GOD IS a Verb. GOD IS…I AM

   As we work to manifest miracles, it is very important to remember to hold the expectation of whatever we desire as if we already received it.  As we fill our hearts with gratitude for what we want, we must believe it is “already done.”  For some people, this is not easy.  How am I supposed to believe I’ve already received something when I know I haven’t?  Won’t my doubt sabotage the intention?  I just can’t see it happening for me!

In order to do this, with any level of success, we have to move into a higher understanding.  Let me explain by using an example.  Let’s pretend we are working towards manifesting a new home.  We would like to build a beautiful new 3000 square foot home.  We have a vague idea of what we want it to look like, but have not moved any further than that.

If we are claiming a new home is already ours, and yet we don’t see it, we may feel conflicted and unable to hold this idea with any measurable degree of gratitude.  It certainly doesn’t appear that the home is ours!  In fact, we might have no leads, no lot, no plan and no money.  Hmmmm…this could easily be a point to give up.  Let’s press on, however.

When Christ Jesus said, “Ask and you will receive,” that didn’t mean we eventually receive.  In the instant we ask, we receive.  We ask with our desires, and the moment we desire something it sets up a vibrational alignment with whatever it is we want.  The only thing that stops it from coming to us is a change in our vibration.  That happens when we start to doubt or decide it won’t happen.  Let’s make sure we don’t change the intention!

We must first ask ourselves this question:  “Do new 3000 square foot homes exist?”  The answer is obviously yes!  Okay, we now need to find some of them.  Look around in the area, on the Internet, in books, etc. and find homes that match the description of what it is we want.  Let’s pretend we would like to have a stone and stucco Tuscan-style home, sitting on an acre lot.  Once we see evidence that such things exist, we don’t have to question that again.  We need to be careful, however, that when we see other people with what we want, we don’t feel jealous.  If that feeling comes up, that is a block that needs clearing.  Instead, when we see other people who have what we want we need to view that as a demonstration of what we can do, also.  In fact, we should be thanking the others for showing us it is possible!

Once we are clear that what we want exists, we have to be able to see ourselves with it.  As we visualize having what we want, again, we have to pay attention to what feelings surface.  Do we feel undeserving?  Does it feel out of reach?  Do we feel hopeless?  Is there a lack mentality?  Do we feel fear because we don’t know how it will happen?  Whatever comes up, clear it out with EFT or some other type of program that retrains the subconscious brain patterns.  Once the subconscious mind is open and receptive, we record new beliefs that serve us better.

As we look around, and we don’t “see” the new house, we need to step back and look at that from a different perspective.  Just because our eyes cannot see it doesn’t mean it isn’t here.  Regardless of what physical form anything takes–chairs, people, animals, trees, houses, cars, relationships, healthy bodies–it is all the same thing…energy.  Does energy exist?  Yes!  Thus, since the new home is made of energy, it is already created.  It exists in the realm of possibility, does it not?  We have already demonstrated it does, because we’ve seen evidence in other people who have what we want.  Okay.  Great!  So…it is here, just not visible to our human eyes.  It remains in the formless realm of possibilities.  In the quantum world, we would say it is in wave form, not particle form.

Keep in mind that everything that will ever “come to be” already exists.  God took care of that for us.  God created everything.  The supply is unlimited and eternal.  Therefore, we don’t have to worry about creating it.  It is done. 

Not only has everything already been created, but God generously deposited ALL in the Bank of Possibilities.  Every single one of us has an account, and whatever is in one person’s account is also in the other person’s account.  Because God is everywhere, all at once, ALL is everywhere, all at once.  If our desires lie in the realm of All (and how could it be any other way?), they have already been created.  Wonderful!  Now, I can remove that portion of doubt.  So, the question remains, “How do I move formless into form?”

This is where we hold the feeling of “already done.”  As we understand that the new house exists and that the possibility of having it for ourselves is clear, we now plant that feeling firmly in our hearts.  Throughout the day, we return, as often as possible, to that feeling of overwhelming gratitude as we know, without a doubt, the new house is ours.  It is sitting in our bank account, ever so close to manifestation!  Keep holding the vision of the new house sitting in the bank account, and start to feel your anticipation rise.

We don’t have to have all the details filled in.  In fact, if possible, I highly recommend we leave that open, because it is so much more fun when we allow the universe (God) to surprise us.  If we start to plan how all this will look, we tend to move back into the mind, and we will sabotage the process with our interference.  Leave it up to Divine Intelligence!  How much better and easier is that, anyway?  Remember, God knows what we want.  We don’t have to instruct or remind Creator.  We already told God what we want with our feelings…our desire for it.  Our job is not to come up with ways to “make” this happen.  In fact, when we start to push, we are actually resisting what God is offering.  Stand back, open your arms, and say, “Thy will be done.”  When we let God work out the how, it will dazzle us!  We are now in absolute acceptance and everything is moving with the flow of good.

Holding the concept/principle of cause and effect in absolute faith, we remove all doubts as to whether or not this will come to be.  Our belief is the cause, and the effect will be the manifestation of our desires.  I suggest we don’t put deadlines on it, because doing that indicates we have doubts and want proof.  Just let it all go!  Trust God to know exactly how, when and where.

As we continue to hold the vision of the new house in the bank account, and we let go of controlling how it will move from formless into form, intuitive and inspirational ideas come to us.  Co-incidences (incidents that match your vibration) start to occur.  We start to get “signs.”  All of these will invoke a feeling of excitement and anticipation in us.  Pay attention to these!  This is how God talks to us.  This is God working on the “how.” We will know it is an inspired thought when we first feel it in the body.  Most likely, it will feel like butterflies in the stomach or a welling up in the heart area.  We may feel very excited and happy.  Just after that feeling arises, a thought will come that reveals a step to take or something will happen co-incidentally.  Whatever happens, please follow it, even if it doesn’t make sense to you!  Do not question inspired thoughts!!  They are ALWAYS right.

As these inspired thoughts occur and we follow with action, the anticipation grows stronger and stronger.  Soon, we not only expect it could happen, we know it will.  We are giddy and full of love.  We are enormously grateful as we start to see things unfold before us.  Amazing things start to fall in place and we can’t help but grin as we watch this process revealing the way.  All day long, through tear-filled eyes of joy, we utter, “Thank you, God!  Thank you, God!”

The phone rings.  An agent we contacted months back suddenly has a lot to show us.  It’s a bargain.  We go look and it is everything we imagined and more.  The price is amazing!  We buy it.  Next, a book falls open to the exact page that holds a plan just like the one we had imagined…no, even better!  In a few weeks, a builder is introduced to us at a concert, and he says he would love to build the home. 

Now, here is where an “opposition factor” or two may show up.  These are beliefs we hold that oppose the idea of us receiving.  I can assure you these almost always come up.  Why?  Because we have old beliefs that we need to address.  What do we do?  Panic?  Let go?  Give up?  Absolutely not!  If the architect suddenly calls and says he can’t start on our plan for at least a month, we will NOT give in to that belief.  We continue to hold that all is under God’s control in God’s perfect timing.  In doing so, we get a second call, two days later.  The customers who were in front of us decided to not build, so the architect informs us he can immediately work on our plans.  How did that happen?  It happened because we refused to give up our new beliefs in favor of buying into old ones that didn’t serve us.  Now, we’re clicking!

