Spiritual Program

[MajestyJo]

When you are tired and discouraged from fruitless effort,

GOD knows how hard you have tried.

When you've cried so long your heart is in anguish,

GOD has counted your tears.

If you feel that your life is on hold and time has passed you by,

GOD is waiting for you.

When nothing makes sense and you are confused or frustrated,

GOD has the answer.

If suddenly your outlook is brighter and you find traces of hope,

GOD has whispered to you.

When things are going well and you have much to be thankful for,

GOD has blessed you.

When something joyful happens and you are filled with awe,

GOD has smiled upon you.

Remember that wherever you are or whatever you are feeling,

GOD knows!

[MajestyJo]

You are reading from the book Today's Gift

Great events make me quiet and calm; it is only trifles that irritate my nerves.

—Queen Victoria

Isn't that always the way? We cope with major events, like births and weddings, fairly well. It is the little things - so inconsequential in the long run - that upset us. If the kids don't pick up their rooms, or dinner is late, or we can't go to the movies because we haven't done our homework, we become irritated and annoyed. Minor things like these upset us much more than they should.

Are they really so important? A messy room is not a terminal illness. A late dinner won't affect our health unless we get so upset about it we make ourselves sick. We'll survive.

If we think back to the last time we were angry or upset, does it seem important now? We probably can't even remember why we reacted that way. How much better life is when we let go of the little irritations.

What irritation can I let go of today?

This is a good one for me today. I had a few irritating things happened today. In some cases I could have handled it better, but on the whole, so much better than what I use to be like. They say, "Progress not perfection." That is true, but to my way of thinking, I can use it as an excuse NOT to change, because I don't want to let go of it.

I don't know about anyone else, but when I know what I should do and what I use to do, are not the same thing. It is which one I wantto give the power in today. That old adage, "Well it worked for me for years, why should I change it now?" How about, just because if you want sobriety (soundness of mind).

[MajestyJo]

Took the quote from a post in 2010 and commented about it today, when in truth it is for tomorrow, which hasn't got here yet. Sounds like I am a little a head of myself, yet it describes today very well. Maybe I need to watch out for more irritants tomorrow.

[MajestyJo]

Each Day a New Beginning

Give as much of yourself as you can to as much of your higher power as you can understand.
~S.H.~

The more we are in concert with God, the greater will be our pleasures in life. Recognizing our partnership with our higher power makes every decision easier, facilitates the completion of every task, and removes all uncertainty about our value to this world, particularly to those persons around us.

Knowledge that we are never alone, that in every circumstance our best interests are being cared for, softens whatever blow we encounter. The blows teach us; they are the lessons the inner self has requested, and let us never forget we have a ready tutor to see us through every assignment.

The more we rely on God to see us through the mundane activities as well as the troubling experiences, the greater will be our certainty that all is well, our lives are on course, and a plan is unfolding little by little that has our best interests at its center.

My understanding of God and the power of that presence is proportionate to my reliance on that power. Not unlike the power of electricity, I can plug into the source of the "light" of understanding and for the strength to see my way through any experience today.

© 1982, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation.

I thought I knew who God was. I went on a Spiritual Quest. I found out that my God was so much bigger than I thought He was. I had to make my God personal and build a relationship with Him. He is as He reveals Himself to me in today. I had to learn to talk to Him each day, whether my day was good or not so good.

[MajestyJo]

LETTING GO

To let go does not mean to stop caring; it means I can’t do it for someone else.

To let go is not to cut myself off; it’s the realization that I can’t control another.

To let go is not to enable, but to allow learning from natural consequences.

To let go is to admit powerlessness, which means the outcome is not I my hands.

To let go is not to change of blame another, it’s to make the most of myself.

To let go is not to care for, but to care about.

To let go is not to fix, but be supportive.

To let go is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.

To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to affect their destinies.

To let go is not to be protective, it’s to permit another to face reality.

To let go is not to deny, but to accept.

To let go is not to nag, scold, argue, but instead to search out your own shortcomings and correct them.

To let go Is not to adjust everything to my desires, but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.

To let go Is not to criticize and regulate anybody, but to try to become what I dream I can be.

To let go is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future.


