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Love means saying, “I’m Sorry.”

Mar9

Dear Readers,

I am writing this in response to a Facebook reader who called me on the carpet for speaking from judgment rather than love in posting this morning’s blog.  First I want to apologize to this reader and to anyone else who may have been offended by my words and to own that my ego most certainly may have been involved in that post.  Secondly, I want to clarify my intentions of this blog and any other aspects of my ministry thereof.

First of all, I want to make it VERY CLEAR that it is NEVER, nor has it ever been my intention to judge, condemn or criticize those who still find comfort in the Institution of the Roman Catholic Church as it currently lives and breathes in our world.  Millions of “faithful believers” find comfort, nurturing and support through the Institution and find peace in the absolutes of Catholic doctrine.  In fact, a part of me envies these fortunate many who are able to find peace and are not confronted by an inner voice that questions, challenges, or is driven to know more.  In many ways, I believe that their journey is easier and simpler than the path upon which God seems to keep calling me.  I honor and respect the path they have been called to and am happy that in this path they find peace.

I also have to recognize that in truth, these are not the people to whom I have been called to minister.  When Jesus led me through the doorway and showed me the mass of people, and then commanded me, “Feed my Sheep,” it was not the men and women who are content within the embrace of the Institution that stared back at me.  Instead, the people Jesus commanded me to feed are those who have been hurt, wounded or disenfranchised by the Roman Church or those who are finding some nourishment within the Institution but who still hunger for more.  I have come to call these folks, “The Lost Sheep of Rome.”  These “lost sheep” include:

  • The young, single woman trying to survive on minimum wage who found herself, after an incident of date rape, with an unplanned pregnancy and thought she had no other recourse but to terminate her pregnancy and now feels condemned by her Church.
  • The young man who begins to understand that he is gay and that his desire to be in partnership is forbidden by his Church.
  • The middle aged woman who in the midst of a painful divorce is told she is not welcome at the Eucharist.
  • The middle aged man who still carries the scars of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of his parish priest.
  • The young couple who grew up Catholic, loved their Church but still hunger for more.
  • The teenage girl who finds her most effective form of prayer in the physical postures of yoga.
  • The young couple who had questions about their faith and were told they were heretics for even asking the questions.
  • The middle age couple who struggled with some of the teachings of the Catholic faith and who through careful prayer and discernment found themselves led to make some decisions that were not in 100% agreement with a literal translation of Catholic law and where then told that “there is no room for Cafeteria Catholicism.”
  • The loyal members of a parish community who were told certain members of their family could not receive the Eucharist at their father’s funeral because they were not “Catholics in good standing.”
  • The mother of a child who was deprived of the Eucharist due to a wheat allergy, even after the mother offered to provide the non-wheat bread alternative herself.
  • The couple who are told (inaccurately) that their son is going to hell because he chose suicide as his response to excruciating and debilitating depression.

95% of the people who cross the threshold of Authentic Freedom Ministries were raised Catholic and many of them are coming because they were in one way or another told they were not welcome in the Roman Church.  Those who have not been explicitly rejected or condemned quite simply wanted more than what the Institution was willing or able to give them and have found comfort, nourishment and solace in the contemplative practices, spiritual formation, spiritual direction and healing practices offered by Authentic Freedom Ministries.  These are the people to whom God has called me to minister.  The “faithful believers” who are content within the embrace of the Institution are already being well cared for and certainly don’t need me messing things up!

And finally, I do want to name my own personal wound and admit that it may from time to time creep in and color the way my thoughts are being expressed.  I have been hurt by the Church and I still grieve this loss. My greatest dream was to be able to share all the amazing tools God has given me within the context of my Catholic faith…..specifically, inside the Institution as a Lay Minister.   I was deeply hurt when I found that my gifts were no longer welcome….and while I have grieved this loss and see God’s intention for my highest good (and the highest good of others)within this loss, I still long for the day when the Institutional and Mystical church can coexist in harmony and peace.  I know that this will not happen in my lifetime and that sometimes makes me feel frustrated, impatient and angry…and perhaps a little judgmental.  (judgement is a great defense mechanism afterall!)