A few months later, we find ourselves standing in front of the beautiful new 3000 square foot Tuscan home.  The only word we can get past our lips is, “Unbelievable!”  Ironically, however, it was our belief that caused it to move from the savings account into the bank account and into form. 

How did it all begin?  With the idea of “already done.”

I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog

“Shall we ask the divine Principle of all goodness to do His own work?  His work is done…”  ~Mary Baker Eddy~

One of the most beautiful examples of our job in the process of enlightenment is in Ms. Eddy’s Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures.  She shares the description of mankind standing in front of a blackboard, praying that the principle of mathematics will solve the problem.  She says, “The rule is already established, and it is our task to work out the solution.”  Like a child who is never allowed to learn on his own, but is always given the answers by the teacher, we recognize it is the process of seeking that reveals self-sufficiency, and without it, understanding will never be achieved.

Joel Goldsmith echoes this belief in Practicing the Presence.  He writes:

     Hundreds of years of frustration and failure should have proved to the world that it is not the work of a God to do this for us; It is our work to do it for ourselves by establishing that original relationship of oneness.

For far too many years, we have sought help from a God outside ourselves.  We have prayed to, begged for, made offerings to, bargained with, screamed at and lied to God in hopes of winning favor.  Haven’t we had enough?  Failure after failure should make it apparent this isn’t working.  We have been asking amiss.  God is not “out there.”  More importantly, God’s work is done.  The highest and greatest good possible–indeed, the kingdom of Heaven–is laid at our feet, overflowing in abundance, joy, love, and grace.  What more can God give us than all?  How can a cup, overflowing, have more added unto it?  It is not possible.  It is time for us to awaken to the fact that it is not God, but us, that have work to do.  Goldsmith says:

     The hope of man has been that by finding some supernatural power he would be able to recapture that state of bliss on earth.  It must be clear to every thinking person, however, that in his attempt to find harmony, man has been searching in the wrong way and in the wrong place.  Individual harmony and world peace will never be established by searching for some supernatural power.  Man’s need is to re-establish himself in his original Edenic estate which is oneness with God.

God’s grace is consistently unchanging, ever-present, eternal and infinite.  Why do we expect God to suddenly love us more?  How is that possible if God’s love is unchanging?  How can we think Infinite Mind doesn’t already know our desires?  Wouldn’t infinite cover all?  Is it possible for that which is immutably right to be wrong about us?  Are there mistakes in perfection?  Even more puzzling, when we look through biblical stories, we see rewards don’t always go to the best and brightest, and that some of the most obedient servants suffered horrible punishments.  None of this coheres to the standards of a God of perfect Love.  In fact, it flies in the face of the Creator who made us in a mirror ”image and likeness” and then called it good.  Clearly, what we’ve believed God to be is incorrect or misunderstood.

I remember how hard I laughed the first time I read, “God created mankind in His image and likeness and we’ve been trying to return the favor ever since.”  It’s true!  Our relationship to God has come from our experiences with one another.  We relate to God on a human scale, giving dualistic qualities to a monistic deity.  God cannot be both good and evil, loving and hateful, punishing and rewarding.  Taken in light of infinity…if God is good, and God is infinite, All must be good.  Where is there room for evil?

When all is said and done, we must consider that it is not God that fluctuates.  It is us.

When we finally take responsibility for our lives, we empower ourselves in ways never known before.  We understand it is our job to seek truth and oneness, and the only way we will ever find it is through deciphering the principles of unity.  As we repeat the phrase ”my Father and I are one,” we finally merge the two into one with understanding, and our eyes are opened wide.  The floodgates open, and we are drenched in divine enlightenment.  If it is true that my Father and I are one, then I need never again look outside myself for any answer.  I also know that only good is being offered.  The choice to accept it, however, is up to me.  If I inadvertently refuse it, I experience the resisting/opposing reality; God, however, always and only offers Love and its expressions.

Throughout the Bible, we are given clear directions.  Never does it say that God needs to do anything.  Always, it reveals steps we need to take.  “Ye shall know the truth…Ye shall love the Lord thy God…Ye shall love thy neighbor as thyself…Ye shall pray for the enemy…Ye shall forgive seventy times seven.”  Every step we take needs to be in the direction of unity with our Creator.  It is our sense of separation that requires healing.  Once we remember that Source is one, with us, as us, we find our answers.

Mere repetition of the words “I and my Father are one” will never move us into enlightenment.  It must become far more than intellectual perception.  When the words become a “demonstrable relationship,” we become Masters.  It is then our job to live from that knowledge, sharing this understanding with one another.  A true Master, you see, never wants his/her students to place the teacher above the student.  The Master Teacher receives compensation when the student becomes the light that illumines others.  No higher compliment is paid a teacher than when the student no longer requires his/her services.

When times are difficult, when disease rears its head, and when heartbreak threatens to topple your faith, return to Eden. Remember that God created all in the image and likeness of perfection.  Do not look up nor around…look within.  Reestablish your unity with the Creator, and know all things are possible to those who believe.  And most importantly, become aware that God is Principle, not human.  God is immortal, not mortal.  God is Love, and is always offering the highest good.  If we aren’t receiving it, we have work to do.  We must move ourselves out of faith, into understanding, by living our lives as though God is living through us.  When we hold that type of expectation, mountains move.

I will close with one more quote from the brilliant teachings of Mary Baker Eddy:

     If we pray to God as a corporeal person, this will prevent us from relinquishing the human doubts and fears which attend such a belief, and so we cannot grasp the wonders wrought by infinite, incorporeal Love, to whom all things are possible.  Because of human ignorance of the divine Principle, Love, the Father of all is represented as a corporeal creator; hence men recognize themselves as merely physical, and are ignorant of man as God’s image or reflection and of man’s eternal incorporeal existence. 

We cannot serve two masters.  Choose the God of Love whose work is complete.

I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog

   When I was first learning how to use intentional awareness in the application of the Law of Attraction, I realized meditation was the fastest way to manifest.  In time, I no longer had to use meditation to get to the quantum state…I can now do it instantaneously.  However, if you are new to this process, I suggest you use meditation–but not just “any” meditation.

There are many forms of meditation, and while most all of them leave you feeling peaceful, if you plan to use meditation as a form of manifestation, it must be a heart-based practice.  In other words, you are going to have to be able to move out of the mind and into the heart.  Why?  Because miracles manifest when you are in a euphoric state, due to the emotional intensity felt during that time.  When thoughts start to interfere, they might not be congruent with the feelings, and this will sabotage the process.  When you are in a state of bliss, the vibrational resonance rises to the highest level, connecting you with Pure Consciousness.  You are in the state of acceptance of all things good.  At this same time, the cells of the body are responding to this feeling, by flooding the system with chemicals that make you feel good.  Finally, the trillions of cells are communicating with one another, saying, “All is well…no need to remain in lock-down.  Release all the toxins and absorb only that which is good.”  Thus, if you want a physical healing, the natural pharmacy within the body activates, and the cells receive everything needed to return to wholeness.  If you are intending to manifest a relationship, a new job, money, etc., the vibrational resonance is now operating on the highest levels of bliss, so anything and everything that makes you feel happy begins to match that vibration.  In short, it moves to you.

