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