So again, I apologize if my words of this morning’s blog offended or hurt anyone and I’m sorry if you took it personally.  That was certainly not my intention.

Sincerely,

Lauri A. Lumby

Authentic Freedom Ministries

http://yourspiritualtruth.com

Shortcuts to Contentment and Joy

Feb27

Today’s blog explores the seven core spiritual fears that prevent us from living a life of contentment and joy and the tools that help us to find healing and release of those fears.

 

Identifying Fears

In my book, Authentic Freedom – Claiming a Life of Contentment and Joy, I identify the seven core spiritual fears that prevent us from living in the peace, joy and love that are our original nature.  The seven core fears are:

  • There is not enough (time, money, material possessions, power, fame, status, etc.0
  • I will be unable to bring forth life that will persist (physical and/or creative life)
  • I can’t (be and live as my most authentic self) 
  • I am not loved
  • I am not free to express my truth
  • I do not know
  • I am alone/I have to do it alone

In Authentic Freedom, the reader is introduced to the ways in which they can identify these fears as being active in their lives through physical, mental, emotional and spiritual signs and symptoms.  As anyone in the recovery world knows, the first step in healing our addictions, our fears, etc. is to identify these fears.  After identifying these fears, we then need a comprehensive process through which we can move through these fears and release them for healing.  Authentic Freedom provides that process.  Through the help of scripture, along with effective tools of meditation, contemplation and personal reflection, you are empowered to give over for healing and release, the fears that prevent you from being the person God made you to be – compassionate, joyful, contented and fulfilled.

Who is really doing the healing here?

So while Authentic Freedom provides a kind of self-help program for healing our deepest spiritual wounds, at the end of the day, every exercise revealed in this work, leads us to a common destination – turning our fears over to God for healing and release.  While working through the Authentic Freedom process, we discover that we are really taking the first three steps as illuminated in all recovery programs, We admit that we are powerless over these fears and we turn them over to the God of our understanding.  While we need to come forward and show up for the work, it is ultimately God who is doing the healing and it is especially helpful to realize this when we come face to face with the big fears that most often feel insurmountable.

Offering a Shortcut

So, while I want you to buy my book, I will offer you this short cut to claiming a life of contentment and joy….and that shortcut is God.  Name your fear.  Give it to God for healing and release.  Name your fear.  Give it to God for healing and release.  Name your fear.  Give it to God for healing and release.  And one final and critical step…..BELIEVE that God is doing it.  And if all else fails…..ASK GOD FOR HELP!

What is your relationship to the fears listed above?

How are you being invited to admit your powerlessness over these fears?

How can you turn these fears over to God for healing and release?

Lauri Lumby

Authentic Freedom Ministries

http://yourspiritualtruth.com

Let’s Talk About Lent

Feb20

Ash Wednesday, the official beginning of the season of Lent in the Christian calendar is this week.  What is the purpose of Lent anyway and how might we be invited to put away the cat of nine tails in exchange for the healing balm of love.

Mea Culpa Mea Culpa 

Ash Wednesday is this week and for the first time in my life, I am not looking forward to Ash Wednesday or even to Lent in the anxious anticipation that for me used to color this season.  I take this to mean that my addiction to self-loathing has finally come to an end!  Seriously…..I used to BASK in the glow of self-judgment, the wagging finger of blame, guilt and shame and the penitential practices that said to me, “See how good of a Catholic I am….I’m fasting, I’m abstaining, I’m donating to the poor, I’m praying, I’m doing the Stations of the Cross, I’m attending Eucharistic Adoration, I’m going to confession and receiving absolution, I’m earning God’s approval and insuring my own ticket to paradise.”  Lent was the PERFECT church season for a Perfectionist who was not yet on the road to recovery (from perfectionism, that is).  Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely see the value in many of the Lenten practices …..even the sacrament of Reconciliation…but if all Lent is doing for us is telling us how depraved we are and how much we need to earn back God’s love and approval because of our horrible sinful natures and if all Lent is doing is making us feel like crap….or allowing us to wallow in our own addiction to self-loathing, then perhaps we need to rethink our relationship to this annual Christian observance.

