Dear Reader, may I ask you a question?
Do you ever feel you are drowning in the pressures and anxiety of your life? Household tasks...work related commitments...family or friends with troubles...health or 'body-related' problems...financial problems... the world and war... and maybe your conscience is not clear, so spiritually you are in turmoil...and your mind goes into overload. Dearest Reader - I prided myself on being able to cope with everything!!!! Until I couldn't!
Although I did not know it, I had no human humility before God. I didn't actively know how to pray, and I thought all the 'ability' I had was actually mine....and assumed I could and should keep on doing all these things. He brought me back to His Heart and the Truth of my humanity by taking away all the grace He had given my mind. I needed to get to know my Heart, and His renewing work!
God wants us to know that our well-being depends on Him - not on our work-related gifts OR on those who loved ( or did not love us) as children and through life, or the solutions to life your mind dreams up to cover up pain and discomfort in the NOW. I needed to learn humility, and hope and Trust in the One who could bring good out of what was happening; I needed to keep hold of prayer, and simply take one day, one moment, at a time. I needed to learn that to be with God, and know His Peace, I needed to be in THIS MOMENT! If my mind wanders off to new horizons seeking hope or life in them, I am offending GOD and not being 'whole-hearted'. Jesus says, 'Heaven is in your heart'...deep in our Inner Being. But for Him to help you with your Life, you need to listen to your Heart - pain and all.
Let Him help you with your everyday life, leading and teaching you His ways - whether you currently have an active faith in God and Jesus Christ, or not. Ask your Higher Self, which is connected to the Eternal Divine Will and Purpose, to help you, and learn the beauty of Trusting in God, and the humility of Loving Him and His Ways.
So if you are in a turmoil, or even slight overwhelm, remember three things:
1) Focus on what needs to be done TODAY - and put all other things on the 'Not Today' list.....
2) Look at the Today list and allow your Heart - your Inner Being - to choose which to do first - and ask your Higher self - 'How much time do I allot to this?' Keep your mind still until it is needed to engage with the task! Go through the day - even with inevitable interruptions, going through this process of choosing with the Heart, allocating time, and then do the activity.
You will find Peace comes to you with this decision taking, making order and either completing or moving tasks forward.
3) Remember that you are NOT God and He does not ask you to run the world for Him. So if you realise one of your tasks is to 'sort out 'x' for family or friend' ask your Higher Self - what is possible? Can I help? Please will You help?
Above all, ask that you come to love God more, and find the wonder of simply spending time listening in your Heart- your Inner Being and losing fear of the Pain that may be stored there. Maybe 'listening to your pain' will become one of the tasks of the day so you grow in Integrity and Love. Bear in mind that most people lose their sense of faith in God, when they have suffered the loss of someone they loved. Have courage to face pain one day at a time, and remember you are NOT God....God is and He does not get anxious. Truly, 'All manner of things will be well.' God is Eternal, and 'everywhere present' seeking to show us the Way, the Truth and the Life.
If you feel do not know how to pray - you may find a cry coming from your heart - thats prayer ; - or 'God help me I can't do it any more' ...that's prayer. Or simply 'God, if you are there, forgive me for going my own way, please help me and guide me.'
The wonder of any of these prayers is our recognition that we CANNOT work out life, but God can work out the most horrible messes if we humble ourselves and begin to pray - ask - and be willing to start to do things His Way. And that means releasing our expectations of what our lives should be, or what God 'should' do or be. This is the humility needed to receive His Love, Forgiveness, Mercy, Kindness, Goodness and His Grace (a Strength to serve that comes only from God)..... If anyone with a stubborn will, and prideful ego, wants to hold on to bitterness, self-righteousness, worldly power and oppression of others..... they (us) have no space for God....until desperate enough - as I was!! He will always be ready to listen.
May the Day of Love and Humility come soon...but meanwhile try out the 'Living in Humility for the Moment' approach to busy lives!