unaware that we have these protective layers. So how do we let go so that we can let in the Love of God?

There is no easy answer for this other than it can be done. But it takes time and work. I have been making a conscious effort to grow and learn who God Is for 15 years now and on and off when I was a child. (I went through a period of 12 years of being an atheist so growth was considerably slowed during that time.) So the first step is wanting to learn and grow. The key is relating our trust in God to what we want.  In other words, know what you want (goal) and ask God to help you get it. It is the setting of a goal that gets the forces rolling, just like in business or an athletic endeavor or anything in life. When we have a goal, then the steps to accomplish it become more clear. Without a goal, we wander. (And there is a difference between wandering aimlessly where others control you and wandering with the intent to experience life.)

The second step is to listen. Listening is a skill that may come easy for some people, but it is a skill that many people lack or have a hard time learning. I used to be a terrible listener, at least by my current standards. And while I’ve improved my listening skills phenomenally, I still have a long way to go to be the kind of listener that I envision myself to be. So for some it will take longer than others. The key is being in a still place within yourself (Psalm 46:10) and opening yourself to “hearing” what God says to you. This might come as a body sense, or an image, or a word, or a feeling. Open up just like when we are listening to a friend or speaker or anyone that we want to hear what they have to say, but we don’t know what they are going to say. We must be open to hear what we are trying to listen to. Otherwise it is like learning from one of the primary colors instead of the clear white light information that is all encompassing and what we need.

And the third step is to then let it go (trust God) and let yourself live (trust yourself). You have asked God for help, so you can trust the Holy Spirit to guide you. Do what feels right to you so that you’re able to have a good nights sleep and have peace in your soul about whatever decision you make. Trust your heart and your gut. The Holy Spirit communicates to us through our bodies. What decision will give you the greatest sense of peace? What decision, when you look back on it later in life, would you agree was the right decision?

This listening and then trusting are what needs to happen for any real growth. Just like a snail in the water holds on tight so the tide doesn’t wash it away, we hold on tight to what we know out of fear of what might happen if we don’t.

We must be willing to lose sight of the shore in order to discover new oceans (author unknown).

So if we listen to how we feel ourselves guided, and then trust the process of letting God do His work through us by living our lives with conscious awareness of God, then things will happen in our favor. It is unavoidable. We asked God for help. If our hearts were sincere, the request cannot be denied because that would go against the nature of God’s Love.

Piece by piece things will happen that will guide you to what you want, knowing who you are, and help your relationship with God grow. As each piece that helps you grow happens, things change and prayers get updated and the cycle of growth continues. It is a lifelong process, dynamic, freeing, and empowering when aligned with God and His Love.

Blessings,

Irene

It comes down to the desire to grow, and by trusting in God. Trusting in God is a skill that is learned that comes from letting go of held pains. Forgiveness, regret, fear, and the like are just a few of the painful things we hold within ourselves. Our feelings are legitimate, but that doesn’t mean we’re not holding ourselves back by living our lives according to things that happened in the past. And it takes work to learn how to let go. It comes easier to some than others, but I have yet to meet anyone that says it’s easy. But there are so many options and opportunities of things we can do and think to help ourselves want to grow, trust, let go, and be open.

Since both a willingness to grow and the ability to trust are key to having the courage to open ourselves to the unknown, we need to do what we need to do to help ourselves move in that direction. Journaling one’s goals and pushing through some mental or emotional barrier might be what one person needs, while another might need long walks and the Good Book. It’s always personal and has no right or wrong about it. What matters is our intent. Do we intend to grow and become as God sees us, or do we intend to keep ourselves comfortable in our familiarity? When we are ready then we need to do what we need to do to grow in Jesus’s name. Only you and God know what that is. (That does include that God may work through someone to bring to your awareness what you need. Trust your heart for that is the touch of the Holy Spirit.)

I had a client recently who has had some serious trauma and has had some difficulty settling deep enough to have the kind of incredible sessions that the Biodynamic Craniosacral work that I do can do. I’ve always held my clients in my awareness while being centered and present, but a new sense of depth within myself came to me during this particular session. (We’ll refer to my client as Bob. Obviously not my client’s real name.)

I held in my intent to be there for Bob as he needed me to so that his system could settle and relax where his natural healing ability could do what it knew to do. I always hold this intent, but this time I held it at a deeper layer of openness to God’s guidance, and the awareness came to me to hold him with my whole self, instead of just from a center from within myself. So as I held him in my awareness, I also tuned into my body to see what felt tight and what felt right. The areas that felt tight or as if they had difficulty breathing, I invited to relax and be open and I waited. All parts that came up relaxed and let go. As these parts of me let go, I then held Bob in my awareness from these parts of me also. I worked it so that my system as a whole held him in my awareness as a whole. His system settled and relaxed as the presence that I held for him resonated with his system, and he fell asleep within several minutes of the beginning of the session. His system then did some beautiful healing work.

