Divine Grace - The Gift of Forgiveness

An Open Letter in Extension of Divine Grace - A Christmas wish for all.

Dear Friends and Readers, This is my Christmas wish for you …

"May you always find the Grace in your heart to be forgiving, for it is by Divine Grace that we are forgiven in the eyes of God."

…..

Grace is a little understood concept in Christianity - if we waited until people deserved to be forgiven for their misdeeds, there would be little forgiveness in the world at all.  Grace offers forgiveness at no cost to the individual being forgiven; hence we forgive the debt they "owe" for their trespasses and set them free.  Forgiveness frees us because we are no longer looking back in anger or holding on to grudges or resentment surrounding the individual who harmed us.  Instead, we choose to live in Divine Grace, and extend undeserved grace to our enemies or perpetrators.  

I have found that after a period of time mulling over someone's offenses, if no suitable act of contrition or apology is forthcoming, then I must actively work to extend the grace of forgiveness.  The most effective way I have found to do this is to sincerely pray for the health and well being of the offending party, and summon gratitude for their positive characteristics.  In quiet meditation I ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to redeem all offending acts as forgiven and then bless the offender.   I do this in the conscious knowing that we ALL fall short of perfection and because we are human, we err and make blunders and mistakes.  But for the Grace of God, there go I.

I have had some truly powerful results with this simple formula.  I have seeded peace in others and found an inner peace I did not know was possible.  I have grown in my inner capacity to love unconditionally and give without expectations, all because I have found this inner peace and tranquility is the substance of true miracles.  And in the process, I AM HEALED.

May the Light of Divine Grace be bestowed on you as my Christmas gift, and may you find the peace we all desperately yearn for as your constant companion.  May you forgive and be forgiven, and be blessed!  Happy Holidays my friends!

All Content Copyright 2019 LLCC  (originally published 12/16/19, pre-Covid 2020)

Those Pesky Things Called Feelings

Turn a Bad Day into A Good Day - It's Your Decision

When life or people become frustrating or unmanageable, it's natural to feel emotional, annoyed, and even succumb to acting out.  But after wards we may experience a morning-after, "emotional hangover", when faced with the consequences of our ill guided actions.  In a fury of frustration, eating an entire bag of chips in front of the TV or sending out a nasty email feels so good in the moment!  Yet, what's left 24 hours later is mostly self-recrimination and collective misery.  No one feels good.  Like a compound fracture, an annoying situation becomes broken in two places - packing on the pounds or damaging a relationship only piles on icky feelings of guilt and remorse making a bad situation worse.  "What was I thinking?!!" is hardly a good platform from which to assess what happened in going forward.  Having a stomach ache or losing a relationship isn't helpful either.

Loss of control is the result of being hypnotized by the powerful pull of negative emotions and distractions i.e., eating junk food, spouting off, spending money you don't have, etc. Then, like any trance state, the momentary "high" wears off.  Those feelings of annoyance and frustration will eventually ebb away no matter what.  What do you want to have to show for it after, something positive or something negative?   It's totally up to you.  True power comes from self-control and positive distractions.  Take a deep breath, take a walk around the block. You get a time-out with the added bonus of a positive payoff - burn off a few calories.

Imagine feeling good, staying peaceful in the midst of frustrating circumstances.  It is possible!  However, it does require some effort and conscious thought that can be difficult to muster when you are upset.  Negative emotions induce a trance-like state that hinders good judgment.  Cultivating inner peace takes practice, but is absolutely worth it!

The secret is having positive distractions planned ahead to fend off making a catastrophic situation out of a bad moment. Then, when a negative emotion or situation pops up, it won't take over and kill your impulse control by making you reach for that bag of chips or lashing out in anger.

Plan ahead to positively distract yourself!  Stock the fridge with healthy foods, i.e., grab a piece of watermelon.  Or dark chocolate.  Share your frustration with an impartial individual who can offer good judgment and objective feedback.  Or, help someone out.  Random acts of kindness for yourself and others are a quick and dirty way to feel better and rack up time well spent.