Most people, when trying to manifest something, get too caught up in the how.  When they do this, the thought process (mortal mind) interferes with that which Divine Mind is offering.  I continuously ask, “Do you really think you can inform Divine Mind of something it doesn’t already know?”  Divine Mind knows what you want before you do…it knows all the answers, and all the questions.  Release the need to direct.  Allow Consciousness to bring you what you ask for without any input from yourself.  God knows what you want.  Desire is prayer.  We tend to believe we need to tell God–list for God–the things we would like to manifest.  Not so!  First of all, God doesn’t have ears, so all the words are really unnecessary.   The words and thoughts we use have but one purpose…they are used to move you (not God) into a euphoric state of being.  Secondly, your direct line of communication with the Divine is your emotions.  This is what God “hears.”  Feel what you want God to know, and it is done.  Period.  If you want things that make you happy, feel happy.  If you want things that bring you prosperity, feel prosperous.  If you want to attract a loving partner, feel love.  Hold the feeling that will result once you have whatever it is you desire.  That is all you have to do.  Personally, I find just staying in a feeling of bliss works across the board…because, in the end, whatever it is I want, once I have it, I will feel blissful.

One of the fastest ways to move into bliss is to see yourself already having whatever it is you want.  The biggest mistake made is holding the manifestation in a future time and place.  If you believe it “will” happen, it is in the future, and you will never get there.  If you believe you “do” have it, it is in the present moment, and it comes quickly.  Once you have convinced your mind you already have it, your emotional state will begin to respond with a feeling of gratitude.  Great!  Now, stop all the thinking, and just FEEL the bliss that evolves from gratitude.  This is the point where you want to begin your meditation…already in the state of joy, it will expand as you quiet the mind even further.

When you are applying these principles, the Law of Attraction is your best friend.  You understand how to utilize this ability, aligning yourself with the flow of all things good.  You are now open and receptive, and in this state of acceptance, good things happen.  You will start to feel inspired, and you will know exactly what to do, because it comes from a feeling that precedes it.  In other words, inspiration is first felt in the body and then heard in the mind.  Follow it if it comes to you in this way…it is never, ever wrong!

If you cannot get into the feeling of already having whatever it is you desire–if the feeling of bliss doesn’t come easily–you have blocks that first need to be removed.  Do not continue to use intentional manifestation if you aren’t feeling it.  If you are trying to force yourself to feel bliss, you are actually resisting it.  Always remember, it should feel effortless.  The subconscious mind will not allow the conscious mind to override it, so if you are holding ideas that you don’t deserve or aren’t worthy, please, please, FIRST remove the blocks, and then apply the LoA with purposeful awareness.  If you don’t, you will only reinforce the belief that “this stuff doesn’t work.”  It does…it always does!  However, it is responding to how you are feeling, so if you are merely “pretending” to feel joy, abundance, health and prosperity, the message is on hold.  Your underlying feelings of lack, sadness, disease and limitation are blocking the good.  Remove those feelings first!

I hope this clears up some of the misconceptions as to how this works.  It is really not a difficult process, once learned.  It finally becomes quite natural to move into higher vibrations.  Practice makes perfect…so rather than give up, just refine.

I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog

“The three great elemental sounds in nature are the sound of rain, the sound of wind in a primeval wood, and the sound of outer ocean on a beach.”  ~ Henry Beston ~

I have always loved the sound of water.  When I stand on the sandy beaches of oceans, the rhythmic rise and fall of foamy waves lapping at my feet reminds me of the power contained in the mysterious unexplored depths of our planet.  When I rest on the banks of a roaring river, I am mesmerized by the rushing waters that tumble over stones as they weave towards some distant connection.  When I hear a motor boat cutting through a lake, stirring up a huge wake that ripples out in rounded peaks, I feel warm and content inside.  When I sit and listen to the musical twinkling sounds of water fountains, I sense an inner peace that quiets even the most persistent thoughts racing through my mind.  When I hear gentle spring rain pounding rythmns on my window pane, I become mellow and romantic.  When I hear squealing children splashing in swimming pools, I am momentarily 8-years-old again, reliving hot summer days where the cool, clear water sent shivers to my quivering lips and sun-baked shoulders.  What is it about the sound of water that consoles and comforts my very soul?

Our physical bodies are primarily made up of water, echoing years of evolution where one-celled units of life transformed into sea creatures, eventually graduating to land mammals.  Millions of years later, humans came to be.  It should not come as a surprise that our cells recognize that sound, as if they are recalling a time long ago when life began in the water.  When I stand on the ocean shoreline, listening to the crashing ebb and flow of the seawater, every cell in my body comes alive as each one tingles with an awakening long forgotten.  “I remember this,” they begin to chatter amongst themselves.  As the conversation between the trillions of cells in my body heightens, the excitement can no longer be contained.  Chemicals pour into the bloodstream, and that feeling of euphoria pours out of my inner soul.  In only moments, the joy takes over every element of my being.  I remember.  I am home.  When the dolphin dances above the salty waters and when the whale’s eye beckons my inner soul to recognize we are family, I remember there was a time when I swam alongside them. 

It never fails.  As soon as I am lost in the bliss of recognition, my eyes lift to look at the sky above me.  Further back I travel in time and space.  My body yearns to reconnect with the sun, the moon, the planets and the stars.  They are my brothers and sisters.  The elements that make up the universe are the exact same elements of my own body.  There was a time when all of this was compressed into something so small, it could not be seen with these eyes.  I understand how deeply connected I am to the entire universe.  There was a moment of oneness so tightly woven space between was non-existent.  How could I have forgotten?

That moment of awe is interrupted as I absorb the most brilliant memory of all.  The One who created all of this is within it, as well.  This could not even be if there were not a Creator to orchestrate every precise unfolding whereby energy swirled into the gases that evolved into millions of galaxies.  From out of nothing came something, and the space that holds it must be the intelligence that decorates with it.  In speechless wonder, I come to know who I am.  I AM the consciousness of Pure Consciousness.  I AM everything I see, and all that I don’t see.  I AM the One who is infinite and eternal, constant and creative.  It breathes and has being as me…as the All-in-all.  I give my “self” over to this understanding, and miracles manifest.

Separation does not exist.  It is an illusion.  It is the forgetting of who we are.  Once we recognize that the photons within us are playing against a background of Divine Intelligence, we understand we have the privilege of claiming the space between us, as us.  In fact, the vast majority of the body is comprised of that so-called “empty” space.  It isn’t empty…that is an illusion.  It is the space that allows us to experience infinite possibilities.  The photons come and go as they twinkle against a canvas of black.  The canvas, however, always remains.  Always.  We are not just the photons…we are the canvas.  For a while, our focus needs to move away from the physical objects we think we are reality.  Look instead into the space between.  In what appears to be nothing is everything.  Do you know what that means?

