Peace within

[flickchic]

not sure if this has been posted before or not; I came across it this a.m., I really like it and thought I'd share it;
<CENTER>"...The peace of God, which passeth all understanding..."
Philippians 4:7</CENTER>


<CENTER>PEACE FROM WITHIN</CENTER>


<CENTER>We live in a world
filled with fear and with strife,
and sometimes it would seem
there's no hope in this life.
Each way we turn
folks are suffering so,
with no peace in their lives,
only heartache and woe.
I wish I could tell them
the solution is plain -
to just call on Jesus,
and trust in His name.
In Him there's a peace
that the world cannot know,
for it comes from within,
when we give Him control.

Shirley W. Langley </CENTER>

[mellotripp]

God as you may understand him, consists of the same principles that are found in any religion around the world. The unconditional love that was demonstrated by Jesus on the cross, was not just for all those who believe in him, for if it was then it would not have been unconditional. The saving grace that is found in the fellowship allows not to define God for our future, but thru the past. In this sense we have all carried our own cross and leave that suffering behind. Peace within ourselves is found thru the two most important tools that the program gives us, Acceptance and Tolerance. Our serenity is directly proportional to how well we can allow our ego to stay out of the way. As long as I help someone find God with my experience, strength, and hope, the love flowing out of me will also be unconditional and Jesus will be proud to have served me as the ultimate example. Then, the world will look at me and say I want what he has.

[flickchic]

if we are suffering and boasting of it, then it is unlikely that we are open to God's love, and when we are not open to His Love, and accepting of it then we are unable to recieve and in turn be His servant and channel His Love through to other people.;

when we are suffering and boasting, we are focused on our suffering, wallowing in it even.

excerpt from a book I am reading by Wayne Dyer;

"As you think, so shall you be", and a mind that is focused exclusively on problems will act on those problems, and continue to manifest more of them. By refusing to dwell on a problem and turning it over to God, you are allowing the Divine Consciousness of Love and Peace to flow into you. This spiritual awareness brings the solution to the problems you are mulling over and over in your mind.

The problems are illusions to begin with. When you make up your mind that there is no use trying to solve any problem by yourself, that you jsut aren't big enough, don't know enough, and can't even comprehend the enormous forces at work in the universe over which you have no control, then you can cooperate with the universal source to which you are always connected.

____________________________

I begin to talk to Jesus about the piece of scripture I have just read.
What part of it strikes a chord in me?
Perhaps the words of a friend will slowly rise to the surface in my consciousness.


I had what I percieved to be a "huge problem" yesterday, I did have a conversation with a friend :42: about it, yes it was affecting my emotional sobriety, my serenity and my "connectedness to God"....as a result I was not channelling the Love He has for me towards others in the way that I am fully able to. I did come to awareness that I was unable to handle this problem alone and handed it over to God. My fear and worry was that another wasn't providing for me and mine for our future in a way that "I" thought they ought to. I have tried to "bargain with another"; if you will do 'this', then I will do 'that'......when I discovered 'this' hadn't been done and lied about, my thoughts turned to then I will not do 'that':neutral: hmmmmm how disappointed God must have been when I thought in that way.....not very loving of me at all.

Awareness has come through very clearly to me that there is an enormous lesson for me; and it includes looking at myself and certain defects of character; having expectations of others, not being accepting all the time of others attitudes and behaviours and placing too much focus on the material world. The last being something that I came to realise last night; God will provide; whatever is or isn't going on in my external world re "my ideas" of a secure future is something I need to let go of; Trust and know, that He will provide. For me to "hold out" on being giving of self and what I have makes me feel unloving, I often have struggled with "with-holding" as I know it is not me, it is my egotistical me, it is the external me holding a grudge/resentment. and as we know resentment is like acid, and yes it does eat away at me. I have fears of being "bitten", by putting in financially and running a risk of loosing all and landing a bill for it is something I have been through before; once bitten, twice shy; "I thought" I had a reasonable request asking that our future be secured, I guess it is not up to me to ask this of another and to "expect" that it be done is wrong also.

I had thought to confront the issue of dishonesty however "I know" what the probable result will be, and I have no desire to create an ugly situation. Therefore I accept that I am not able to deal with this, that it is not for me to deal with it is something I have to hand over to The One Who Knows and let it go for Him to do with as He so chooses. This is feeling a little hard for me at the moment, however I choose my serenity over being one to pass judgement and condemn, so I pray that I may fully let this go.:195:

[flickchic]

The Serenity Prayer came to mind as soon as I posted the above, it's a powerful prayer indeed.