Sending Joy

“I will recognize I am responsible for my happiness.”

We have trained ourselves to believe in an imperfect world and the weakness and vulnerability of bodies. Now, this moment, we can begin the re-training. Every time we have a thought that is not loving, we can take a moment to recognize that because it isn’t loving it isn’t God. And because it isn’t God it is not based on anything real and is therefore not worthy of God’s Holy Child. This recognition alone will open the door to a whole new world within this one. It’s important to acknowledge to ourselves, “I am responsible for this unloving judgment and so I can change my mind about it.” And now we have empowered ourselves and are now free to make the only choice there is and that is God’s Love which is our happiness.

“I will not see myself or anyone as guilty today.”

God never sees us as guilty because we have made a mistake. He only sees our Truth and is there to help us lift our mistaken thoughts from our mind while He offers us the opportunity to see the Love that belongs to us and the happiness and joy that are His eternal and unchanging gifts to us.

Everything, no matter how tragic or dramatic it looks is always an opportunity for God’s Love and healing. We only need to ask God, “Let me see this through Your eyes.” And then be still and listen in silence and wait patiently for Him to show us what is Real and what isn’t. We will be amazed at how the “terrible” things seem to just fall away and disappear in the face of the Love and Light of God. And even when those terrible things appear to continue, by letting ourselves see the world through God’s Holy vision, we can now be instruments of peace and joy for ourselves and others.

There is nothing that can be done in the world to make any kind of permanent change here. That kind of change must come from within by letting God work through us. By allowing Him to guide us in everything we think and do and say. God is the only Change that can make permanent corrections to the insanity of a world made from fear. Isn’t it only common sense that darkness disappears in Light? Let’s open our minds and hearts and be the Light that shines all fear away. Let’s walk together in God’s Light and be the channel to another way; for a better world of Love and Holy Happiness for all.

God will remove the blocks to our peace one by one if we just offer them to Him. If we simply trust that we are happy deep within us where our Holiness has never changed. In that place where our Light cannot be extinguished because it comes from God and not from us at all. Happiness is not in the noise and distractions of this insane world, but in the stillness and the quiet knowing that in God are all our problems solved. In Him, all is well and our happiness is guaranteed.

May you walk in peace today knowing you are already happy, whole and healed and all cause for fear and suffering is gone.

“Today I will listen before I speak.”

In many situations in which we communicate with others we barely listen. Instead we let our feelings rule the moment and then we react as quickly as a snake’s tongue flicks. And because we are reacting from the fear-filled ego instead of our loving spirit place, we often aggravate a sensitive situation instead of correcting it.

We are asked to judge no one and nothing, not just because it is an unkind thing to do, but because we are incapable of judging anyone with any full or clear understanding. We simply don’t know enough. “Only God knows all about all.” Understanding this principle is very important to healing our relationships.

So when a touchy situation arises instead of instantly reacting, let’s take a moment to go inward and ask, “What do I do here? What do I say?” Now we can rest lightly in the understanding that God and His Divine Universe will guide us in all things if we let Them. There is no need for an instant reaction to anyone. In God’s timelessness there is always time.

As we step back, God steps forward. He will always tells us what to think and do and say in every moment.  Many times His advice will be, “Say nothing, but say it with Love. “

May healing be the order of the day today as we let God’s Loving Judgment speak before our own.

“I will judge no one today.”

A Course In Miracles teaches that it is through our relationships we will be healed. This is a very powerful thought because it means that we cannot judge one brother or sister without imprisoning ourselves.

As Children of a Loving God, we must stand tall and strong in our own light. Laugh with joy at the knowledge of Who we really are. We are never on our own. We are one with God and with His Loving Universe. We are one with the truth within each person we encounter on our journey through life.

Every relationship has the potential to be a holy relationship depending upon whether we choose to view it and experience it through the eyes of fear or through the eyes of Love.

We need only remember to focus on forgiveness instead of defense, attack or guilt in all of our relationships and we will walk in peace, our path well lit, our holiness defined by He who created us perfect, whole and healed.

Everyone we bless blesses us.

“I will breathe in the light of my own perfection today.”

Breathe  in the light of your own perfection.
Breathe in the beauty of your sweet spirit.
Breathe in the truth that lives inside you.
Breathe in this moment and keep it with you always,
knowing NOW is all there is.

As we rest within our self and surrender to the Universe all that we do not want, a flood of peace flows over us and we know somehow we are at home right here where we belong. It makes us smile. And we walk the world with quiet grace, safe and free in our own light. And everyone around us shines their light with ours. And all the world reflects our light and there is nothing else. Joy. Love. Peace. Stillness. Life is simple now with you and me in total recognition of each other. Joined at our heart place. Our spirits walking hand in hand. Angels are our company. God is our strength.

