Who I Am--Who You Are

     Two-thousand nine has been a year of huge personal challenges for me. Still, as I struggle to make sense of the upheaval which has occurred, I am also reminded of all the growth that has taken place because of those same challenges. I am so different now from what I was this time last year--more confident, more patient, more accepting. My strength has increased by leaps and bounds! Most importantly, I have a much better idea of who I am in the grand scheme of life, and I am learning to appreciate the gifts and talents I have been given as I understand my role in the world.
     The most important lesson 2009 has taught me is WHO I AM. For someone who has been brought up in a religious, Christian environment this may seem obvious. Ultimately, Christians are taught that they are children of God--a God that loves unconditionally and wants the best for His children. While we are told that Christ sacrificed his life for our sins so that we could be found perfect before God, all too often we hold tight to the thought of those sins and refuse to believe we are worthy to receive anything because of all the mistakes we have made. The fact of the matter is, God does not see our faults. He truly does see us without blame and spotless!!! When God looks at us, all He sees are beings of light and love!
     As I accept this truth as reality, I find a number of once closed doors now open to me. Opportunities abound as I begin to let myself receive the abundance which is my birthright. The difference this year is not the number of opportunities out there--they were always there. The difference is that I am now willing to allow myself to accept those blessings because I finally see myself as worthy!
     As I contemplate this simple understanding, it occurs to me there are many others out there who still do not know their own true worth. I am no different than anyone else. I am no more deserving of blessings than anyone else. The fact of the matter is, we all deserve blessings! We are all powerful beings of light and love! We are all worthy to receive God's abundance! Don't ever doubt that! Search inside yourself to the core of your being where the light of God dwells! Learn to know and accept the light that is in you! Focus on that light, and you will never feel unworthy again.
     It is my prayer that 2010 will be a year of much love, joy, abundance, and peace as we learn to appreciate just who we are in the light of God's love.
      
   

Good From Adversity

The law of attaction states that YOU are responsible for all the things which are brought into your life by the thoughts you dwell on and believe. Jesus is quoted in the bible as saying, "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." (Mark 11:24 KJV) Thoughts are obviously very powerful things! Often we find ourselves questioning why bad things come into our lives. The law of attraction would say you put them there. Jesus also seems to agree that what you believe you will receive will come to you. Do we really bring bad things onto ourselves or is this some sort of punishment from the Divine? I believe we do bring "bad" things on ourselves. The question you should ask yourself is whether or not a situation or person in our lives is truly meant to bring about our misery or is there something more behind it? I believe good can come from adversity.

Ever heard the saying "You can't run away from your problems"? Ever tried to? What happened? I would be willing to bet that the problem you were trying to get away from followed you to the new place. It may be an immediate thing (ie. the same person or situation shows back up), or it may take some time before you find yourself repeating the same old familiar pattern with a new person or situation. If something keeps showing up over and over again in your life, you should pay attention to it! The universe is trying to tell you something!

Adversity is not meant to be good or bad. Adversity is a new chance for us to learn and grow. Running away from it just postpones the inevitable. Standing and facing adversity gives you a reason to look for new resources. It requires courage, determination and strength. Facing and overcoming adversity builds new muscle, new skills. You end up growing in unexpected ways. Growth would never occur if you didn't have a problem to overcome.

The next time a reoccuring problem stares you in the face, instead of blaming yourself or others and running away, stand up and face the problem head on. Ask for help. (God is a good place to start.) Believe you are strong enough to deal with the situation and help is on the way. Keep your eyes open and look for doors that open for you as you need them. You can overcome! You will grow! This is the good that comes from adversity! Embrace it!

The Missing Piece

For well over a year now, I have focused on finding my purpose in life. My goal has been to use the gifts and talents I have been given to contribute to the world in much more powerful ways than I ever have before. I would prefer to do this on a full time basis (meaning I would like to find a way to make it provide an income). At times it has seemed like a tall order. To make the situation even more interesting, I have been struggling with redefining myself in terms of new ideas and beliefs that don't always seem to mesh with my old ideas and beliefs. Just this week, I have found the piece that not only ties the old and new beliefs together, but has also led me to a clearer understanding of my purpose in life as well as a better appreciation for the gifts and talents I have been given.

This week, I was introduced to a wonderful spiritual healer named Mary A. Hall through Jennifer McLean's "Healing With the Masters" interview series. I was intrigued from the get-go because Mary was billed as someone who helped people develop abundance in their lives. As this is one of the ideas I have struggled with, I was very interested in hearing what she had to say. Her insight and wisdom truly blew me away!

To simplify my experience with Mary, Mary introduced me to Love. This being has more love for me than can be imagined. The appreciation and respect Love has for me has no limits. In Love's presence, I am beautiful, whole and perfect. In the presence of Love, there is insight and wisdom. Within this Love, abundance flows freely, guiding a person to new understandings and inspiring new actions. It is an amazing feeling. It is also something I am already intimately familiar with. I usually call it God or the Holy Spirit.

What this insight did for me was to help me understand the abundance I was looking for was already here. I just had to connect that abundance is a part of God--the part that flows in and through all things.

Mary also helped me understand that my abundance is directly related to my feelings of worthiness. When I feel less than worthy, I sabotage my own efforts at attracting the life I want. This is why that relationship with Love--with God--is so important. When you see yourself through God's eyes, you understand how much worth you truly have. This understanding prepares you to receive the blessings and abundance life has for you! You know and believe you are worthy to be blessed, and you are open to it.

As I have pondered these thoughts this week and allowed Love to open me, I have already been tremendously blessed. My clarity of thought has increased. I have been inspired to say things to people that have turned out to be amazingly accurate. I have remembered my own gifts to help others heal from hurts and sometimes physical problems, and I have recalled the God-energy involved in those past experiences. It has truly been a mind blowing week for me!

The missing piece was right there all the time. I just needed to connect it! Now that I have, I know I am called to remember the Love inside me. My purpose as a healer is to help you remember the Love that is inside you.

To take advantage of the rest of this wonderful (free) interview series, please visit http://www.healingwiththemasters.com/.