It means we can heal ourselves.  It means we can move mountains and manifest desires.  It means we can walk on water and raise the dead.  It means that we can do anything we believe we can.  It means that nothing is temporal…not even the life we think leaves the body.  If we remember our connection to the Pure Consciousness that provides the space in which our cells send signals of communication, we know exactly what it means.  Who is it, after all, that guides that signal from one cell to the other by holding itself as the conduit for communication?  The invisible, formless Presence.

We are magnificent creations of a genius, yes, but we are also the genius doing all this.  There is but one of us.  Just one.  Lean on this understanding and doors appear where once only walls existed.  Golden pathways unfold before us as we return to Eden.  It is effortless and breathtakingly beautiful.  How do I know?

The water told me.

I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog

   I was so humbly honored and blown away, yesterday, to discover I had been chosen as the first recipient of the Mystery Spotlight Winner award on Jason’s Network.  I do all I can to contribute to the network site, because I truly appreciate being a member.  You see, Jason’s Network is a unique social network…different from the competition due to his focused interaction with the members and his drive to see that the group’s integrity is always honored.  No slackers on this site!  Jason’s Network ranks among the top sites, receiving millions of hits every month.  He intends to grow this site to the top-ranked network, and is actively pursuing everything needed to do so.  Not just anyone can be a member here…if you show up, you’d better show up ready to make a difference.  This place is full of spiritually inclined business people who are active and energetic in the promotion of transforming the soul of humanity.  If you visit the site, you will see some celebrity members…many are published authors and gifted speakers.  Jason, himself, has a story that will blow your mind, so take time out to visit his page to read all about his journey to where he is today.  What is so amazing is the love and support offered as we all share through our unique gifts.  It truly feels like a family there.  What a great honor it was to be awarded this praise by more than 1,000 such incredible people.  I am truly, truly grateful.

For those who doubt that following your passion has any effect on your place in this world, I stand here as evidence to the contrary.  Since I returned from Connecticut after the filming of Try It On Everything, my life completely transformed.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to Nick Ortner and all for that!  Removing blocks to pursuing my goals was key to my new direction in life, and every step taken, since then, has been profoundly remarkable.  The more I follow my bliss, the more it follows me.  I walk with confidence in knowing that my contributions to the transforming of the soul of humanity DO make a difference.  Every day, I get emails that prove it.  I am so deeply touched when I read how my blogs have helped others, and it drives me to take this time out, every weekday morning, to offer my readers words that teach and inspire them.  If I can make a difference in only a handful of lives, that is powerful.  But I know my journey is only beginning…and I see much grander things to come.

Never doubt your place in this world.  We all have a purpose.  We all have a place.  Every single person is needed.  All have gifts and talents to share.  Once you’ve identified your passion, do not hesitate to follow it.  It will be the best thing you ever did.  The rewards will come in ways you cannot yet imagine, but once you embrace your dreams with passion, you will never look back. 

No one needs to motivate me to continue on my pursuit to become a published author.  I am racing towards that end, and I have seen it as already done for well over a year now.  Along the way, I have had a few giggles and a lot of rewards I would not have known had I not taken the leap.  Although my book is yet to be published, I’ve been in a movie, had two stories written about me and I have a short story I penned that will soon be published in a collection from another author.  Guess who is publishing it?  That’s right…Hay House.  I’ve got an ebook that is available on my website, and I have begun a new book that promises to be one of the best-selling books of all times!  I know that, because as I read through the first few chapters, I sense an excitement that is over the top.  When I write, I am in Heaven on Earth.  I will be patient as I await my agent/publisher, but I will not be still.  I will continue to act on my inspirations, and I will continue to write these blogs with high expectations that the right person will one day connect with them and decide to offer me the opportunity for publication.  I know whoever makes the decision to publish for me will never regret it.  Anyone who knows me will testify that I give 110% to all my endeavors in life. Until that blissful day arrives, I will continue to write these blogs, work with my EFT clients, and do everything I can to encourage others to find joy in life.  If my journey inspires or touches you, then I am doubly blessed. 

If I could say only one thing to say to inspire others it would be,  ”Follow your bliss, starting today!  Do not put it off until later!”  There will never, ever be a better time than right now to make your dreams come true.  Whatever it is you desire, run, don’t walk, towards it.  Don’t live the life others wanted for you…live the one you came here to experience.  That’s where your joy lies.  That’s where your power and your rewards await.  I often think about Eminem’s song, Lose Yourself, when I need a pick-me-up.  He writes:

Look, if you had one shot, one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted, one moment
Would you capture it, or just let it slip?

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime

What if today is your one shot?  Will you let it slip or will you give yourself over to doing what you know you came here to do?  Follow your passion!  Do yourself a favor.  Always, always…follow your bliss.  Don’t let your dreams slip away, unrequited.  Believe and you will receive.

Thanks to all of you who read my daily blogs and my ezines.  I am so grateful for your love and support.  If anything I can say helps you along your own path, then I have done what I came to do.  My greatest joy is in helping others, and I want you all to know how grateful I am for your friendship.

Now…let’s get busy!  We’ve got some bliss to capture!

I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog

   I think the biggest change in my life came on the day I stopped asking myself why bad things happened to me, and rather, started asking how these things happened.  There is a tremendous shift in control when this is done.

Often, when things get really tough, we tend to want to know why this particular situation is happening.  It feels like life is coming at us from some unknown force, and we all believe “we didn’t do anything to deserve this.”  I agree.  We don’t deserve bad events.  On the other hand, there are those who believe they should be punished because they don’t deserve a good life, due to beliefs they took on in youth.  Never mind the fact that they are not the same person, any more, or that they have gone on to do wonderful things for many people since youth.  And that reasoning certainly doesn’t explain why some people who commit horrible offenses against others appear to have very good lives.  Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that we all have bad times in our lives, does it? 

The problem with focusing on why it happened is that knowing why has no way of leading to a resolution.  It might cause us to do something differently next time, but that is not comforting in the moment of now, and making those changes doesn’t come with any type of guarantee that nothing bad will ever happen to us again.  And the truth is, we will never come to terms with agreeing it was some type of punishment from a judgemental God or that we brought this to ourselves to learn lessons.  I don’t know about you, but I’m not okay with either of those explanations.

When we repeatedly focus on why bad things happen, we stay in the space of being a victim.  In all honesty, the question should really be “why not me?”  Our neighbor, coworker, or family member is no more deserving of pain than we are!  It makes no more sense for bad things to happen to them than it does for bad things to happen to us.  Just looking around at who has a great life and who doesn’t absolutely makes no sense whatsoever!  Someone needs to get a memo out to God to let Him know!!