Proposing a New Theology of Lent….or Lent for recovering Perfectionists and Martyrs

So,  if you are one of those who wallows in self-loathing, or likes to bask in the glow of self-imposed martyrdom….or if you are simply a Christian who wants a new lens through which to view Lent…..here is my proposal.  Let’s start with the foundations of Lent.  Lent, we have been told, is modeled after Jesus’ 40 days in the desert where he was tempted by “Satan” in preparation for his entrance into his ministerial life.  Let’s back up the story a bit……the part that is often neglected is that Jesus’ foray into the desert came IMMEDIATELY after his baptism in the Jordan by John.  It was at the moment of his baptism, that Jesus came to understand that he was God’s beloved son.  His time in the desert, provided the opportunity he needed to reflect on what that meant for him and how he was called to live that out.  At the same time, Jesus had to confront all the “inner obstacles” (the meaning of the Hebrew word “satan”), that might stand in the way of him freely and openly living out that call.  As such, Jesus had to come face to face with all of the ego-driven temptations (pride, sloth, greed, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony) that might stand in the way of him being the person he was called to be.  He took that time in the desert to face those inner obstacles and to allow God to release him from those temptations….thereby being healed and freed of his spiritual fears so that he could be the healer, prophet, teacher, savior he was called to be.  And…..he did it, successfully…..thanks to God’s help.

Lent as a Time for Healing – Exploring the What ifs

So, what  would happen if we applied Jesus’ 40 days in the desert to our own spiritual journeys?  What if we recognize, that like Jesus, our baptism is the moment when we are reminded that we are God’s beloved son or daughter and that with us God is very pleased?  What if we stuck our necks out there and actually BELIEVED in God’s unconditional, limitless, infinite love for us and that there is in fact nothing we can do…and nothing that we have ever done that could separate us from the Love of God (Paul says something to this effect).  What if, like Jesus, we struggle with the inner obstacles to remembering God’s love and that we struggle with the inner obstacles to being the person God has called us to be – peaceful, content, joyful, fulfilled, creative, loving, compassionate, working for justice, merciful?  What if instead of using Lent as a time for self-flagellation and self-punishment, we used it as a time to ASK GOD FOR HELP……inviting God to heal all those places within us where we have forgotten God’s love….forgotten our beloved nature and forgotten the work God has called us to do in the world.  What if?

A Terrific Lenten Resource

Now, a moment for a little shameless self-promotion.   If you are looking for a resource to help you move through Lent with a new set of eyes, my book, Authentic Freedom – Claiming a Life of Contentment and Joy is a fabulous resource.  The foundation of the book illuminates the false perception of separation from God that causes the spiritual fears that lead to our compulsive (sinful) behaviors.  The book then provides a systematic process through which you are invited to name your own spiritual fears and through sound spiritual practice, give those fears over to God for healing and release.  Consider it your own 40 days in the desert.  And if you buy it before midnight tonight, I’ll throw in your own set of  Cat of Nine Tails for free.  ;)

What has been your relationship with the annual observance of Lent?

How are you being called to embrace a new perspective on Lent?

What are some of the inner spiritual fears that you might want to offer up for healing?

Lauri Lumby

Authentic Freedom Ministries

http://yourspiritualtruth.com

Effortless Generosity

Feb17

In today’s blog, we explore faith and good works and the effortless nature of giving when we know and trust in God.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?

Can that faith save him?

If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them,

“Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?

So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

James 2: 14-16

The Fear that Keeps us from Giving

In my book, Authentic Freedom – Claiming a Life of Contentment and Joy, I address the very topic explored in James’ epistle above.  I do not directly relate giving to faith, but in essence that is what we are talking about.  We begin by exploring the first of the seven spiritual fears, there is not enough and how this fear causes us to gather to ourselves more than what we need through the compulsion of gluttony and how we fail to share our resources with others because of this fear.  As we allow this fear to be healed within us, we find that we naturally and effortlessly share our resources with others through the virtue of generosity.  At the end of the day, it is FAITH that allows us to be healed of this wound so that we can freely and generously share what we have with those who have not.  Generosity is our faith in action – and demonstrates how much we really believe in the truth of an abundant God.  When we know that our needs are being abundantly met, then we are free to give to others.  But here is the really cool thing….when we have faith and trust in God, we give to others even when it doesn’t seem as if we have enough to give….in other words, we don’t just give from our surplus, we give from what we might need to survive.  This is true generosity.

