Everyone in the world seems to have their own special problems: not enough money to pay the bills, trouble with co-workers, a failed relationship, crooked politicians, a crying baby, traffic congestion. Maybe I see the misery that belongs to "others" and I am forced to look at it, becoming irritated and annoyed. Yet, there is nothing and no one outside of myself, so if I see "misery," I can be sure it is mine.
Today I will learn that there is only ONE problem and the answer to that problem has been available to me the whole time. All my problems have been solved, but if I do not recognize and accept this, it will not matter. THAT is the situation of the "world;" even if I am given the answer to my problem on a silver platter, I will not see it if I do not recognize what the real problem is. I have the answer to all my problems, but I do not recognize this.
It seems a long series of "different" problems confronts me, each one requiring a different answer. As one problem is solved, another rises to take its place. There is no end to my problems or the problems of the "world." There is no time in which I feel completely free of problems and at Peace. Some problems remain under a cloud of denial and rise to haunt me from time to time, only to be hidden again, still unsolved. The world's problems are unending and unsolvable. NO ONE could solve all the problems the "world" seems to hold. Sadness and depression are rampant.
If I continue to regard my problems as varied and many, I keep the one true problem ~ my apparent separation from God ~ unsolved. All complexity of the world is a desperate attempt NOT to recognize the one, true problem. My ONLY problem IS: I THINK I AM SEPARATED FROM GOD.
I think I am in a world apart from God. I, myself, created this "world" (in fantasy, not Reality) to show me what "apart-from-God" would look like. No matter what form any problem in the world takes, it only hides the one true problem. I will recognize the constancy and consistency of the world's problems by this: 1) when one is solved another will come to take its place; 2) problems will cause me some form of fear, such as sadness, grief, discomfort, anxiety, annoyance, etc. When I recognize this I will recognize I have the means to solve them all. And I will use the means because I at last recognize the true problem.
My imagined "separation" from God is the ONLY problem I have and it has already been solved, because I CANNOT be separated from God. It is impossible. Yet I have difficulty accepting this simple answer. The ego-part of me will not accept God's simple solution and quickly end all my misery. Ego wants chaos and complexity. Yet deep within me ~ past the fantasy ~ is the Son of God and HE recognizes Truth. I will try to reach the Son of God in me today.
In today's practice periods I will ask myself what the problem is and what is the answer. I will not assume I already know. I can tell myself intellectually, "I have only ONE problem and it is my apparent separation from God," but until I truly experience this Reality for myself, I will have doubts.
Today, I make the effort to recognize that I have only ONE problem. I will first direct my efforts toward the "many" and "varied" problems in the world that each seem to call for a different answer. I will not be deceived by the form of the problem.
Today I will allow some doubt into my ego-version of what my problems are. When a problem arises I will say to myself, "let me recognize this problem for what it is so that it can be solved." Then I will try to suspend all judgment about what the problem is.
I am working toward recognizing that there is only ONE problem and ONE answer. In this recognition, all problems are solved. Anything undertaken with Truth (God) WILL be accomplished.
"Recognize the problem that it can be solved."
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