All anger, anxiety and fear has left our minds and heart.
Now we can breath easy and know that all is well …

“I will see only my happiness and joy today.”

If we ask ourselves what do we really want, what would our answer be?  Happiness? Peace of mind? Plain and simple joy?

Aren’t we searching for happiness in every relationship? In everything we do? In everything we acquire in the world? In every form of entertainment we give ourselves? Isn’t that why we take vacations? Overeat? Smoke and drink? Work and play too hard? And all the other things we obsess over? Isn’t that why we go to war? To fight for the freedom that will bring us happiness? Isn’t that why we revel in TV shows, movies and books where good appears to conquer evil, often with lots of noise and violence? Have we not convinced ourselves that happiness must be fought for and won somehow? Or acquired through some means outside of us? Consciously or unconsciously we believe that all these things will fill that void inside; that empty place where something is missing. Our peace is missing, our joy, our happiness. Or so we think.

Can it really be necessary to fight for or to want what is already ours? “Our happiness is guaranteed by God.” A Course In Miracles 

God is all there is and God is our happiness. We just have to remove whatever is blocking us from seeing what is already there. We get glimpses now and then, but then we close our eyes again and go back into dark dreams of fear and pain. Those glimpses of joy that flash before us are our Holy truth trying to shine through. The only thing that stops us from having it all the time is our distrust in what is real.  And our inability to believe that we deserve what is our God given right.

The good news is that lack of trust in God and not believing we deserve His Happiness and Love does not change the Truth in any way. We cannot change God or alter His Love for us by refusing to accept our holiness. It is our decision to not trust in our reality or our worthiness that causes all our pain and sickness and suffering.  And as real as the mistaken world looks and feels and as much pain as it causes us and others, it is just a mist before our eyes. The world we choose to see has no power before the Light of God and the Truth of what we really are. 

“I will see myself and others as the light of the world today.”

“We are the light of the world” And as the light of the world we are governed only by the laws of God. As we allow our light to join with all other lights, we breathe easy and our hearts and minds grow quiet. In this light we see that we are healed and whole. In this light we are rested and refreshed. In this light peace and calm fill our beings and rule our experiences. Our eyes, the window to our souls, are soft and gentle. Our smiles are blessings that lift our spirits and spread love wherever we go and upon all who come into our line of vision. And now we see the world as blessed. And we breathe in this simple pray, “God is the Love with which I experience this moment.” And all is clear. In God we are safe and well and perfect and beautiful. God is all that is real and the world has become a  reflection of His Truth. Our hearts fill with gratitude. And when fear comes we know one thing for sure. It isn’t love and so it isn’t real. And we let it go. And all that remains is pure joy. We laugh out loud in joyous recognition of our truth. As God hears our laughter, He hears it as a grateful prayer.

“I will see One self today.”

As I look at you and really see you, I see an unearthly light. It shines through your eyes and in your smile. The kind and gentle tone of your voice mirrors mine. We are speaking together with one voice now, saying the same thing, “You are a living breathing miracle in my life.  I couldn’t be more grateful.” 

The hope that lifts my heart comes from the hope you gift to me by believing in my truth as I believe in yours. As I extend my hand to you and you reach back, the energy that flows between us is electric and powerful and empowering. Our joyous laughter lights the world.

We are here together in this moment for a reason. That reason is our healing. That reason is the healing of the world.  I don’t see you anymore.  I see YOU, the creation of the Divine Universe and ME as ONE with you.  There are no small and separate selves any longer. Only one SELF that works together in God’s name to serve, to bless and to be God’s Voice for Peace.

“I will use this day to consciously connect with others.”

We are all connected by an invisible cord.  We can use that cord to hang ourselves and each other which we often do. Or we can use it to pull ourselves to safety. We can use it to lift each other up or drag each other down.

In our connectedness we gather strength so we can heal from our fears together. Strength in number is really strength in Oneness. As we boost each other, so we also raise ourselves to a higher place within our mind. Because of our invisible yet powerful connection, we cannot hurt another without hurting ourselves. But also, as we forgive another, so do we open ourselves to healing of the deepest kind. “To give and to receive are one.” A Course In Miracles

The golden rule has stood the test of time because it’s true. If we all stood strong upon the shoulders of each other, we would soon reach Heaven. Heaven is the place in our mind where all healing happens.

It’s not that hard to be happy. The first step is to make someone smile. Ever notice how a smile triggers a smile? How a laugh tickles others? How a kindness engenders gratitude? It’s that invisible cord pulling us together.