Fake it til you Make it

Faith,  however, is not always an easy thing to accomplish.  Whether it is due to our upbringing, our education or religious indoctrinization or just our personal temperment, sometimes we just simply struggle to BELIEVE.  When we don’t believe, generous giving might be a challenge.  But, there is something really magical that happens when we are generous with our resources – regardless of our faith.  There is a universal law of nature that when we give, we get back 100 fold.  I know, it is a leap of faith to believe in this “law” but sometimes faking it (the belief part) and giving anyway has the miraculous effect of establishing within us the foundations of faith.  We might call this, “Fake it til you make it.”  In other words…..give to others when you see they are in need and see what happens in your own life.  Take that $10.00 bill out of your pocket and give it to the homeless guy…just because….and regardless of whether he really needs it or not and whether or not he might use it to buy alcohol or drugs.  Just give it…without condition, without expectation, without judgment……and see what happens.  See if you don’t find something you have needed suddenly showing up in an amazing, wonderful and unexpected way.  Give and see what comes back to you….and let this be the seeds of faith.

The Generosity Challenge

There are  two fabulous resources I have found to help us in this journey toward being an effortlessly generous human beings.  The first, of course, is my book, Authentic Freedom.  :)   The second is a project called The 29 Day Giving Challenge.   This project is based on the founder’s (Cami Walker) experience of giving and how it freed her from the symptoms of an MS flareup.   Check out her website for details on the project and to get involved if you feel so called.

How Authentic Freedom Ministries is meeting this challenge

In the spirit of faith and generosity, I am pleased to share with you that Authentic Freedom Ministries is putting its resources (not just money), where its mouth is.  What good is all the work we do at Authentic Freedom Ministries if we are not giving back?  Believing in the abundance of God and wanting to freely and generously share our resources, we have recently entered into a community partnership arrangement with one of the local high schools.  Thanks to this partnership, we will be one source of support for the needs of the student and teaching populations of Oshkosh North High School.  With 47% of the student population qualifying for free and reduced lunches and with the continually decreasing resources available to teachers, Oshkosh North High School is in a state of great need.  We will be providing financial, material, networking as well as volunteer support as needed and as we are able.  We hope that this partnership becomes a model and a source of inspiration for other local businesses to follow.

How are you being called to share your gifts and resources in service to humankind?

Where does the fear there is not enough prevent you from giving?

How are you being invited to fake it til you make it?

Lauri Lumby

Authentic Freedom Ministries

http://yourspiritualtruth.com

Magic, Miracles and the Truth of Abundance

Feb8

Today’s blog explores the truth of an abundant Universe and the magic and miracles that happen when we believe this to be true.

The First Spiritual Fear

In my book, Authentic Freedom – Claiming a Life of Contentment and Joy, I reveal the Seven Spiritual Fears that prevent us from living a life of contentment and joy.  The first fear that I reveal is the fear that there is not enough. This fear arises out of our survival needs for food, clothing and shelter, but becomes distorted and irrational, causing us to constantly live in a state of anxiety over money, food, clothing, time, material possessions, money, money, money.  The truth that is the remedy to this fear and also revealed in my book is that the Divine meets all of our needs in abundance.  For most of us, it is a significant leap of faith to even consider the possibility that there is a Divine Source, let alone one who cares enough about us to make sure our needs are being met.  Then when faced with the reality of unemployment, a declining economy, world hunger and poverty, we really doubt this truth.  What we learn, however, is at the highest and deepest levels, this truth ultimately has nothing to do with our material world and has everything to do with our inner terrain.  Our original nature is peaceful and content and that inner state of peacefulness is independent of our external life circumstances.  In other words, even if we are dying of starvation and exposure in a Nazi prison camp, we can still know peace.  A tough pill to swallow to be sure, but this is the peace that God invites us into, invites us to remember and cultivate.  And, it is this deep well of inner peace that will give us comfort no matter what life throws at us.