Annoyances and frustration are an inevitable part of life.  Getting angry and making yourself (and others) suffer by making things worse is NOT.  Just ask yourself: How do I want to distract myself here?  How do I want manage myself and my emotions?  Positively or negatively?  The good news is it's up to you. Like a well developed muscle, peace takes practice.  And, I'm loving that watermelon.

Practicing Peace in Times of Chaos

Practicing Peace - Thriving in Difficult Times and Chaos
There seems to be a spike in crime, anxiety, and depression ...

Every one, please keep your cool, call a friend, do some yard work, spring clean, meditate, BE KIND.  I know what I have to do when I get this Stressed. I have to TUNE OUT and find my center.

I turn EVERY THING OFF - people, news, FB, the phone, etc.
I make no apologies ... this is my anxiety management. I come back to center and meditate.

The thoughts in my head are my worst enemy ... FEAR will run rampant, if I let it.

When I become still ...

I hear the songbirds singing, the rain sounds soothing, the Earth is waking up ... the sun came up, the world is still turning ...

No one is complaining and I find myself again, my strength, my inner core, my ability to heal, my belief that all is as it should be and every one is my teacher, not the enemy.

I set my intention to believe in the best of everyone and LET GO OF WHAT I CANNOT CONTROL.

All of this takes PRACTICE.  Because ... We become what we practice.
And yes, the Inner Peace I take time to cultivate, takes over in time.
And no, this doesn't mean I run from my feelings.

I acknowledge how I feel, then I practice maintaining inner calm; instead of ruminating or hypnotizing myself into a state of panic, which I can easily do.

You can manage your emotions and even thrive during difficulties, but you have to be
willing to practice and not let your emotions take over and your imagination run wild.

If you want peace, you must practice peace. Try it. Make it your mission to master peace
in this time of trial.

Nightly Healing

Healing as a Meditation Practice

Before I go to sleep each night, I meditate - a healing meditation for certain people I know who are in need of healing.  You may not even know that you're on my secret list or you might be a close friend or associate or maybe someone I've had conflict with.  I do this practice nightly to offset the constant negativity of the news, politics, or disgruntled individuals I may encounter.

It is my choice to decide how I project my thoughts and intentions onto the world and no one can take that from me.  At the end of the day, it is my choice to bring thoughts of healing to my unconscious mind, instead of fear and agitation about things over which I have little or no control.  The World will be what it is, with or without me.  But the mantle I choose to carry with me in my being is my sacred possession and I alone am responsible for that energy.  My secret meditation list remains that, my anonymous gift to myself and others that keeps me free of the toxic negativity that can be so damaging in the World.  Try it.  I guarantee you will garner some amazing results.



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A Light in the Echos of Darkness

I feel compelled to write something, do something, say something about the world today, and recent events, you all know what I mean.  But, I am at a loss.  Because I feel helpless, even though I know I'm not.  What I do know is I will spend the rest of my life at least trying to bring some peace to unrest and healing to others trauma.  As a Christian, it's all that is in Jesus that I love.  Every day, I aspire to what he taught about non-judgement and love.  Still, I fall short every day; and more often than I like, I miss the mark in struggling with my own Ego.  Yet, I keep on.  I invite everyone to use social media, FB, and other platforms wisely and judiciously, instead of perpetrating ugliness and division.  Civility and respect have been lost (especially in politics), and two wrongs never make a right.  Your neighbor is YOUR neighbor.  The President is OUR President.  WE, yes, we are all in this thing called, Life, together, as people, as human beings.  We only have THIS moment, to share with each other, and no other.

So ... Please practice self-control in your thoughts and actions. My parents and grandparents lived and preached self-control, which seems so lost in society today.   Hiding behind a phone screen makes it too easy to take others to task. It matters what you bring to the world - your energy, your attitude are contagious - please make it kind and considerate, be a light in the echos of the darkness in the sad events of our day.

All photos Copyright LLC 2019