If I had not been open to God’s guidance, then the wonderful healing work that Bob’s system did could not have happened. The only real reason we keep ourselves from being open or opening up is because we’re afraid of getting hurt. I’m not saying that people holding themselves back out of fear is a bad thing. God gave us defense mechanisms for a reason and everything has its right time. But if we want to change for the better, then something has to change. The best way to know change for the better is to be willing to experience life. It takes an openness to new opportunities that God has available to us to be able to grow in His love. Some of those opportunities will feel like Grace, while others might feel like you’re trying to get your head above water.

Remember that it is our natural state to float above the water. If we feel that we are sinking, then that is our negative mindset that is creating that sense of reality. We may have hardship, but how we feel about that is our decision.

God gave us His Spirit within us. With God, all things are possible. Why deny ourselves His gifts? All His gifts are based on His Love. So when we open ourselves to His Truth and something ends up hurting, it’s a life experience that will help us to grow and learn into who and what we want. If we try to run away from it, we are denying God’s help in our lives. If we accept it as the gift that it is (whether if feels positive or negative), then we learn the power of grace, love, and faith.

Since God is Love, and with faith we have everything, then we have the potential to know and be all the power that there is. God’s Spirit is within us as His children. Why deny such a beautiful gift? If we honor such a gift, then we honor our Creator. It’s just a matter of being open to His Love, and being grateful for His Love to let the pathways of His Truth and true power flow through us. The power of Love is known by being open to His Love for us. Nothing is more powerful or beautiful than that. And that is worth fighting for.

I open myself to the Love of God.

Thank you, Lord, for all the miracles of the day, small and large.

I pray you will also want to open your heart and mind to God’s Love.

Blessings,

Irene

That’s ok. I am very positive. It’s a shoe I’m happy to wear. I’ve always been a “positive” person, but I used to be a lot more negative. Before I understood what I do so far about God’s Love, I lacked faith, trust, and love in myself and others. I was also afraid of the world. Not a good place to be.

I see so many people stuck in the lack of awareness similar to what I used to be or worse, and I feel for them. When we work through the pain we become stronger and wiser. Until we do that, we are trapped in a cycle of reacting to our surroundings and feelings instead of being the observer and deciding how we truly want to interact.

And much of it is getting trapped in our negative thoughts that tell us we’re no good or we’re unworthy. According to whom?? Whom are you listening to? Why? Why do you want to listen to someone who makes you feel bad about yourself. Why do you do that to yourself if you do? It is your decision whether you accept someones negative words or positive words. Why not focus on the positive? God wants you to focus on the positive. We move in the direction of our focus and goals. How can you fulfill your passions and purpose if you feel yourself inferior, unable, or unworthy? It is only by being who you were meant to be that your purpose can be fulfilled. You decide that purpose. And when your purpose is in alignment with God, then nothing can stop you except yourself. (That doesn’t mean you have to become a priest. It means that you want to help make the world a better place doing what your heart driven passions are.)

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and discipline.  2 Tim 1:7

Of course. His Spirit is within us as well as around us. To negate ourselves in any way is denying the power of His Spirit within us. To think ill of ourselves is turning out backs on God’s Love. No wonder we feel powerless or unworthy when we put ourselves down. We’ve just told God, “I’m not accepting you and your gifts.” It is only by being open to God and accepting His Love and His gifts that we have the power to accomplish our passions, purpose, and be the persons we want to be. Of our own power we do nothing. We are not separate from God. We are His children. We are infinitely connected to God. As His children, His power/love is available to us. Our job is to let Him love us. When someone gives us a gift, we accept it and say thank you. To not do so may be insulting or hurtful to the person giving the gift. While God’s Love is infinitely strong such that He does not feel insulted or hurt, the symbolism is analogous to what He is trying to teach us.

His message is simple. “Let Me Love You.”

Learning to do that may not be simple. It hasn’t been for me, and I’m still learning it’s depths. But the journey has been immeasureably worthwhile. It has been what life has been about. When we let God express His Love for us, we begin to learn what love truly is, and that is where empowerment truly comes from.

Many of us are aware of how we create our reality. Quantum physics explains how that is possible and its awareness is helping me get closer to God and all His creations. But has anyone mentioned its spiritual equivalent? That it is the power of God within us that gives us the power to create reality. It is the symbiotic unity that we have with God that allows us to create our reality.  We are His children/creation so we also have creative power. But when we think we are separate from God (i.e. unworthy), that’s when we begin to experience the pains of the world. When we feel the connection, we know empowerment, joy, peace, and love.

It takes work and practice to bring such empowering awareness. But anyone can do it! The first step is prayer. For change or growth to take place, one must ask God for the guidance to learn what one wants to learn. That’s the first step. We have to want to change for the better. Many will not. Change is scary for many people. Have faith. When you take a leap of faith, faith itself will catch you. So when you’re ready, say your prayer, and then give it to God. If your heart is sincere about wanting to know something better than you do now, then forces will be in motion to bring that about. Things will happen that will guide you. It might be something as simple as you are strangely drawn to a certain book in a bookstore, or a stranger says something to their friend in the grocery line that has meaning to you. We never know. What we know is that however God brings you to His Love is that His way is perfect. So we can take comfort and trust in that. And the more we can let go and trust Him, the more we are opening ourselves to His gifts. (God’s Gifts: that which comes from His Love, i.e. love, joy, grace, strength, financial support, life’s challenges and hardships to help us grow, ect.)

