Giving up or giving in?

I was thinking a lot about life last night and how nothing at all is ever certain. One day your up, the next day your down. How can it be that things outside of ourselves can affect how we feel so intensly? It really is no wonder how sometimes we think we are going crazy. You get a letter of good news or you somehow come in to a little extra money, via a rebate or bonus or whatever and then you turn around and something goes wrong with the car so the money you got is automatically spoken for. There are two ways to look at this. The first one is to bitch and say I never get a break, I always get brought down no matter what good happens, or you can look at it and say Wow what a lucky break, I got that extra money just in time so I could get my car fixed. I have really been going back to the Course in Miracles lately and it's wise teachings tell us that everything means nothing. WE give everything that happens in our lives the meaning, therefore we are so much more in control of our lives than we think we are. If something happens in our lives and we attatch the meaning as something good, that is certainly a step in the right direction but then something happens and we attatch the meaning as something bad, then the cycle perpetuates, one day is good, one day is bad, sometimes your up, sometimes your down. What would happen if we just accepted everything as "this is what is supposed to happen" and trust that it is part of a plan that we have no business trying to
control. This may seem like a paradox but the more you give up trying to control the events that happen in your life, the more in control you are because you have learned to accept the natural flow. The pressure is off. imagine how liberating that would be, to say the pressure
is off, I don't know what is supposed to happen in any situation, but I am just going to pray
for a miracle, no matter what. Whatever is happening in my life right now," Dear God show me
the truth about this, help me to surrender my control over any situation, I pray that whatever
is happening now is part of YOUR plan for the greatest good of everyone involved. I will
step out of the way and let YOU take over. " Then I don't have to worry anymore because I
know that if I let Him lead the way ( and Him can mean whatever you want it to be,God, Jesus,
Universal Power, Source etc ) I know that I am allowing a power in to my life that knows
exactly what is best for me and exactly what is best for everyone" This is deep and hard
work. We are so conditioned to think that we know what is best for us at all times, but how
many times did you get what you thought you wanted only to realize you were wrong. hence the
old adage 'be careful what you wish for' How many times did something happen to you that you
thought was the worst thing in the world, only to later realize that if it weren't for that
event you would not be the strong person you are today. I think about accepting Zach's autism
a lot when I study the Course in Miracles. I do not claim to be a Zen master by any means
and very often I revert back to old ways of thinking and feeling, and that is when my life
seems out of control. i think it's all about being honest. i don't think God wants us to
struggle, I think he just wants us to trust. If something in your life is so painful that you
feel like you can't handle it, the best thing to do is say God, I know that there is
something for me to learn from this experience, I am willing to do so, but could you please
have it shown to me more gently? One pattern I have noticed, in my life anyway, is that if I
don't handle a situation in a way that gives me and the other person peace, the situation
will just keep coming up again and again and again, the characters may change but the lesson
is still there. If we keep doing what we have been doing all along, why would we possibly
think the results are going to be any different. Thus the definition of insanity. So for
this Thanksgiving holiday let's all give it a try, lets be thankful for what we have and lets
not be so dependent on control and results. Our prayers are still very important, but rather
than pray for specific things, let's give ourselves a break and pray for the highest level of
greatness for everyone involved. Whatever that may look like, and whatever that may be. I
used to pray to God to cure Zach's autism, I prayed and prayed and tried everything I could
find on the outside world to make that happen. I now pray to help me to learn and grow from
Zach's autism, to accept him as he is and be so grateful that his care was entrusted to me.
Quite a different spin on the same thing. If I were still praying for him to be cured, I
would have missed out on all of the greatness that he has brought into my life and the lives
of others.
This approach to life is not giving up, it's actually just the opposite, it is giving in.
There is greatness planned for all of us or we wouldn't be here, our job, is to get the hell
out of the way and allow it to happen. Its not easy and you will find yourself reverting back
to old ways now and then, but that is also part of the process. Then you will see how those
old ways do not serve you and you will drift peacefully back to full surrender, and Bam!
lesson learned, time to move on to another. If this does not resonate with you by all means
there are plenty of other ways. I am not trying to be a preacher, God knows I am struggling daily with my own issues. But it IS food for thought. Speaking of food, everyone have a
wonderful Thanksgiving, enjoy, and don't forget to BE GRATEFUL.