This week I spent time going through my books. The idea was to gather some books for the ministry library. I found myself thinking about all the inspiration that is there. The many authors who having awakened to the Divine within them, listened to the call to share the Truth they know. This Truth then goes out into the world and inspires, encourages, and even challenges us to begin to see ourselves, each other and the world differently. What struck me the most, is the teachers who have had the greatest impact on my life are clear that they are demonstrators of what it looks like to live as aspect of Truth. They themselves are not the way. They are pointing a way to living life fully from our True nature.
I am grateful for each one of these individuals. It takes great courage to put yourself out there. One of my favorite sayings was introduced to me by Brene’ Brown. It is a quote from Theodore Roosevelt, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
This one quote has encouraged and challenged me to step up even when fear wants to take hold and tell me that I am not enough. Do you ever have that voice that lies to you? That voice that tells you; you are not enough, there is not enough, you are not worthy, you lack the skills, money, intelligence, whatever in order to do or be whatever it is that you feel called to be.
Charles Fillmore, co-founder of the Unity Movement, said in his book Talks on Truth, “It is your mission to express all that you can imagine God to be. Let this be your standard of achievement; never lower it, nor allow yourself to be belittled by the cry of sacrilege. You can attain to everything that you can image. If you imagine that it is possible to God, it is also possible to you. Whatever possibility your mind conceives, that is for you to attain. “
That is a big, Big, BIG challenge. I call it a challenge, not in the meaning of competition, but in a calling of us into a higher idea of who we are. We spend so much time thinking about what we cannot control or do anything about. The time has come for us to step out of our spiritual box, our limited thinking, and take a risk. I am challenging myself to live as the man the ring. I will and am taking risks, to step out, to speak my highest Truth, to be a demonstration of the flow of life that encourages others. In what way are you willing to step into the ring? Is there something that has popped into your mind that you have given yourself excuses as to why you cannot be, do, or have?
One way to get clear about what we want is to get clear on our personal vision or purpose. Humans are purpose driven interrelational beings. It is through clarity of purpose that we feel encourage and even empowered to take the risk of stepping out. And an important aspect of stepping out, is recognizing we do not have to do it alone. There are those who are in our lives to support us along this path. Sometimes we do not recognize them as the gifts that they are, we think they are our persecutors. Which brings me to another book, written by David Emerald; The Power of T E D. In his wisdom, David has challenged the idea of triangulation as being a negative in our lives, and shows us how to reframe it to empower our growth and connection with others. He asks the question, what is the opposite of victim? The answer comes back, creator. We are the creators of our lives and those with whom we are in relationship are co-creators with us. What often blocks us from knowing this Truth is how we perceive the interactions we have with others. If a person, circumstance, or idea seems to get in our way, we feel persecuted. We interpret it as something against me. When in reality, as Rev. Dr. Gary Simmons would say, “There is no one and nothing against you.” It is our interpretation, our own limited view of ourselves that tells us we are victims being persecuted. The opposite of persecutor is challenger.
The third element of the triangle is rescuer. We often think of rescuers as people who jump in and make everything all better or cover up someone’s mistake. A rescuer is anyone or anything that keeps us from feeling our feelings and working through the challenge to come to a higher and more empowered Truth of who we are. This is why the opposite of rescuer is coach. A coach is a person or circumstance that invites questions, reflection, and courage.
The question becomes three-fold. What is the arena you are being called to step into? What are the limiting thoughts (victim) that are holding you back? Who are your co-creators and how might they be your challengers and coach? As you sit with these questions, I would love to hear your intention to step out of the box of limited thinking and into a life of empowered blessings.
Grace-filled Blessings,
Charli
I love Advent! I especially love this first week. I’m still in the newness of the holidays. Decorating has begun, buying gifts for loved ones, spending time contemplating this holy season and what it means to me this year.
