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Chapter 6: Lana’s Prayer
“If desires are not uprooted, sorrows grow again in you." Buddha
Fundamentally, desires come from a sense of lack. Think of it for a moment. Look at your desires and test that this is true. Perhaps your desire is for world peace, where could that desire originate except from a belief in lack of peace? There is nothing wrong with this desire. I think we all want world peace. Yet, as the quote attributed to Buddha reflects, until all ideas that we are incomplete or lacking are uprooted and healed, sorrow grows again within us. Truth is, "I am sustained by the Love of God." Knowing I am sustained by the Love of God, regardless of what this world or the powers in it show me, gives me a feeling of wholeness and total protection and peace. It makes me aware of the fact that I am never alone. It gives me an inner awareness that however the perceived lack shows up, God sustains me now and forever.
I'm always amazed at the wisdom of Nature. It knows it is sustained by God. Nature has so much wisdom to share with those who are open-minded and receptive. Unity, Sharing, Giving, and Extending its gifts and bounty without asking for anything in return are just a few that come to mind. And as scripture tells us, "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. Yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God doth so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or, "Where shall we be clothed?" Matthew 6:25-34. There is much more Matthew has to say about nature and how it is sustained by the Love of God. Nature knows and aligns itself with God's Will. It knows that giving/receiving are One in Truth. It knows that sharing its gifts is its purpose. It continually asks nothing for itself. This is because it knows no lack or incompleteness. The sun shares its light and warmth. The trees share their shade and bounty of fruit. Flowers share their beauty and fragrance. Nothing in nature asks for anything in return. In the animal kingdom, what I notice the most is their consistent present state of awareness. They have no past or future worries. Their experience is always now. Also, they function from intuition and instinct, and possess an inner knowing, not achieved through thinking. They live by their survival instincts, not associated with an intellectual understanding. These are ideas that we humans are only beginning to trust, embrace, own, and honor. Nature has so many secrets to share. We should observe and listen closely to its wisdom. ACIM is teaching us that there is no lack, only wholeness. But, there is a belief in lack and incompletion that needs to be healed and allowed to disappear from our mind. There is nothing to get but much to give and it is in the giving we recognize we have/are whole and complete.
What do I really desire that would bring me perfect happiness? I could make a laundry list of things or situations that I believe might fulfill my desire for perfect happiness. Yet, where is the certainty that my desires will bring me the lasting and consistent happiness I seek? I need only look to my past experiences to recognize my choices and desires have not always brought me what I desired. In fact, usually, they ended up in heartbreak and/or disappointment. So many times I thought I knew what was in my best interest and what was in the best interest of those I loved, and so many times I was wrong, wrong about everything.
Yet, there is One who knows me better than I know myself. There is One whose Will for me is Perfect Happiness. Personally, I really don't care how Perfect Happiness shows up in my life, only that it does show up. As I let go of being the architect of my life and as I let go of the need to control and the seeming power associated with a will separate from the Will of God, miracles happen. Perfect Happiness shows up in unimagined ways. With my Creation, God also created a script for my life that assures my perfect happiness, and my awakening. I need only to allow it to unfold before me and not interfere or make a replacement for God's Will for my Perfect Happiness. Unfortunately, when under the influence of the ego thought system, we become impatient waiting for God's Script to unfold and jump in with an ego script that will guarantee conflict, doubt, and unhappiness. Perhaps it is a job offer or a new relationship lit up like a Christmas Tree and difficult to pass by. We become drawn to it like a magnet and we are sucked in like we stepped into quicksand. Forgiveness will always heal us and lead us back into right-mindedness but only after needless suffering and a tragic waste of time.
Below is a prayer offered with love that I find helpful whenever I'm tempted to make up my own script that is separate and apart from God's Will for my perfect happiness. “Father, I hereby let go of everything and anything that is in variance to Your Will for my Perfect Happiness. I relinquish all my attempts to usurp Your Will for my peace and happiness. I have no desires that would obstruct Your perfect plan for my happiness. My only desire is the awareness of the Love I find in Unity with You and with my brothers/sisters. In Unity, I was created and in Unity, I remain your Child. I choose that Your Will and my will be One and the same Will. I choose Your Will for my perfect happiness. Thy Will be done in me, through me, and as me. Help me, dear Father, to remember that I am eternally sustained by Your Love. You are my Source, my Creator, and my Eternal Companion. I Live in You as You Live in me. There is no gap or separation between us. I am forever your Child, with whom you are well pleased. Thank You, Father, for Everything. Your Plan is Perfect and I will follow as you lead, certain of my destination and certain of Our One Love and Unity. Amen”.
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