Practicing What I Preach

Two years ago when it became obvious that divorce was inevitable, one of my teachers prophetically stated, “Well, now you will have an opportunity to practice what you preach.  You will be living the words written in your book.”  As the past 24 months unfolded, I can tell you there were many times I wish I had never written this dang book as I found myself choking on my own words.  Every fear that I teach about in Authentic Freedom came to bite me in the butt and I had to return again and again and again to what I had written.  The fear there is not enough was most certainly the most frequent visitor….and I still struggle with that fear from time to time and sometimes on a daily basis.  I guess the adage is true that we teach what we need to learn!

Proof in the Pudding

I do have to say, however, that everything I wrote in my book proved to be true.  In the face of all of my fears, through adherence to the principles of Authentic Freedom and engagement of the spiritual practices outlined in my book, I have found abundance, my own unique giftedness, empowerment, love, the freedom to generously share my gifts, insight and direction and most importantly the peace of remembering my Oneness with God and with all the Universe.  Specific to the fear there is not enough, the past week has been a glorious reminder of how truly abundant our God is and how our needs are abundantly met when we have faith and believe.  I want to share with you a few examples:

  • When I began this journey 24 months ago, a vision of a house appeared in my prayers – the house that would meet all the needs of myself and my children and my fledgling business.  I found what I thought was “the house” and lost it in a bidding war.  Later, I had a dream of a friend “giving” me a house.  This served as a reminder that the house that was in our highest good would come in some magical and miraculous way.  A month or so later, this is exactly what happened.  My children and I now live in a magical, amazing home that also houses my business and I am head over heels in love with this house!
  • When struggling with the fear there is not enough  last week, I brought it to prayer and in my prayer, I saw a vision of two fish and five loaves of bread.  Duh…..loaves and fishes.  God was giving me a message.  I was smart enough to hear the message and believe it.  I then paid my bills and found I had more than enough money to cover the bills and may have even discovered a $300 error, in my favor, in my bank account.  (still waiting for verification of that error)
  • I have a suggested fee that is in the reach of many of my clients, but out of the reach for some.  My commitment to God has been to offer my gifts without regard to people’s ability (or lack thereof) to pay.  As a result, I have worked out discounts, trades and barters with several clients.  One of my standing “jokes” around my trade and bartering is “Now I just need to find a farmer who will give me food in exchange for Reiki.”  Yesterday it showed up in an even bigger package than what I had asked for.  One client brought produce from her own garden and venison that her husband had hunted.  Another client brought a bag of organic groceries from my favorite Co-op in Madison.  When it rains it pours!
  • In an effort to meet my client goal for the week, I posted a message on Facebook, inviting past and current clients and friends to send people my way.  That very day, I got three new clients….completely unrelated to the Facebook request.

So, I guess the moral of the story is that God really does meet our needs when we have faith and believe.  And in those moments when I find I am unable to believe or trust in an abundant God, this is the prayer that gives me comfort:

Lord, Help me in my unbelief.

Because I have also found that all the praying in the world sometimes doesn’t calm our fears….and in those moments I know that only God can help me to believe.

Where do you struggle with the fear “there is not enough?”

What tools do you have for moving through that fear into belief in abundance?

Where do you turn to God for help when you are afraid?

Lauri Lumby

Authentic Freedom Ministries

http://yourspiritualtruth.com

Spiritual Truths to Ponder

Oct18

In today’s blog, I offer you a list of spiritual truths to ponder.  Where are you in believing these truths?  For assistance on embracing these truths, read Authentic Freedom – Claiming a Life of Contentment and Joy!

 

  • Abundance is your natural state.
  • Creativity is your natural state.
  • Empowerment is your natural state.
  • Love is your natural state.
  • Freedom is your natural state.
  • Knowing is your natural state.
  • Oneness with God (peace) is your natural state.