May you experience your connectedness today and lift someone up.

“I rest in God today.”

Let’s not pray for things. Let’s pray for peace and then let God show us what that is. We don’t know. We may think we do, but we don’t. What may seem to us to be the worst case scenario may in fact be just what is required for the miracles of peace and joy we seek to find us.  We must let our mind be clear as crystal and ready to be filled with God’s thoughts. “Let every voice but God’s be still in me.” A Course In Miracles.

As we keep an open mind and an open heart, we are then prepared to let go of each experience and every relationship. Now we quietly watch for the loving outcome. It takes trust. But isn’t trust a better way to live than fear?

“I rest in God today and let Him work in me and through me while I rest in Him in quiet and in perfect certainty.” A Course In Miracles

“I want to see the world through God’s eyes today.”

There is only one way to see the world and still be at peace.  That is through the eyes of God. Whenever we can’t understand what we see or the reason we are having a particular experience, let’s not try to figure it out. We can’t.  Our job is to simply be still and pray, “God let me see this through your eyes.” And peace will flood through us and we will know that beneath the devastation and beyond the insanity, there is a place where all is well.

No matter how terrible things look, there are always underlying miracles and blessings working to make corrections. Those miracles are God’s gifts and we must allow them and trust in them, be grateful for them and surrender everything else. In this way, are we now an instrument of peace, a channel for healing and a part of the solution.

One of the biggest mistakes we make is not recognizing our part in the healing of the world. We may think we want to be happy, but if we’re not it isn’t hurting anything. The fact is our happiness is essential to God’s Plan for our healing and the world’s.

May you walk in the world today with a happy heart and God’s vision for seeing all things through His eyes.

Let us join together and fill our hearts with love and send healing thoughts to all the victims and the families of September 11. In this way, by holding them in God’s loving light, we can continually be helpful. God’s healing happens in and beyond the world we see.  Nothing can stop it, not even death.

History clearly shows us that surrounding every tragedy lays the opportunity to turn fear into forgiveness and harm into healing. Many miracles arise from horrendous situations.  Even as we bless and remember the victims and their families, let us also remember the miracles of joining, the heroes of healing, the kindred spirits of kind acts, the millions of prayers that circled the globe and brought the world closer.

God does not cause or allow disasters to happen, but when they do, He holds out His hands and lifts us to His Heart and rocks us and comforts us and whispers softly in our ear, “I’m here, Dear One.  I’m always here.”  And then He gently guides us to the safety of His Kingdom which exists right now beside our world filled with fear.  Let’s take this fearful place we made and the catastrophes that happen here and transform them into Love by allowing God’s perfect laws to govern our thoughts, our hearts and our world from this moment on. It all happens inside the calm and quiet mind that is open to another, better way. 

Let the deaths of those who left us on September 11 serve a loving purpose for us personally. As we think of them, let’s consciously remove all thoughts of hate and fear, of irritation and all judgment from our minds and begin by seeing everyone in our life through the eyes of Love.  Let’s look upon each other with a gentle vision and remember all that we love about our families and our friends. Let’s smile at our neighbors and the strangers on the street. Let’s bless he who cuts us off in traffic and she whom we find annoying knowing that their words and actions are not them. Let’s bless ourselves with patience and with kindness born of Love. 

Let’s be instruments of peace and God’s helpers in the healing of the world. Now are we serving from a higher place as we remember that to be truly helpful we must give this day to God and see and do and be as He created us, His glorious Creations. And as we serve Him in this way, let us remember that it is through our loving thoughts that we are helping Him to transform a place of fear into a place where we can live in peace and our children can be safe. Amen

“I will open my mind and heart to something better for myself and for the world.”

There are two ways of knowing; the world’s way and the True way. The world’s way will help us function day to day.  We cannot exclude this way of knowing from our life.  But in all things, even when we believe with all our heart that a thing is the way it is, if we just ask ourselves, “Is it possible there is something truer than this? Even though we see and feel and taste and touch and hear and smell this, is it possible there is also something else?  Something beyond the earthly senses?”  Just that question, when asked with a true desire to learn, will open for us a tiny fissure into another world, a world of miracles. 

May you walk in Truth today dispensing miracles everywhere you go.

“Today I will be quietly grateful for everything.”