The real problem with asking why is that it places responsibility outside the self.  It assumes there is some outer force in control of our lives.  We have no way to reason or defend ourselves, because we have no understanding of something that appears to randomly happen to us.  It seems, if these circumstances are brought upon us because of our sins, we should, at the very least, have some sort of trial where we can first defend ourselves.  How many innocent people are sent straight to the fiery pits because they had no way to explain themselves first?  And I will never be able to rationalize this type of thinking knowing that people who commit great crimes against humanity often walk free and live out great lives of wealth and splendor.  Where is the justice in that?  This system of judging is surely too barbaric for a wise and loving God.

At some point in our lives, we have to decide whether we believe the universe is for or against us.  In knowing Pure Consciousness as nothing outside of Love–in the Bible it says God is Love, and if God is all, then all is Love–it only makes sense to know, without a doubt, that God is for us.  With that in mind, there is no longer any reason to try to figure out why God would do bad things to us.  The Source that created us in “the image and likeness” takes no pleasure in punishing us…no, in the Bible it says, “It is God’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom.”  So, rather than continuing down this path of unanswered confusion, would it not better serve us to focus instead on how this happened, taking all blame off of God?  If we can figure out how all this works, we now have actual tools to keep us in a better place.  Clearly, aligning with the principles of cause and effect is a wiser choice.  Now, we have control over our lives.

As an early student of Christian Science, I grew up applying the principle known as the Law of Attraction, without knowing that is what it was called.  I was taught that God loves me and wants only good for me.  I never, ever thought of God as something to fear.  Because I had complete faith in God’s love for me, when bad things came into my experience, I immediately denounced them as mortal illusion.  As I firmly clung to that truth, the situation would resolve itself.  Healing happened.  To me, it was no mystery or magic, it was cause and effect.  The one that receives attention is the one that manifests as reality.  If God is believed to be the Source of disease, hardship, poverty and destruction, then the effect mirrors that belief.  However, if we understand that God is always and only Love, then good things mirror that idea.  In both instances, it is not God who changed.  It was our beliefs.

Mary Baker Eddy wrote, in Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures:

     Because Truth is infinite, error should be known as nothing.  Because Truth is omnipotent in goodness, error, Truth’s opposite, has no might.  Evil is but the counterpoise of nothingness.  The greatest wrong is but a supposititious opposite of the highest right. 

We falter when we think of God in human terms.  In the physical realm (energy), duality exists.  For everything there is an opposite.  One requires the other.  However, in Pure Consciousness, there is only one power, because everything is infinite and eternal.  If God is Love and God is all, then all is Love.  Where is there space for hate?  If God is joy and God is all, then all is joyful.  Where is there room for sorrow?  Once this concept is grasped, it becomes clear that duality cannot exist in immortal reality.  God cannot be part love and part hate…it simply isn’t possible to be all of both.  Which one is it?  In the realm of Pure Consciousness, God is only Love.

We, as humans, being, split our beliefs into categories and gave them equal power.  To undo this pattern, we must hold steadfast to one or the other…not both.  As we do this, our world mirrors the highest vibration we emit.  In that moment, we bring heaven to earth.

In terms of the LoA, when we accept the Love that is always being offered, we experience good things.  When we resist the Love that is always being offered, we experience bad things.  Understanding this…we have the “how” answered.

The One who is the essence of Love wants us to manifest all the qualities of Love–bliss, abundance, prosperity, compassion, love, beauty, intelligence, etc.  If that isn’t what our lives reflect, it is because we are holding our vibrations in the energy of resistance.

Choose again!

I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog

   Desire comes in various degrees.

A young man came to Socrates and asked him how he could obtain wisdom.  Socrates took the young man to a river and shoved his head underwater.  He held it there until the young man was squirming and fighting for air, and then he let him go.  After the boy settled down, Socrates asked him, “What did you desire most when your head was underwater?”  Of course, the young man answered that air was what he wanted.  Socrates nodded and replied, “When you want wisdom as much as you wanted air, you will receive it.”

When there is something we want in life, the degree to which we want it determines the speed at which it will manifest.  Small things, like parking places, don’t require as much energy, so we are generally able to manifest such things in much less time than those larger desires of our heart.  And, of course, most of us don’t have any underlying blocks about parking spaces.

When people first begin using the principles of the Law of Attraction with focused intent, they sometimes start too big.  In other words, manifesting a Mercedes requires an inordinate amount of desire, while manifesting a cup of coffee doesn’t.  When people set themselves up in that manner, they generally fail.  After that, they often give up, opting to return to oblivion.  Of course, the LoA is still working for them, but they are simply not participating with awareness. 

Why do I say the LoA is always working?  The natural principles of supply and demand or cause and effect never rest.  If there is a demand for something, supply is automatically created.  If there is an effect, something caused it to be.  Nothing happens accidentally…it is all working in absolutes.  Our thoughts, words, actions and feelings are in operation as long as we are alive, and those are the things activating these principles.  But the real truth is, whether we are dead or alive has no effect on principles.  They are eternal truths.  Think of it like this…a beautiful symphony did not create musical notes.  The notes were in existence as principle long before any living creature pulled them from possibility into reality.  Our awareness and participation are not requirements in universal laws, but when we get involved in the process of manifestation, we are actively directing.  For example, if there is a target on the ground and I want the ball to land in the center, I can drop the ball without looking, “hoping” it will hit the center, or I can focus on the target and guide it there with my active participation.  Either way, gravity will cause the ball to fall, if I drop it. 

So, how does this LoA work, anyway?  The principle states that focused intention moves the formless into form, or, as some people say, “thoughts become things.”  We do this constantly…without ceasing.  The very act of observation, known as The Observer Effect, moves formless into form, and the very act of observation affects whatever is being observed.

So what is the “like attracts like” part of all this?  Well, when a vibration is put out into the universe, that which resonates with it is attracted to it.  To really understand, it helps to review Aristotle’s Logic which says that A=A, but to simplify, simply look at nature, itself.  Cardinals hang out with other cardinals, plants that need little water thrive in deserts, and fish which breathe through gills live in water.  Why?  There is a common denominator.

Thoughts and words are energy, and each of them has a vibration.  Feelings/emotions, however, have a much stronger vibration, and when feelings are coupled with either thoughts or words, the magnitude of the vibration increases.  This is why it is so important to hold the desire as if it was already obtained.  Why?  Remember a time in the past when you got something you really, really wanted.  How did you feel when you finally got it?  In that moment, you sent out one of the most powerful vibrations of all…gratitude!  That feeling of excitement, bliss and love raises vibration and pulls in matching vibrations faster than anything else.  If we can use our imagination to pretend we already have what it is we want, and we combine that with enormous feelings of gratitude, our perception creates our reality.  Remember…your brain does not know whether a thing is real or is imagined.  Believe it and you will see it.

How much do you want your desires to manifest?  The level of desire you hold will determine if and when it arrives.  If you are merely “hoping” it will come to pass, it won’t.  You must feel it as strongly as your desire for air.  You must be so grateful for it your heart feels it will burst with joy.  If you “know like you know” it is already yours…it is.  The only one keeping it from you is you.

When you want __________ as much as you want air, you will receive it.  Sleep on it.

