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Prayer Chaplain Corner
Greetings from your Prayer Chaplain Team
How often do you approach your day burdened by a heavy list of expectations? I find that each morning upon waking I start my “to do” list. I tell myself, “I should plan some meals and make up a grocery list,” “I should do this or that household chore,” or “I should start making monthly prayer calls.” Then, inevitably, I never get the full “should” list completed in one day. This habit of "shoulding" ourselves lets our ego undermine the “All God, All Good” aspect of our existence. When the primary focus of each day is obligation, we are unconsciously putting up a wall between ourselves and our oneness with God. We focus our attention entirely on our own performance rather than on God's presence.
I am determined to eliminate “shoulding” from my life. As you know, our thoughts are prayers. So, whenever “should” creeps into my thoughts or words, I will take a moment to recognize it, cancel it, and rephrase it. “Should” is now “I want to because…” A variety of reasons can follow that ellipsis. “I am being supported by God throughout the endeavor,” “I will feel a sense of accomplishment,” “Through my actions, I am giving a gift to others which reflects back positively upon me,” or “I am grateful for the opportunity to express God’s love.”
When we drop the heavy baggage of "should", we open the door to authentic oneness with God. We enjoy living in the now instead of dreading the future, which is what the word “should” implies. Letting go of “should” frees us to experience daily life as a dynamic relationship with the I AM rather than a one-way transaction. My previous “to do” lists always ended with, “Once these chores are done, I will be able to relax do what I want.” Cancel, cancel, CANCEL! The new and revised version is, “God and I are one, not two, and I recognize that I am being Divinely guided to accomplish what is mine to do.”
This week, try to catch yourself whenever a "should" creeps into your daily routine. Gently replace that sense of obligation with a sense of invitation. Let go of the “shoulds”, take a deep breath of grace, and let your daily activities simply be a place where you are fully in the presence of God. What a blessing!
Namasté,
Rene Holubec
Unity OKC Prayer Chaplain Team
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Mountain Mover No.1 . . . WHEN I AM CONFUSED by Charles M. Roth
As we tread our individual paths through life we are sometimes diverted into side-roads where we feel lost and confused. We seek the advice of others, or we sit and “stew”, mentally sketching images of failure and defeat. “If only I knew,” we cry. “If only” is the hallmark of the confused, bewildered human mind. In Truth we are training ourselves to step out of the “if only” consciousness, and into the security of the Christ Light.
You may seem to be in a tunnel of darkness, unable to see your next step. But every tunnel has an end and if you look with your heart, you shall “see” that Light which signifies hope and victory. It may be only a pin-point of light at first; but it will grow as you keep your vision centered on the Christ within you. Say the fol-lowing prayer statement to yourself until you get the “feel” of it and then speak it aloud—quietly, but with conviction and faith:
I Turn to the Christ Within for Inspiration and Guidance
. . . I am a spiritual being, one with the Mind of God in which resides all wisdom. Just as a lost and bewildered child turns to his parent for guidance when faced with a new and baffling experience; so I turn
eagerly and trustingly to the Father within. Through the Christ in me, the Father’s Image-like- ness, I receive new confidence, new understanding and
new strength. Inspiration floods my mind and I know what to do.
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Unity’s Used Book Store
Did you know we have a used book store in the Fellowship Hall, Hard cover books are just $2 and soft covers are $1. Wow, there is a wide selection of books in this used book store! It’s not our lending library, but the over flow of books from the Lending Library! Take a peek you might like what you C
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Unity’s Used Book Store
Did you know we have a used book store in the Fellowship Hall, Hard cover books are just $2 and soft covers are $1. Wow, there is a wide selection of books in this used book store! It’s not our lending library, but the over flow of books from the Lending Library! Take a peek you might like what you C
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You Know This - Words of a Skylark
Apples come from apple trees. Roses grow on roses bushes. If a gardener wants carrots, he plants carrots seeds and not radishes or onions. All through life it has been proven that there is a spiritual and a natural law of life that causes all things to produce after their kind. Although Jesus Christ taught it a couple of thousands years ago, man is only now, at first regretfully and then joyfully, discovering this Truth. He discovers that each thought he holds, and each word he speaks, is governed by this very same law. Words of love and kindness never produce hate and inconsideration. You are the boss of your life, if you really want to be.