Surprised by Joy

 

For several days I have been wrestling with organizing activities for the Sevenoaks Helper Community, some 28 of us.  As with any group, there are lots of challenges.  And I have my patterns of pushing my ideas or collapsing into despair when my ideas are not accepted. Intellectually I know about “Let Go, Let God,” but putting this into practice from deep within my psyche is another matter.  Part of me wants to surrender.  Another wants to run the show.  I am aware and accepting of both, or try to be.  

 

Spirit works in mysterious ways.  For no particular reason other than it was the next lecture in my aim to record the last 50 of the 258 Pathwork lectures before the end of July, I found myself editing my recording of Pathwork Lecture 209, which has the strange title, “The Roscoe Lecture: Inspiration for the Pathwork Center.”  As I was reading the lecture I saw all kinds of applications for our Helper Community.  Then I came to the last three paragraphs of this lecture:

“I will now suggest a meditation in which you can all join, which you can use for yourselves.

Again, I say, be still, and know that deep within you is the nucleus of God that will speak to you.  You will help it manifest if you say words such as:  “Let go, let go of the mind and its preconceived ideas and its ingrained negativity.  Let go of the habit and let God.  Let in new attitudes, new feelings.”  These may not be new, per se, but new for your conscious mind.  You will hear the voice within that says, “Be still and know I am God,” in every one of you.  Say, “I have the power in me to let God manifest.  I surrender to this will of truth and beauty.  I want the love and the truth of God to instruct me.  I want to give the best of my conscious life to let the truth and love and beauty of my innermost being unfold.  I will not shy away from destroying my self-image, my vanity, my pride.  For the truth and beauty and love of the supreme spirit within me are more important than my little vanity and my little self-righteousness.  I dedicate my life to the Spirit of the Universe.”

Every answer you need exists if you listen to the universal indwelling spirit.  Every solution to every problem will unfold if you trust this indwelling spirit.  Seek it and you will know your truth.  Seek it honestly and the love of the universe will forevermore unfold.  And as you are together in this truth of your own path, a wonderful strength and beauty will unite you in the common venture and will wipe out the little uglinesses, the little withholdings and all those things that are shadows that hide the sun from you.  You are indeed blessed.  The love of God is given to all of you.  Let your heart feel it.  Be blessed.”

I shared these words with Pat, reading them out loud.  I could barely get through them.  My heart was quivering.  At the words “I dedicate my life to the Spirit of the Universe,”  I broke down in spontaneous uncontrollable tears.   What was going on in me?   The next morning I realized that I was touched not only by the beauty of the words themselves but by the experience of being touched by Love from Beyond, being graced at just the right time and in just the right way.  Surprised by Joy.  

May I be open to such surprises in my daily walk through life.  May I feel the ever present Love from Beyond.  Just pause, Gary, and Let God.  This is my prayer.