I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog

   How are you doing today?

The manner in which we respond to that question tells us more about where we are in our path to health and wholeness than anything else we are asked.  When asked, do we answer that life is great and that we are living a passionate journey of abundance, health, bliss and love, or do we immediately fall back on our sad stories, sharing how we’ve been hurt, betrayed, abused or disappointed in the past?  Why in the world would we cling to that which brings us misery?

There is a catch-22 to understanding our responsibility in the creation of our lives.  Once we gave up the idea of being mere victims of the outside world, and we took on the idea that we created our reality, we had to come up with reasons why our reality wasn’t so beautiful.  “It’s not that I don’t want a better life,” we responded to defend ourselves, “it’s just that my life has been so difficult that I can’t move forward.”  With responsibility shining a light, we ran back into the shadows of victimhood. 

As soon as we have the attention of others, we pull out story after story demonstrating how cruel life has been to us.  We have become a society that thrives on telling our stories of woe, almost…dare I say it…enjoying our misery.  Society has actually made it rather chic to have a horrible past.  We feel more enlightened when we have come from a place of deep pain.  As Dr. Carolyn Myss says, sharing our wounds, socially, has become the new form of intimacy.

As I read through the “About Me” section of my website, I see one sad story after another being shared.  Funny thing is, that is no longer who I am at all!  So what is it about myself that makes me want to compare these memories, almost as if I was competing for the ”Worst Life In History” trophy?  I fear the ego has handed me another apple.  I mean, let’s face it, how can I boost my ego with wonderful stories of how I healed myself if I don’t have anything to heal?  If I run out of pain, I need to restock so I can get back to my group where we trade punches and tell each other how sorry we are for one another.  I am not going to be left out…oh no!  In the need to be accepted, I found new ways to excuse myself from responsibility yet again. 

The truth is, we are addicted to our wounds.  Ouch!  I know it hurts to admit it (I flinched also), but there is a part of us that is deeply attached to our painful pasts.  If we are stuck in the past, we don’t have to face the future.  The future, you see, is very scary.  If we stay where we are, we know what to expect.  It might not be great, but it is comfortable.  It feels safe and it requires no effort.  Life comes at us fast, and all we really want to do is stay in bed, pull the covers over our heads, and hide.  We are exhausted by all the hustle and bustle of everyday living, and it seems like someone always wants something of us.  We are drained.  Yes, energetically drained.

Sometimes we are the ones using our wounds to control others.  Sometimes others use them to control us.  It is a vicious cycle of pushing and pulling our power.  No wonder we are exhausted!

What would life look like without all the stories of the past?  Hmmmm…well, it would look like now!  Exactly.  Giving up the need to use our wounded past to either punish ourselves or others might be the best thing we ever did, because it would force us to live in the moment.  But how can we do that?  We are going to have to forgive and let go.  As Myss says, “The best way to have a quality tomorrow is by leaving a sad yesterday behind.”

Stepping onto a higher path causes us to redefine ourselves.  Out with the old, and in with the new.  We ask God to give us our daily bread, but when it is offered, we cower in fear.  We forget how to trust that something greater than ourselves is in control.  Why?  Because when we trusted in the past, we got hurt.  Look again.  It wasn’t our trust that caused us to stumble, it was doubt.  God didn’t let go…we did.  In one small moment of fear, we fell.

When working with clients using EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), we sometimes run into what is commonly called “reverse polarity.”  This happens when the client has some underlying desire not to heal.  Of course, the client is not aware of it, and is generally offended and defensive when first approached about it, because no one can imagine any reason why it would be good to hold on to diseases or problems.  Rather than react as if being judged, the best thing the client can do is to honestly ask themselves if it is possible.  Is there a reason why I would not want to heal?

When I was working with Dr. Carol Look on my blocks against writing a book (even though I knew I had everything needed to do it), I couldn’t even start to imagine there would be any reason I would not want to do it.  It was my dream!  All my life, people told me I was gifted at writing.  I knew it was my strongest asset.  Why, then, would I be sabotaging my own efforts to write?  Every time someone brought it up, I went into my list of reasons why it wasn’t the right time, or that no one would want to read it, or that I was too busy taking care of others. 

In the end, it was all about safety.  I had no fear of failure, because I had done that all my life.  I was really, really good at failure!  It was comfortable and expected…my stories were evidence.  I had a failed marriage, I had failed to win my father’s attention, I had failed at being the perfect mother, and I had failed at achieving the life of my dreams.  Success, you understand, was new and different.  It was in the realm of the “unknown.”  I worried what my life would look like if I were successful.  I didn’t know who would take on the role of caregiver I had so long played.  I didn’t know who I would be.  I didn’t know how to write a book and I didn’t want to be rejected by companies reinforcing that I wasn’t good enough.  I didn’t know if I could handle being gone or standing in front of audiences talking about my book.  There was a lot of risk standing in the spotlight.  In the past, when I had put myself “out there,” it was scary and embarrassing.  Safety was chosen over risk.  I was willing to compromise my integrity because I was too scared to step over the edge.  What if?

All those stories.  All those reasons.  The bottom line was that the world wasn’t out to get me at all.  I was.  I chuckle as I think of a line in a song by Pink that says, “Don’t let me get me.”

I challenge all of us to be willing to embrace change.  Holding onto the past will not slow down the future.  If we are going to live the life we say we want, we are going to have to take steps into the unknown.  Every time we do not honor the path we came here to walk, we strike major blows to our bodies.  Those who do not follow their passion end up with all kinds of diseases and difficulties.  Every time we give away our power, we lessen our opportunity for prosperity, bliss, love, and meaning.  Call it back.

With EFT, we erase the painful past that holds us hostage.  Free at last, we reprogram ourselves with new beliefs that serve us well.  We cut the chords that restrain us, and we stretch our wings as we soar into the unknown with confidence.  There is no need to look back–to recount the reasons why–because all we are focused on now is the present moment.

Honor yourself as you call back your power.  In new-found strength, boldly go where you have not gone before.  This time you are different.  This time you have courage and conviction and no lingering past to trip you up along the path.  This time you aren’t wallowing in self-pity, needing to share the stories of your painful past.  This time intimacy is experienced as bonding with those who also stand in power.  This time you are the leader and the teacher.  This time you see every obstacle as an opportunity to learn.  This time you stay in the here and now where all manifestation begins…the place where fear has no power at all.

The time has come to forgive all the mistakes, pains, judgements and problems of the past.  Let them go.  They no longer serve you.  Record new tapes and release the addiction to the wounds.  Allow yourself to accept your divine inheritance. 

Chart your course for greatness!  It’s the new chic…everybody’s doing it.