Lauri Lumby

Authentic Freedom Ministries

http://yourspiritualtruth.com

Spiritual Teachings for Children

Oct15

Years ago I was looking for a spiritual story for children that I could use to teach my own children about the chakras, and about the spiritual truths I had come to embrace.  After a fruitless search and sharing my frustration with a colleague and friend, she responded, “Why don’t you write it yourself?”  So, I did.  Below is that story, currently titled, Sons and Daughters of Freedom.  PS….it is a great story for grown ups too!  :)

Sons and Daughters of Freedom

I’m made of God’s Spirit inside and out,

this is the truth that life is about.

Energy flowing from my head to my toes

Keeping me healthy and helping me grow.

Nurturing this Spirit will help me to be

my most true self, loving and free.

The power center at the base of my spine,

reminds me the earth is ours, yours and mine.

The gifts of creation promised to me,

blessings received most abundantly.

Food, clothing, shelter, this place feels safe.

There’s always enough, fear can’t show its face.

The center in my belly is where new life is made.

Here, nurtured dreams and visions won’t fade

When secure in the truth that support will be mine

As I create life with our Source that’s Divine.

Courage is centered where ribs separate.

Believing the truth, “I AM GREAT!”

I can be and do and live what is true.

Fear cannot stop me or make me feel blue.

At the center of my chest lies a heart filled with joy.

Love is what made me and each girl and boy.

I breathe deep of the love and the joy that is mine,

as I share it with others, their hearts too will shine.

Hearing my truth and speaking it well,

Allowing the life in me its story to tell.

Freedom is mine, not bars, ropes or chains.

My throat sings out its happy refrain.

I see with my eyes and know in my mind,

That truth is really easy to find.

A dream, a vision, a feeling a thought –

is how I know what is good and what’s not.

Through the top of my head flows the Spirit of peace –

The Divine Source within me that never will cease.

When I’m quiet and still, I know me to be

One with this Spirit and all that I see.

I’m made of God’s Spirit inside and out.

This is the truth that life is about.

Energy flowing from my head to my toes,

Keeping me healthy and helping me grow.

Nurturing this Spirit will help me to be

my most true self, Loving and Free.

copyright 2009  Lauri Ann Lumby

Let Your Light Shine

Sep19

One of the things we come to understand in the journey of spiritual growth and enlightenment is that each and every one of us has been uniquely gifted to reveal Love in the world.  What are you doing with the Love that you are called to reveal?

Jesus said to the crowd, “No one lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed;

rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.”

Luke 8: 16

You Are Uniquely Gifted

In Chapter Four of Authentic Freedom – Claiming a Life of Contentment and Joy,  I discuss at length the spiritual truth that “You are uniquely gifted to reveal Divine Love and Creativity in the world.”  In a nutshell…..each and every one of us has been gifted in a unique and special way to be a vessel through which Divine truth, creative expression, love, peace, mercy, justice, compassion and joy can be revealed, expressed and known in the world.  It is through the full and open expression of this unique giftedness that the world becomes a better place – more harmonious, more free, more loving, joyful and peaceful.  Who wouldn’t want that!!!???

The Problem

The problem is that instead of taking the time to explore, name, claim, cultivate and share our gifts, many of us either ignore this co-creative and co-expressive call, or we hide our gifts away out of the fear that either we don’t really have something to contribute, or that we will in some way be judged or rejected for sharing our unique gifts.  When instead of sharing our gifts, we hide them under a bushel basket, we suffer and all the world with us.  We suffer the pain of repression (often recognized by anxiety, restlessness, frustration, impatience, physical pain in our neck and shoulders, unsatisfying and repressive relationships, emotional abuse, co-dependency issues, difficulty naming and claiming our needs) and the world suffers with us because it is being deprived of the love that seeks to be known in a hurting and wounded world.

The Invitation

The invitation, as Jesus reminded his students in the scripture passage above, is to LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!  Take the time to explore and discover what your gifts might be.  Take the time to nurture and cultivate your gifts.  THEN……freely, openly and generously SHARE your gifts in the world.  And be aware that it is often in our deepest wounds and most excruciating pain where our deepest gifts reside.  So how are you gifted to reveal Divine love in the world?  Are you an artist, athlete, writer, listener, cook, caretaker, lover?  How are you being called to reveal love through your woundedness, your perceived imperfections, your past pains, sorrows, struggles and hurts?  How are you being called to gather up what gives you joy and spend time with it – music, art, theater, spending time with friends, being in nature?

