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Monthly Archive October 2020

Let God Do the Work

by Rev. Elizabeth Rowley,
Spiritual Director
October 15, 2020

When I was a little girl, my parents owned a speed boat that my dad named Yellow Fever. It was sparkly yellow with pearl white and silver paint. My mom, dad, and brother took turns water skiing behind Yellow Fever, and they were great, even single skiing at times.

They tried to teach me how to water ski when I was seven years old, but I didn’t get it. They explained the process to me and would take off with me holding the rope, but I couldn’t stand up. I would go straight underwater while holding the rope! Their concern grew with each attempt, and after a few times, they decided not to pursue it.

Fast forward thirty years later, and I’m out on a boat with some good friends who were great water skiers. They asked me if I wanted to try it, and I told them I never learned how to ski and what happened to me the last time I tried. 

They seemed convinced they could teach me how to ski now, so I gave it a go. I got into the water and in position, holding the rope out in front of me, skis pointed up, knees slightly bent. I was ready and said, “ok, hit it!”

As the boat sped up, my excitement grew. I felt myself about to pop up and gave it some effort, then fell. The good news: I did let go of the rope. After a couple more eager attempts and failures, it was time to rest.

My turn came around again, and my friends paused to offer some guidance on the back of the boat. They explained that as I’m in the seated position, the boat will speed up, and I will feel it. At that time, I should remain in place and wait. They said my job was to stay in position, be ready, and the boat would pull me up. I was to let the boat do the work.

I jumped in the water with this new knowledge, ready to give it a try. I got into position, stayed in place, remembering to let the boat do the work, and I popped right up. I was so happy that it worked. I even teared up a little bit. The lesson was to get into position and let the boat do the work. 

Spiritually speaking, we are co-creating with the Divine, and our job is to get into position, stay in place, and let GOD do the work. You don’t have to make it happen; you do need to make it welcome. You make it welcome by getting into position. You get into position with your thought patterns by choosing the thoughts you will dwell upon to create the life you desire for yourself. Get your thinking right, and your actions will follow. Right thought naturally leads to right action.

Then, let God do the work.

And so it is.

Just Do It!

by Rev. Elizabeth Rowley,
Spiritual Director
October 1, 2020

Remember attending sporting events before the pandemic? I loved going to games with my parents when I was younger, as I knew there would be sodas, garlic fries, peanuts, and pink popcorn to consume. Whether it was football, baseball, basketball, hockey, or a soccer game did not matter to me. I could grin and be happy knowing I would have some, if not all, of these snacks.

As I matured, it became less about the snacks and more about quality family time, not to mention the day’s sport. I always got a kick out of my fellow spectators shouting to the players as if they knew them personally. They offered opinions and advice about playing a better game or commented on why their game was off or how they should alter their behavior to be better.

I giggle today as I recall this and contemplate how easy it is to offer opinions and judgments about playing the game when one is not actually in the game itself. On my left, Jim shouts at the referee about the unfair penalty. Sally, on my right, hollers at the batter for swinging when it was a terrible pitch. Jim and Sally are in the bleachers, not in the game.

Many people sit in the bleachers of their lives, complaining, upset, talking about how it should or should not be, but not actually in the game of their life. Isn’t it time to get out of the bleachers and into the game of your life? Sometimes you’ve got to get out there and go for it. Flex your faith muscle and get out on the court into the game. 

Your days of being a spectator in the bleachers shouting out opinions are numbered. When you are in the bleachers of your life, you are experiencing your thoughts, opinions, and judgments about it, rather than life itself. 

Dr. Ernest Holmes, New Thought writer, teacher, and founder of the Science of Mind philosophy, observed that “faith is a mental attitude which is so convinced of its own idea – which so completely accepts it – that any contradiction is unthinkable and impossible.” If that is true, then the time is now to accept your magnificence, believe that you cannot fail, and feel the faith flowing through you. Let this faith inspire you into action. Take action.

When you flex your faith muscle, you are unstoppable. It is the faith of God that gives you an advantage in life that not everyone has. I call it your God-vantage. Use it. Practice it. Try this at home.

Now is the time to go out and live your life fully. Begin today – right where you are – just do it! Go for the gusto. Make that phone call, ask that person out, start something or stop something, go to the gym, do not eat that cupcake, or whatever it is for you, just do it! Your life is waiting!

And so it is.