To let go is to fear less and LOVE MORE.

(Taken from “Lifeline Jan 2000)

Author Unknown

So much easier said than done. Maybe that is why my sponsor kept saying, "This is a program of practice, practice, practice."

[MajestyJo]

The awareness that is growing in you now is not the result of any conscious 'doing', nor do you need to struggle to make something happen. Any sense you might have had that you've been groping in the dark is dissolving now, or will be dissolving soon. Let yourself settle, and remember that deep inside you are just a witness, eternally silent, aware and unchanged. A channel is now opening from the circumference of activity to that center of witnessing. It will help you to become detached, and a new awareness will lift the veil from your eyes.

- Zen

So many times in recovery, the light just goes on. I am travelling this road of enlightenment with blinder on with no knowingness, and I am but a child who has been reborn of the spirit. Every once in a while the light goes on and I get new direction, new hope and I start to see things in a new light.

You can't change what you don't see and so often we pull on that blanket of denial or put on a blindfold so we don't have to see the truth. Not someone else's truth, but our truth and what is right for us.

Let it begin with me.

[MajestyJo]

Change Your World



You cannot change the world,
But you can present the world with one improved person

- Yourself -

You can go to work on yourself to make yourself
Into the kind of person you admire and respect.
You can become a role model and set a standard for others.
You can control and discipline yourself to resist acting
Or speaking in a negative way
Toward anyone for any reason.
You can insist upon always doing things the loving way,
Rather than the hurtful way.
By doing these things each day,
You can continue on your journey
Toward becoming an exceptional human being.

by: Brian Tracy

[MajestyJo]

Construction Comments

Sometimes you are not positive with your replies or in what you do. You should know how to make a comment. For instance, I told the Pingtung Center to use paint or P.U. (kind of a floor finish) to beautify the appearance of their center. They might have felt that there was a better way, but they did not speak up.

They merely said, "P.U. is too expensive!" And they stopped at that. That is not the way we should comment. If they felt that they were experts and they knew a better way, they should go on and suggest to me that there is a better, cheaper and quicker way
- not just criticizing, "It's too expensive, no good, lousy". There were no truly constructive opinions.

Most people can only criticize and they cannot contribute. That is where they go wrong. I make criticism as well as contributions. Only in this way is a comment useful! What is the use of criticism only? Anyone can make one. Using your month to speak is the simplest thing to do.

Whatever we say, our brains record. With all the "It's lousy, no good, too expensive!", no fresh information can fit in. Continuing to be negative, we get lower and lower. The more negative we are, the worse off we become. We recite our own negative mantra to curse ourselves. That is why it is bothersome to be your teacher. I am affected and collect a lot of karma, because everyday you keep using the negative power and qualities for me to hear or see.

For example, when I ask on the phone if someone is in, you could say, "Oh! Master, she is not here. Can I ask her to call You back later? Is there anything I can do for You or for her?" Is that not better than simply saying, "She's not here!" (stop dead) or "She went to the toilet." (stop dead here too)?

The Supreme Master Ching Hai gives a variety of lectures to interested students according to their backgrounds and cultures; no matter if one is Christian, Moslem, Buddhist or Taoist, etc.. She speaks in English, French, German, Chinese, and Au Lac Language. Those who wish to learn and practice the Quan Yin Method with The Supreme Master Ching Hai are welcomed to receive Her initiation. Her lectures and initiation are
offered free of charge.

www.godsdirectcontact.org/

Received from the Antesian Newsletter

Posted on another site on May 21, 2004

[MajestyJo]

This reminds me that my God can see all things. So many times I look at things and find myself judgmental, or letting something go, when I should hang onto it, or I turn a blind eye to something I want to ignore and pretend that it isn't there because I don't feel like dealing with it.

My God knows, but loves me any way. He is caring and forgiving, and loves me inspite of my many flaws. I am a spiritual being who often stumbles on this earthly walk.

[MajestyJo]

The 4 D's of spiritual growth

"Strive to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To be too wise for worry, too tolerant for hate, and too courageous to be fearful. In short, to be happy."

-- Unknown Source

Reflect on this pathway for meaningful growth:

DISCIPLINE - To create change in our lives, we need to consistently focus on what we want.

