great thread INTRO!
“It may seem overwhelming at first, but surely those who still believe in God don't think that we should be sheltered from all harm without ever having to understand any of it.”
Intro, I think this goes to outlook , perspective, philosophy of life. Many see a missed airplane as stressful situation, some as a chance to read more or grab a cappuccino. Is life good or bad or is it just life, to learn from?
quote:
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The issue is not that we pray, but how we pray. When something goes wrong in our life, we tend to invoke prayers involving highly specific, designated outcomes. We're certain we have the knowledge to set things right, and we waste no time telling the Absolute what to do. We do not realize we are interfering in a highly complex, tightly coupled system that, when tweaked, often responds in unpredictable ways. Giving orders with prayer invites disaster. It is rather like hitting a card table from below, hoping that the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle on top will fall into greater order than before. This may happen, but usually the result is more disorganization.
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On the point of outcomes, I have come to see, we are not responsible for that part. That s where our will , and responsibility ends. We are responsible to do the work and let the end result be what it is. If its not as we expected, step back and see what lesson is there. Many lose perspective, find depression and become ill when the expected does not happen.
This where trust of the higher power for the bigger picture comes in.
quote:
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Our lives are exquisitely linked with the members of our family, community, nation, and world. Our tight coupling with others and our world sets the stage for a negative outcome when we employ specific interventions ... When the results are worse than before, prayer is often blamed for "not working." But the real problem may not be prayer, but an operator error--how prayer is used and what is asked for."
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I like the line about being worse off than before. Operator error. If prayer becomes the “ROTE” recital of words, there is little personal about it. It would be better to say fewer words, understanding what we are asking for. When we ask for strength , consider how does one usually gain strength. If it is physical strength we seek, its through days, months and years of daily training. Yet from the emotional and spiritual side, some would rather have the Mcdonalds version. Is that a fair expectation , to have, to do no real inner work and have miracles just befall us 24/7.
“ To affect change, we have to first understand where we're coming from, so we have to see where things are at the present moment, rather than just wanting the suffering to be over. “
Its tough to pray for endurance and expect you wont have a situation that will let you gain it........or be upset you do........ its what you asked for.
The lords prayer contains asking for forgiveness and freely forgiving others...
..who do you forgive?.......someone that never harms you.?.....its asked for and when received, many say: why me.......?
“This is fine, but I think we need to be wise in how we invest our energy, just as pointed out through Caroline Myss' work. This idea of coping and "hanging in there" seems to imply not doing anything, just allowing things to continue as they are, which inevitably leads to a feeling of stagnation. “
About Ms Myss’ message. on” the hanging in there.”.....its always nice to hear
“ I am making the best of it”.....best of it?
this is your life........this is your gift............ this is your PHD in Earth Education....making the best of it?........if the outlook is just lasting till something good happens , because you did not get the love you wanted, you are not in the job you want, where is the appreciation for the gift?........
YOU ARE HERE!........ gratitude....... love the package......... it will surely change become more mystical........
and if it seems not to be.........your learning endurance.........
