Feelings
Anger is a physical and emotional manifestation of spiritual immaturity.
Every gets angry—right? It’s just “normal.” Using this excuse to justify anger guarantees we’ll keep getting angry. Seeing anger as normal leads us to see it as acceptable and ok; it’s just something we have to tolerate. However, seeing anger as a trait that causes us problems and one which we can eliminate or minimize…
Read MoreThe value of a vessel is its emptiness.
Clay is formed into a vessel. The emptiness bounded by the clay creates the usefulness of the vessel. Walls, windows, and doors make boundaries of a room. The value is its emptiness, not the boundaries. — Verse 11, Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu If I have a pitcher of dirty water and want to fill…
Read MoreLove people; use things. Don’t use people and love things
Our world focuses on “things.” We are bombarded with the concept that our life will be better if we just get this “thing”; we are told that we will experience love and exquisite bliss if we just buy this certain object. And it’s a lie. “Things” can make our life easier or more enjoyable; using…
Read MoreGuilt often comes from expectations
Guilt is a feeling of culpability of being responsible or blameworthy for harm or error. Like fear, guilt can be healthy or unhealthy. We can be overly sensitive to other people’s expectations and feel guilty when we disappoint them; we can set unreasonable expectations on our self and feel guilty when we fall short; we…
Read MoreWasting time, energy, and emotions on illusions causes discontent
Someone says or does something; suddenly a worrisome thought spawns in our mind. We unconsciously react, thus giving power to the false idea that this is a real problem. Thus starts the building crescendo of emotions and thoughts about the false problem. As we mature, we learn to pause and evaluate if we are facing…
Read MoreIf nothing changes, NOTHING changes
If we keep doing what we’ve been doing, we’ll keep getting the same results (and keep feeling the way we’re feeling.) Burning our hand on a hot stove brings immediate changes so we don’t do it again; however, we may suffer emotional pain but continue to volunteer for the very acts that cause our misery.…
Read MoreBlaming other people for the way I feel gives them control over my life
Yes, other people can do things that offend or hurt us but it’s our choice on how we react. If we get angry at someone and say—or think—“Look at what he did! He made me angry, he hurt my feelings!” this very thought acknowledges that this person has the power to control the way we…
Read MoreDo you live in the “SOMEDAY ISLE”?
The Someday Isle is a little like Never-Never Land. Of course, adults don’t really believe in Peter Pan and Never-Never Land; however, many supposedly mature people spend a lot of time in The Someday Isle where they may join the chant that pervades the land. “Someday Isle … Someday Isle… Someday Isle…” Someday I’ll quit…
Read MoreGod's love heals our emotional wounds
God’s love naturally flows to our individual need, and there, like healing oil, supplies the exact agent required to heal the suffering. Sometimes the healing is a direct response but other times, we receive an option to see, think, and feel differently; we must choose to pursue that option to facilitate the healing. We find…
Read MoreStop worrying. Eliminate “If”, “What if “and “If only” from your vocabulary
Worrying contributes nothing to solving problems. In fact, it often prevents or interferes with finding real solutions. But worry becomes a habit, an automatic reaction when faced with things we can’t control. It starts as a single thought but can quickly grow to dominate our mind and is much easier to control before it grows…
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