DETACHMENT - Practice the art of detached observation. Let go of automatic defenses and patterns.

DISCERNMENT - Seek to discern the lower from the higher. What is self-serving and what is soul-inspired? Discernment carries no judgment. There are no goods and bads. Remain as a detached witness.

DHARMA - This is an East Indian word meaning "living your unique purpose." How do you find meaning and fulfillment in ways that are natural to you? How do you best serve and contribute to the world?

"If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears."

-- Glenn Clark

So many times it was easier to look at the "disturbance" in my life instead of take that journey inward to find myself. As I travelled that path, I took many detours because I often didn't like what I found along the way. I am so grateful for the God of my understanding who brought me back to where I needed to me, and set me back on the road to recovery. Not just from my addiction, but for my soul and all the dis-ease I had facing life on life's terms.

[MajestyJo]

Property Lines

A helpful tool in our recovery, especially in the behavior we call detachment, is learning to identify who owns what. Then we let each person own and possess his or her rightful property.

If another person has an addiction, a problem, a feeling, or a self-defeating behavior, that is their property, not ours. If someone is a martyr, immersed in negativity, controlling, or manipulative, that is their issue, not ours.

If someone has acted and experienced a particular consequence, both the behavior and the consequence belong to that person.

If someone is in denial or cannot think clearly on a particular issue, that confusion belongs to him or her.

If someone has a limited or impaired ability to love or care, that is his or her property, not ours. If someone has no approval or nurturing to give away, that is that person's property.

Peoples lies, deceptions, tricks, manipulations, abusive behaviors, inappropriate behaviors, cheating behaviors, and tacky behaviors belong to them, too. Not us.

Peoples hope and dreams are their property. Their guilt belongs to them too. Their happiness or misery is also theirs. So are their beliefs and messages.

If some people don't like themselves, that is their choice. Other peoples choices are their property, not ours.

What people choose to say and do is their business.

What is our property? Our property includes our behaviors, problems, feelings, happiness, misery, choices, and messages; our ability to love, care, and nurture; our thoughts, our denial, our hopes and dreams for ourselves. Whether we allow ourselves to be controlled, manipulated, deceived, or mistreated is our business.

In recovery, we learn an appropriate sense of ownership. If something isn't ours, we don't take it. If we take it, we learn to give it back. Let other people have their property, and learn to own and take good care of what's ours.

Today, I will work at developing a clear sense of what belongs to me, and what doesn't. If its not mine, I wont keep it. I will deal with my issues, my responsibilities, and myself. I will take my hands off what is not mine.

GOD BLESS

[MajestyJo]

Today I Will Remember

Not part-god, but part of God.

- Day At A Time

Love this quote. Also have heard that I am a Co-Creator of my life. My life is what I make of it. I have freedom of choice.

I am no longer play God of my life but surrender my day to the care of my God. My God doesn't do for me what I can do for myself. My God doesn't grab me by the scruff of the neck and say "No!" don't go there.

It was by working the Steps that I not only found my God but myself.

God is as He reveals Himself to me today.

[MajestyJo]

The reality for me was that I qualified for both sides of the street. What I found to be true was the 12 Steps are a common denominator and applicable to all areas of my life.

AA, NA, OA, GA, ACOA, CODA, AlAnon, NarAnon, and more.

[MajestyJo]

Daily Buddhist Wisdom

If we live our lives continually motivated by anger and hatred, even our physical health deteriorates.

From - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

So many times, when I have allowed my feelings to run rampant, I have stuffed my feelings with food, drank to other people's health and said, "Don't tell me, watch me."

Don't tell me what I can or should eat, I will eat what I want to eat. I don't care if it is full of sugar and chemicals, I like it. It makes me happy. Quick fixes are not long lasting, and always require more.

Either we stuff or we refuse to eat. We walk in fear instead of faith.

The substance is but a symptom of my dis-ease.

The problem is me. So many times I drank or are or partook of other substance saying those words, 'Don't tell me what to do. Watch me.' For me, the big one was cigarettes. They were part of my eating and drinking regime. I would tell my aunt and sponse, "If you are going to pray for me, pray quietly so I don't hear you. That makes the addict in me want to use even more "