The next step is learning how to trust our inner guidance. The Holy Spirit communicates to us through our body awareness. Learning how to listen and understand is a process that takes practice. I’m still learning and may be for the rest of my life. Step by step is the process. But that is for another post or article.

You can start with the following tip: When you need to make a decision, even if it’s between a rock and a hard place, which decision gives you the greater sense of peace? Which decision allows you to sleep better. Which decision makes your body feel softer/lighter/more open and which makes it feel tight/harder to breath/shrinking? The better you feel about the decision, the better your decision is likely to be. Don’t necessarily think about it. When we think about something, our preconceived beliefs and ego issues tend to get in the way. Feel about it. What are your body’s sensations telling you.? Body sensations that feel right is what you’re looking for. Is your decision in alignment with your life’s purpose?

Nelson Mandela probably said it best in this excerpt from his poem “Our Deepest Fear”.

“…who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the World….We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us….”

When I honor myself, I also honor my Creator.

Yep. I’ll wear the Miss Mary Sunshine shoe – with honor!

Blessings to you!

Irene

I had many examples of how I could trust in God when I was a child, but I didn’t know it. I was raised in an non-religious environment. I believed in God and thought He was great, but I didn’t really have any idea who He was. It’s only been recently that I’ve learned some of how He works and shares His love. When I was 36, God dropped an opportunity in my lap that turned me around inside. As our family was dealing with the death of my father-in-law (a wonderful man), I realized that we needed to do some preventative care to ward off the ill effects of all the stress we were under. I explored different healing modalities and tried craniosacral therapy. For some reason I thought it was reflexology of the head. Obviously, I hadn’t a clue what it was, but I loved it and decided that I wanted to learn it before the end of the year. This was summer of 02 and I forgot all about it. Two months later, I got a magazine in the mail that I should not have gotten and in it was an ad for craniosacral classes coming to my town in two months. I took the hint, took the class, and absolutely fell in love with it. I changed schools and completed the 3 year, 700 hour Biodynamic Craniosacral Course. It, along with my family and God, has saved me. It was God’s Hand guiding me.  I used to be afraid of the world. If I felt threatened, my reaction used to be to hide. Now I can stand up for myself. Now I know who I am and what I believe. Now I know that I can trust God to guide me because no matter what happens, He is my perfect parent. He will not let fall without being there to brush the dirt off my knees, apply the ointment to my scrapes, and give me a reassuring hug. No matter what, one way or another, everything will be ok. That is the nature of the All knowing infinite Love that Is. If I have questions, it doesn’t matter. God knows the answer. So when I turn to Him, when I trust in Him, I am free. I have nothing to worry about because I allow myself to ride the Hand  of all the power there is. With God for me, who can be against me? (Romans 8:31)

Now I’m not saying that I don’t ever worry or get stressed. I am saying that I don’t experience these things the same way I did years ago. Now, the worry and the stress do not feel as intense, nor do they last as long. I am aware when I am worrying or stressed, and have trained myself in the skills of letting go and letting God. So now, even when I feel stressed or worried, I hold it in my awareness like an observer watching the waves of the ocean shore gently moving in and out. As I do this, it is easy to remember my faith and trust in God’s plan and process for me. I appreciate and have at times been joyous at some of the challenges and stresses in my life. I understand that it is through these challenges that I can grow.

That is one reason why we can trust God. He gives us our challenges so that we may grow. Without growth, there is only stagnation or decay. Without love, there is nothing. God provides us with challenges and opportunities so that we may grow in His likeness of love. He loves us so much, that he allows us to experience pain and difficulties according to what we need to grow as we need. We may not understand it. We may not understand our Lord. We may be ticked off at our Lord. All that is ok. He understands. But we can trust that He knows what is best for us. His is the infinite wisdom. Whenever I’ve allowed myself to accept that, healing occurs and I am strengthened every time.  So I trust and am still learning to trust. The skill continually deepens as trusting in Him and His handiwork always deepens the healing and empowerment within me.

If trust is a difficult thing for you, don’t worry. Just decide if you would like to learn how to trust, and then ask God for his help. Then let it go and let yourself be. Give God some time to work His magic. If you feel too afraid to ask for his help in this matter, don’t worry. Take it one step earlier and ask for the wanting to want ask for help. I have done this and something always happens that helped me to then ask for the help that I wanted. So consider asking yourself what you want. Do you want to be able to trust so that you can know a peace, calmness, and grace within yourself beyond what you know now? Or do you want to stay where you are now? Then consider trusting God to lead you to what you want. It all comes from our Creator. What we need to do is ask of Him what we want Him to create for us. And then let Him.

Blessings,

Irene