I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog

   I enjoyed listening to Dr. Garland Landrith speak, the past couple of days, and it was nice to see so many people in our community are open to EFT (Emotinal Freedom Techniques) and thoughts on the quantum field.  We had somewhere over 65 people in attendance, and the audience was very enthusiastic and open.  I trust many people learned a great deal while he was here in New Braunfels.  I was especially pleased to hear that Dr. Landrith wants to provide scientific evidence to support and document the influence tapping has on the collective consciousness.  Much of EFT’s impact has gone unsupported to date, so I think it will be quite beneficial to have closely monitored double-blind experiments that document how this changes brain wave patterns.  Although there are thousands of case studies on file that show EFT works, hard scientific evidence is far better than just testimony.  Those who know me know I am enormously excited about the union of science and metaphysics because, to me, they are talking about the exact same thing.  As scientific evidence shows up to support the wisdom of metaphysics, a new way of interpreting the world is born.

Dr. Landrith spoke, several times, about the importance of locating core issues when working with EFT.  I completely agree with him, there.  As a practitioner, I, personally, never just touch on surface issues only, although I do know many other practitioners who do…especially in group settings.  For example, I do not use general statements like “Even though I feel this pain in my shoulder, I deeply and completely love and accept myself anyway,” followed by the repetition of the words “this pain,” at every meridian point.  I always look, immediately, for the emotional feeling attached to the pain, and through a lot of questions, the person finally is able to tell me when it started and what was happening at that time.  I don’t stop there, either.  I take it back as far into early childhood as possible.  My own thought on that is I don’t want a person to walk out of one of my sessions with a healing that is only temporary.  That’s why, any time I have a client come to the front for a demonstration, I always give them a free personal session following that.  I do not want to “tease” them by moving a pain or problem down in intensity, only to discover it went back up as soon as they left.  In doing this, the disbelief in EFT as a healing method is reinforced, and if they already had doubts about whether or not it works, this would only empower that belief further. Since all healing is determined by beliefs, it is paramount that the client believes this will work.  If they don’t…it won’t.  Again, clients see differences in various practitioners on this, but that is my personal method.  I always spend a great deal of time moving my clients from faith to understanding, because I know that is the only way this can work for them.  But enough on that…

I would like to talk, for a few minutes, about locating core issues.  There are definite methods to find them, but I want to be very upfront in saying that not all practitioners are equally skilled at locating them.  It helps if the practitioner is intuitive or is an empath, because these people are naturally gifted at tapping into the quantum field of knowledge and feelings.  However, if that is not the case with a practitioner, there are still other ways of questioning that can pinpoint the exact cause behind the problem or disease.  You can do this on yourself, but it is often more difficult to see your own issues…not impossible, and I will explain how in just a moment.

If you have a particular pain/problem (let’s say a sore throat), I suggest you start by focusing on it, asking yourself, “How does it make me feel when I think or talk about it?”  Does it make you sad, angry, frustrated, guilty, resentful?  Let’s say, for example, it makes you sad.  Point to the place on your body where you feel that sadness.  Once you have the emotion pinpointed, your next question is “When did this start?”  See if you can locate the moment when the problem first started.  Now, ask yourself, “What was going on in my life, at that time, that was making me feel sad?”  Sometimes the answer comes racing to mind, but other times you might not be able to pinpoint anything.  I now would ask, “What other times in my life did I feel this same way?”  Maybe something happened in your childhood that you remember that “reminds you of” this same type of feeling.  What happened?  While asking these questions, it is important to write down what words you are saying, because these are key to locating the core issue.  You might say something like, “I was feeling sad about losing my father when this started, and losing him reminded me of how he and I were never close.  He was cold and distant and I never felt like I could talk to him about what I was feeling.”  Bingo!  You just found your core issue!  Because you have a sore throat, and you have a communication issue, I now tie the two things together to focus on the real source of the problem.  You are sad because you and your father were not able to communicate, and because you never reprogrammed that belief, it is now showing up as a sore throat.  (It helps if you know chakras, and what is associated with each one.  Also, Louise Hay’s book, You Can Heal Your Life, is very helpful in understanding what issues are attached to various parts of the body).  Again, as a practitioner, when you are talking to me, I’m paying very, very close attention to what you are saying.  I’m noting how you are feeling as you talk about these things, and I’m following up with questions where I notice words are impacting you.  As an empath, I also have the ability to feel what you are feeling, so I may be aware of where your issue is located before you are.  I don’t, however, tell you.  I wait for you to tell me.  For example, I have many people start out by telling me they are angry, but they point to the heart as the place where they feel it.  I know, however, that if a person is pointing to the heart, it is most likely sadness.  I will start to feel sadness in my own heart.  I don’t show it, however, and I don’t try to force that person to change his or her mind.  It is very important for you to discover it in yourself.  These simple techniques may help you understand better how to locate your own core issues.  If you have trouble with this, however, I suggest you call a practitioner or there is one other thing you can do…

To discover what is really bothering you–what core issues have not been addressed–take a look at the circumstances and people around you that you do not like.  Your life is a reflection of your own doing.  Everything going on in it, you brought to you.  This is difficult for many people to comprehend, at first glance, but I can assure you, in time, you will discover it is true.  It is not a bad thing…in fact, it is an incredible opportunity to understand how powerful you truly are.

I often have clients make a list of all the qualities they like in other people.  I then ask them to list qualities they can’t stand in others.  Once they are done, I turn both lists over to them and tell them, “Look at the list of qualities you like. These are things you like about yourself…the good qualities you listed.  You see them in others and you resonate with that because it matches how you think of yourself.”   Next, I would ask you to look at the list of  qualities you don’t like in others.  Those are also qualities you once saw in yourself, at some point in your life, and you didn’t like them.  What did you do with them?  You projected them onto other people or you repressed them in your own energy system.  “They” have them, but you don’t.  Not so fast!  You would not feel like they were “bad” unless you were taught that or shown that.  Who said being jealous was bad and when you felt jealousy towards someone or someone was jealous of you what happened that made you not want to be that way?  If jealous people keep showing up in your life, there is a reason!  You are trying to show yourself a block you have.  Address the issue…don’t run from it or project outwardly.  Ask yourself what experiences you had that made you find that quality so distasteful you won’t even own it.  This is also true with the circumstances in your life.  What is going on around you that really disturbs you?  In looking at what is being mirrored back to you, you will find core issues.  Always, always ask yourself, “Why does this bother me so much?  What does it remind me of?”  Bingo!  Core issue just located!  Once you are able to remember how you, too, once acted jealous, you can now understand the people in your life who are acting that way.  You know why they are acting that way, because you recalled it in yourself.  You can forgive them because you can now forgive yourself for judging them as you did.  Now, rather than continue to push it onto others, you resolve that issue in yourself, and guess what happens?  The situation that you believed was outside of you will change.  Jealous people disappear from your experience.  Why?  It was nothing but a reflection of your own doing.  Now that you have dealt with the problem, it no longer has to be in your experience.

All the experiences of your life are created by you.  Your life is a reflection of yourself.  Some experiences are good.  Some are bad.  But you will never be able to change people or circumstances outside yourself.  Nothing is outside of you.  All healing is done on the self.  Look inside and ask yourself the tough questions and own up to the negative things that appear to be outside of you.  Never forget, all the images of people or things that look like they are “out there” are really happening in the visual cortex inside your own brain.  Yes, the entire universe that appears to be outside of yourself is really only in your own mind.  Even more importantly, the field of Pure Consciousness is the web of All That Is, and it is the One experiencing everything.  There is no “them” and “me.”  All is I AM.