Let’s make today a day of quiet gratitude. Let’s be thankful for those things that we can see and for those things we can’t.  Let’s be thankful for the quiet opportunities for going inward and remembering the ancient truth of who we are.  Let’s be thankful for the noisy joy all around us. Let’s be thankful for the children whose honesty and innocence are also ours beneath the thoughts of cynicism and mistrust that lay upon the surface of our minds. Let’s be thankful for the storms that challenge us and teach us and strengthen us. Let’s be thankful for the miracles of love that shine around us. Even when we’re blind to them they never leave us being ceaseless and unchanging. Like a star that shines endlessly upon us, goes wherever we go and always lights our way. Even if a cloud passes over, the star is still there. 

Let’s be thankful for God’s eternal power that far surpasses anything this world can offer. Let’s watch as His perfect Presence rolls away each boulder in our path and smoothes out every wrinkle we think is a problem made to disturb our peace.

It’s time to see everything as a gift from God. Let’s thank Him for all the beauty, the miracles, the opportunities and the people in our lives. His loving gifts are ours to be received and then shared whenever we remember to set aside our own small thinking and trust in Him to be our Guide upon this holy journey that knows no limits, no beginning and no end. It just continues on forever in happy joy and in deep and perfect peace.

May you walk in gratitude today knowing you have been blessed by God in every way.

“I will react to all things with Love today.”

Let’s stop a moment and watch ourselves closely. Let’s listen to our words and pay attention to our actions and our tone of voice. Let’s look closely at our feelings. This is not something most of us normally do. Perhaps it’s time.

How often are we kind to a stranger?  Are we open minded and compassionate to someone who is in trouble?  How many times do we smile and bless the person who cuts us off in traffic or pushes ahead in line at the grocery store?  How patient are we when someone lashes out at us because they are stressed or frightened? How often do we ask ourselves, “I wonder what so and so is going through that made him/her so mean to me?” Have we ever not taken it personally when someone has been unkind to us? Is it possible there is another way to see our dictatorial boss? Our annoying co-worker?  Our angry spouse?  Our abusive parent? Our competitive sibling? Why does the bully on the playground bully? What pain is the teen-ager masking with alcohol and drugs?

And now let’s look at us. How do we react when we are stressed or hurting? Why do we push someone else’s buttons when we’re tired or angry? Do we remember to apologize? Do we have a clue that maybe our unhappiness is caused by how we choose to feel? Or do we just continue to project our pain on someone else, believing that the way we are feeling is all their fault?

What is the cure?  How can we be instruments of healing for the suffering souls; our own as well as others? Can we ever look kindly upon the wounded spirits who act outrageously from their own excruciating pain? This does not mean condoning dangerous behavior or saying that abuse or violence is okay. In fact, what we’re talking about here has nothing to do with the other person at all. It’s all about ourselves.

Our power is in understanding that it isn’t what happens in the world that disturbs our peace, it’s how we choose to react to it.  We can react in fear or we can react in Love.  Which reaction would really be most helpful?

“I will let Love lead the way today.”

Do we want peace? Really want it? Do we want joy? Really want it? Do we want safety and health and abundance?  Really want them? These are already our gifts from God. The only reason we don’t experience them all the time is because we have focused our minds on other things.  We are so afraid of what is going on in the world, in our lives, in our families and in our own minds that we have forgotten to hear the truth. We have forgotten our own Self; the Self with a capital S that God created.

If we perceive someone or something as attacking us or hurting the world, instead of instantly attacking back or immediately rising to defend, let’s just for an instant quietly look and ask God, “What is this for?”  And then “Please help me to see this through Your eyes.”  The act of being quiet allows God into the moment. God in the moment lets us hear His answer and see His solution.  And now we can act with the power of the Divine Universe behind us.

Would we not prefer to have God showing us the proper and permanent corrections?  Would we not want to experience the relief of not having to “fix” things on our own? 

We have been trying to fix things on our own since the beginning of time. We can’t do it on our own.  It’s as simple as that. And if we look around at today’s world and remember history we can see how true this is. Sometimes we claim something in our lives is God’s will, but since God is only Love if we aren’t feeling loving and the result isn’t perfect Oneness then it isn’t God.

Why not try forgetting about our way and asking Him to do it His way? What harm can there be in letting Love lead the way?  For a change.

At the beginning of each daily message is a one sentence affirmation that can be used as a prayer of comfort and reassurance. We can use this affirmation to train our minds to be more loving and forgiving as we go about our day. Whenever peace alludes us, we can allow this simple affirmation to gently bring us back to peace.  With practice, our loving muscle will be strengthened and our forgiving thoughts will more and more easily replace fear-filled thoughts of doubt, guilt, anger and sadness. In this way we can train our minds to place our trust in God for our healing and the world’s.

we are the rays of a single sun
we are the drops in an endless sea
it’s time to remember we are ONE
you and he and she and me

a pure and loving grace-filled God
is our holy connecting rod.