Calling for Help

Emmanuel

If you were to climb the highest mountain

and look at your world,

you would see

much more Light than Darkness,

much more love than hate,

much more kindness than violence.

It is only that these negative areas

are more vocal.

They are calling for help.

They are like small children, lost and fearful.

Knowing not what else to do,

they shout and scream and strike out.

Pray for them.

Pray for all of them.

and do not fear.

Emmanuel's Book

Compiled by Pat Rodegast and Judith Stanton

I would like to believe 'there is nothing to fear, but fear itself'. Yes, there is darkness in our world, but it is a teacher just like the light.  It can be an opportunity to learn for ourselves or to reach out to another. 

I must admit, I very rarely watch the news or read newspapers unless I am searching for something in particular.  I do not like the way I feel after I have been exposed to overwhelming negativity, rarely balanced by the positive.  All of the crime, violence, death and sad stories make me feel anxious, vulnerable, and disconnected from the source of love.  I don't like to feel this way.

At the risk of sounding like a Pollyanna, I much rather focus on all that is good.  I do not believe I hide my head in the sand as I am well aware of all sides of human nature, but I would rather place my attention on the goodness of my fellow human beings.

There are many authors who encourage readers to place their attention on what they want to 'grow' in their lives.  If our thoughts create our experiences or perceptions, it makes perfect sense to me that we are better off focusing on the light while being aware of the dark.

To be aware of the dark we are much more prepared to help, to bring our light out to shine.  Our light can be a beacon to someone who is stuck in the darkness. 

In many instances life is like the book and movie, Pay It Forward.  There are so many instrumental people who have helped us along our career path that we may never be able to go back and thank them.   There may have been unknown people during an emergency situation who assisted us or our family, but will always go unrecognized.  Of course there have been friends along the way who have helped us countless times.  So we can extend the same generosity to some one else or Pay It Forward!

There is extreme power in prayer, so we don't even have to leave our homes or spend money to reach out.  We don't even have to know the people personally.  We can pray for the children who go to sleep hungry at night.  There are families who have members being murdered in broad day light.  There are soldiers who are protecting our country.  There are those who are fighting an illness fearing death will leave family devastated.  The list is endless. 

Like attracts like, so be positive thinking and generate kindness.  Let fear fall away.  Just for today, see only goodness in the eyes of others and let them see the same in yours.   

  

The Escape of Little Birds

The quiet man filled with worry kept shaving while his soul kept whispering beneath his reflection:

Loving yourself is like feeding 

a clear bird no one else can see.

And once in a great while 

if someone loves you enough

they may see her rise

from beneath your fear.

 

AS FAR AS THE HEART CAN SEE

Mark Nepo

To love someone is an act that seems to come easily, but to love our selves ... well that's a lot more challenging.  We are our own worst enemies and we judge our selves more harshly than any one else.  When referring to someone else, we lavish compliments and point out gifts and talents.  In discussion of our selves we are more apt to focus on our weaknesses.  

"You must love your self before you can truly love another," was a statement I heard as a young person.  It totally did not resonate with me.  Loving my self? How was that going to happen? I was too busy trying to convince other people to love me while attempting to become whatever they needed instead of being my original self.

As time passes, we learn there will be others who will never like us let alone love us.  We come to understand the false goal of seeking acceptance from all peoples.  Time turns us inward to our authenticity and it is up to us to learn to embrace it.  Once we begin to like who we are we eventually learn to love our selves and not care so much about meeting expectations of others. We turn to our own desires and dreams creating a passion which suddenly seems to be pulling our lives together.  In loving our true selves, we attract others to us. 

When we learn to embrace both our weaknesses and strengths, it is easier to accept others in their totality.  As we learn to be 'comfortable in our own skin', those around us become comfortable in theirs as well.

NAMASTE` is an ancient Sanskrit blessing meaning:

"I honor the place in you

where spirit lives.

I honor the place in you

which is of love, of truth, of light, of peace.

When you are in that place in you,

and I am in that place in me,

then we are one."

When we are able to develop this Sanskrit blessing into a way of living, we experience love in many forms.  It is in this NAMASTE` approach we just may catch a glimpse of little 'inner' birds escaping from beneath undisclosed fears.

Part of the Whole ... Albert Einstein

A human being is a part of the whole called by us

"universe," a part limited in time and space.  He

experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as

something separated from the rest ---

a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.

This delusion is a kind of prison for us,

restricting us to our personal desires and to

affection for a few persons nearest to us.

Our task must be to free ourselves from

this prison by widening our circle of

compassion to embrace all living creatures

and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Albert Einstein

It has been said when we are feeling depressed, we need to turn our attention to service of others.  By reaching outside of our own comfort zone, we release some of our own stress and bring compassion to another.

Could life really be that simple?  Rather than building our personal walls of fear to keep people out, we can open our hearts while embracing others with compassion.  Understand that personal boundaries are important, but have we carried this too far?  As a culture have we grown too isolated within our surrounding community?

By connecting with others, we begin to see and feel the spirit of each other learning diversity.  We are not all the same, but we are all worthy of love.  We all want to be heard, loved, and respected.

If we present our self by reflecting our true spirit, others have the opportunity to respond in kind.  Engagement then is readily available.  As we open our self with respect to hear a new message our compassion grows as everyone has a story. 

Granted, there are those who are difficult, who challenge us and who will not engage in loving kindness.  It would not be in our own best interest to subject our self to repeated hurtful situations;  but it is helpful to remember that there have been times in our own lives that we have been difficult as well.  Just as we do not want to be judged, others do not want to be judged either.  Silently offering forgiveness, healing and peace to those who are difficult, we then can return our attention to others wanting to experience healthier encounters.

The emphasis here is to appreciate all peoples.  We are a part of a whole that experiences pain and suffering,  joy and hope, and birth and death.  Let us look into the eyes of each other to discover the spirit residing within hidden by fear of exclusion.



Fear and Love by Alan Cohen

"Fear tells us that we are small, powerless, and separate.  Love affirms that we are great, creative, and connected.  Which voice do you choose to be your guide?" 

A Deep Breath of Life by Alan Cohen