The Good News

The good news is that the ways in which we are called and are able to reveal Divine love, truth, justice, peace, joy in the world is LIMITLESS!!!!  We just need to recognize what those things might be and spend time doing them!

Lauri Lumby

Authentic Freedom Ministries

http://yourspiritualtruth.com

Expect the Unexpected and Being Open to the New

Sep14

As we move and grow along the spiritual path, one of the things we come to recognize is that there is a higher intelligence (even when we call it “Our Highest Self”) that knows what is best for us.  The challenge is being willing to let go of what we have known and to our own attachments so that we can be open to receiving something different, new and better. Today’s blog explores that process.

The “Sin” of Pride

Pride, as I discuss at length in Authentic Freedom – Claiming a Life of Contentment and Joy, is the compulsion that arises out of our false sense of separation from ourselves, each other and that which we might call “God.”  Pride says,  “I am it.  I have to do it.  I can do it.  I know what is best for me.  I know what I want and I am the one that will make it happen.”  It is pride that causes us to become attached to certain life patterns (mostly unhealthy) and certain outcomes.  Pride causes us to seek “security” and what is “known” because it gives us the illusion of safety, security, predictability, etc.  Pride serves only one purpose….to keep us separated from what is truly in our highest good and our natural state as contented, loving, peaceful, joyful beings.  In a nutshell….Pride sucks!

The Sweet Pill of Humility

The antidote to the “sin” of pride is humility.  Humility is the quality that invites us to acknowledge that from our limited perception, we DO NOT know what is in our highest good.  Humility invites us to take the leap of believing that there is something deep within us or far beyond us or all of the above that DOES know what is in our highest good and WANTS us to know this too.  Humility invites us to acknowledge a power greater than ourselves and invites us to engage with that power with the intention of accessing our highest, deepest, most authentic truth and allowing that truest self to emerge from within us, thereby freeing us from the fears, false-perceptions and attachments that keep us imprisoned in the wheel of human suffering.  Humility allows us to set aside our ego-driven plans, attachments, unhealthy patterns and to be open to something new, better, more freeing and expansive.  Humility allows the breath of the Divine to carry us to the place of our highest good where we will know contentment, peace, joy and love.  Now, who wouldn’t want that?

We are the Obstacle

Who wouldn’t want peace, love, joy?  Right?  Guess what….most of us.  This is the sad truth.  The greatest obstacle to attaining contented joy and love in our lives is ourselves.  Instead of allowing the Divine to breath new life into us, we cling to what we know and remain attached to our own wants and desires.  And we do this for one simple reason – because we are human.  In our humanness, we cling to what we know and have known, even if it is harmful to us, because it gives us the illusion of surety and control.  We don’t leave our abusive relationships, unhealthy patterns of behavior, unhappy job situations, because we know it.  It is familiar.  We can predict the pattern and the outcome, and this predictability gives us some weird illusion of safety….however twisted that “safety” might actually be.

Letting Go and Being Open to the New

If we ever hope to enjoy the fullness of joy in this human experience, however, it is this very clinging that we need to release.  In order to receive that which is in our highest good, enjoy the life of compassion and contentment, freedom and expansiveness that we all desire, we have to LET GO….let go of what we know, what we think is best for ourselves and be open to the surprising, unexpected ways in which our Highest Self wants to be known in the world.  And in this, we can expect the unexpected.  The path of our highest good is FAR more AMAZING than we could EVER possibly imagine.  The path of contentment and joy is far more EXPANSIVE than we would ever allow ourselves in our little human minds.  So what are we waiting for?  Get out of the Way.  Let go of what is known and familiar.  Surrender to the leading and guiding principles of the universe and enjoy the ride of your life.  I promise, when you least expect it……expect it!

And here’s my favorite song for this part of the journey:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_97UoGngJBQ&feature=fvst

What are the known patterns of behavior, etc. that are no longer life-giving to you?

How are you being invited to give these patterns their release?

What is the magnificent amazing fulfilling life that is waiting to be experienced through you?