Change your mind…change your life.

In my next “Second Saturday” class, I will demonstrate further why putting intentions into your subconscious mind, just before falling asleep, is the best way to manifest miracles.  A clue…it is not done with your thoughts.  This is why Dr. Landrith was demonstrating how to quiet your mind.  Your connection to Consciousness is your feelings.  You are always putting out intentions, in every single moment.  You do not need to inform Divine Mind of something it doesn’t know.  It knows before you do!  When you pit mortal mind against Divine Mind, you are blocking your good.  Your desire is your prayer.  Consciousness always knows what you want.  You ask with your feelings.  What are you feeling, right now?  Whatever it is, you are asking for more of the same. 

Feel good!

I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog

    And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important–wonderful. If you want to be recognized–wonderful. If you want to be great–wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. (Amen) That’s a new definition of greatness.   ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.~

I don’t get too involved in politics, these days.  In fact, I believe political affiliations have done a great deal of damage to our country.  Other than religion, there is probably nothing more inflammatory than politics.  It tends to draw out that “need to be right” more than most other topics of discussion.  I look forward to the day when we do away with political parties in the United States, opting to elect our representatives by popular vote instead.  This, I feel, would heal the wounds of separation that have divided our people into red and blue states.  Sadly, it often takes a major tragedy to reunite people who have isolated themselves from those who don’t share their beliefs, but it appears, at this point in time, we have the opportunity to come together without putting ourselves through such trauma. 

Today, I want to recognize two incredible leaders who best symbolize this ability to forgive and unite. President-Elect Barack Obama and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are two of the most remarkable men in American history, not because of their political affiliation nor because of the color of their skin, but due to their commitment to bringing a nation together, acting as a single representative of equality and justice.  They both embody the word “service” in the manner Christ Jesus taught.  They define greatness in their inclusiveness.

Growing up in a small North Texas town in the 60s, racism was no stranger to me.  But I was lucky.  I had an amazing mother who taught her children not to just tolerate people of different races, but to accept everyone as equal.  It had its tough moments…there were just a few people who held the same beliefs as we did…but I am so very grateful I never judged another person by the color of his or her skin.  My mother taught us all people were God’s creation…no exceptions.

I remember one day, sitting in my history class in high school, a young man who sat in front of me stood up to give his speech.  He turned and read the speech directly to me, while everyone looked on.  This young man wore black clothing, every single day, and he carried KKK propaganda in his notebook.  We had often exchanged words about his hatred of African-American people.  His speech…to no one’s surprise…was about white supremacy.  Now, you might be wondering why the teacher would allow such a speech, but if you knew how biased this community was, you would understand.  In fact, there was not a single African-American family in our town.  There were only two Latino families.  There were no people of Asian decent.  Everyone, it seemed, was white…and the town’s people wanted it to remain that way.

After he concluded his speech, this bitter young man took questions and comments from the class.  One rather quiet girl finally stood up and said she didn’t know if it was right to exclude someone just because he or she was black.  He got right in her face and screamed, “Well then, would you marry one?”  Totally intimidated, she shook her head no, and sat back down. 

“I would,” I said with an ice-cold stare.

He spun around and glared at me with hatred spewing from his eyes. 

“You would marry a ____________?”  he defied.

“If I loved him, it wouldn’t matter what race he was,” I answered.

With that, the teacher jumped up from her seat and hushed the conversation.  From that day on, she treated me with disgust.  You see, my mother had done her student teaching under this same teacher.  My mother was the first person to bring an African-American man to speak our school.  It seemed, we had finally crossed the line.

Today, as we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, and especially with the inauguration of our first African-American president on the heels of this day, those of us who grew up knowing such racism are especially hopeful.  Of course, I cannot even begin to imagine how this feels to other African-American citizens, so I can only speak from my personal point of view.  I do realize we still have a long way to go, but I am very happy to see that progress is being made.  I prefer to look at the positive changes that have taken place, but I urge everyone to continue pushing for equality on all levels.  Yes, we still have a long way to go…but we are moving forward, one step at a time.

As I watched President-Elect Obama give his acceptance speech, in early November, it was impossible to hold back the tears.  Just seeing the emotion on the faces of those who must have horrific family histories of abuse brought on by slavery and discrimination, it was easy to empathize with the feelings they felt that night.  As they fell to their knees, held on and rocked one another, and proudly let the tears roll down their cheeks, all I could say, again and again, was, “I’m so sorry.  I’m so sorry.”

I know that I, personally, have never, ever uttered a racial slur against any of my brothers and sisters on this earth, but I live in a nation that has a horrible stain of cruelty lodged in the soil of those who sweated and died as they toiled in it.  I feel that pain, and I carry the weight of those acts of inhumanity in my heart.  I don’t know how to undo it.  I just do all I can to make sure that my children understand all people are created equally.  I ask forgiveness for all those involved in unspeakable acts of inhumanity, and I vow to send love to the world in hopes of lifting that heavy vibration of sorrow.

A couple of days ago, my younger daughter, Dayna, came to me with an idea she and one of her best friends from school had.  They want to sing “Ebony and Ivory” for the talent show.  You see, Dayna is white.  Her friend is black.  She said, “If we sing it, will you come watch us?”  I laughed and said I would be the first one rockin’ in the audience!

In time, I pray we will remove all boundaries of race.  With people like King and Obama as role models, we have great promise and hope.  We have an amazing opportunity, at this time in our history, to begin to right many wrongs.  I know there is still a great deal of racial animosity…I still hear it and see it, every day.  But there are now enough of us ready to stand together to say, enough is enough.

We are one people…one spirit.  Whatever clothing Consciousness wears, it is all the same One.  In time, that will be made so clear, racial discrimination will be a thing of the past.  I don’t know if I will be on Earth, that day, as Jodi, but I know I will witness it as Consciousness.  What a joyous day that will be for all of us…even for the bitter young man from my high school days.  Yes, for he, too, was Consciousness, showing the world what bigotry looks like. 

Up close, I see we have a long way to go still.  And yet, this time feels very different to me.  It seems like we are collectively waking up to realize who we really are.  Opportunities like this are rare.  We must make the decision to put aside our differences–to reach out and take the hand of the one next to us, regardless of its color or political affiliation.  At this moment, it would serve us well to stand back and view our world from deep space.  When our planet shines as colors of blue, green and brown, interspersed between wisps of white, it appears so calm and serene.  From that perspective, there are no borders to divide countries.  We are one world.

I pray we grab this opportunity to change our world for the better.  For if we do not, we will have to reap what we’ve sown.  This time, let’s do what Jesus would do.  Love one another.

Only a few miles away from where I live, one of the largest MLK marches in our nation will be held today.  That’s right.  Here, in Texas.  What great irony there is in that.  What great opportunity to heal is in that.

P.S.  Happy Birthday, Mother!  How appropriate you celebrate it on this day!

I AM…Jodi
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