Lauri Lumby

Authentic Freedom Ministries

http://yourspiritualtruth.com

Want vs. Higher Good

Aug26

As we move along the path of our spiritual growth, we are invited to move out of the world of want and surrender to the world of our highest good.  All of this requires an immeasurable amount of trust and our own willingness to let go of our ego-filled desires and need to control. Today’s blog explores that process.

Pop Culture Abundance Theology

“God loves you so much that God wants you to have EVERYTHING you want.  In order to get what you want, you just need to think the right thoughts.  If you don’t have what you want, then you are thinking the wrong thoughts.  Like attracts like.”  Sound familiar?  These are the words that have been getting tossed around in our pop-culture as a justification for indulging our wants and making the masses believe that this is what God wants for us and that makes it right, right?  I personally know people who have spent THOUSANDS of dollars in support of organizations and churches that preach this kind of “abundance” theology and in the end, have NOTHING to show for it except maybe a pile of debt.  What is missing is the reality that Divine abundance has nothing to do with want and it certainly has nothing to do with money, stuff, things OR thinking the “right” thoughts.  The Law of Attraction is nothing more than something made up by a culture that wants to justify its gluttony and greed and instead of supporting our dreams, hopes and visions, belief in this law only gets us trapped in the hamster wheel of guilt, blame and shame. (because if we don’t have what we want, we must be thinking the wrong thoughts and then it is our personal fault if we don’t have what we want.)  And I don’t mean to shatter anyone’s illusions, but there is no “Secret,” not the one our culture wants us to believe anyway!

The Real Secret

The truth is that God is abundant.  Just not in the way our pop culture wants us to believe.  God does want us to enjoy our highest good.  God knows what we need in our lives to feel peace, calm, content, joyful, compassionate, merciful and loving.  God knows what are our greatest gifts and how we could use those gifts to find inner fulfillment and how we could share those gifts in the world in service to others so that our world can become more peaceful, just, harmonious and loving.  And what God WANTS is for us to know this, to believe this, to embrace this and to live this.  This is the true nature of Divine Abundance….and it has nothing to do with money, status, fame, power, stuff.  And quite frequently, it has nothing to do with what WE want, but it has everything to do with what we NEED!  (I think there’s a Rolling Stones song that says something about this!)

Getting in our Own Way

So, if there is a path to fulfillment, peace, joy, compassion, justice and God knows what that is, why aren’t we living it?  Because….we keep getting in our own way!  We go through our lives trying to get what we want, trying to make things happen, trying to manipulate and control the outcome of our lives.  And what does that give us?  FRUSTRATION  PAIN  DISAPPOINTMENT  DRAMA  CHAOS  STRESS  ANXIETY  What would happen if instead of making our own plans, deciding our own destinations, seeking the fulfillment of our WANTING, we sought direction from the ONE source that actually knows what is best for us?  HHHMMM   We might know PEACE  LOVE  CONTENTMENT  FULFILLMENT.  Sounds like a great idea to me!

The Magic Formula

So, how do we get out of our own way and allow God to drive the bus?  In a nutshell…READ MY BOOK!  (ha ha).  In truth, there are a million fabulous resources that support us in our journey of letting go of our ego-driven wanting so that we can be open to surrendering to the Divine flow of abundance.  The bottom line….is…..being open to receiving guidance from a source higher (deeper, wider, more intimate, ) than our selves.  Meditation, prayer, contemplation, creative endeavors, are all supportive tools for being open to receiving the guidance that leads us toward our highest good.  And then, we need to get out of the way.   When we let go of our wanting, our plans, our need to control, and allow ourselves to surrender to what God would reveal to us as in our highest good, then we are guaranteed an abundance of peace, contentment, love and joy….and we are given the tools we need to move through the ups and downs of the sometimes insane human condition, trusting that even the losses, disappointments and tragedies of life are somehow serving our highest good.  Now that is ABUNDANCE!

Where do you find yourself clinging to your own need to control?

Where have you gotten caught up in the wheel of guilt and blame over “not getting what I want?”

How are you being invited to be open to Divine guidance towards the path of your highest good?

Lauri Lumby

Authentic Freedom Ministries

http://yourspiritualtruth.com