Tag: faith

RULE #4: Watch Your Feet

Posted on by cmryan

Rule #4 is about setting boundaries and moving forward… thus it’s important to watch your feet, to know where to place them metaphorically, what your personal limits are, or where you would “draw the line in the sand” in any given situation. We all have limits. We are in charge of choosing our direction, too. It just depends what the situation is or who is involved as to what each of those might be.

Years ago I had the opportunity to dabble in the sport of rock climbing, mostly bouldering. The highest cliff I faced was only 30 to 40 feet high. Put a few of those on top of each other and you have a good-sized mountain.

However, my goal was not to climb Mt. Everest. I simply wanted to get over my fear of heights and this seemed like a logical way to do it. Through the guidance of a qualified instructor and lots of practice, I learned the importance of where to place my hands and feet… one hand, one foot at a time.

Each foot placement was important no matter how high off the ground I was. Each solid step onto the side of the rock meant that I could move up, down or sideways in the direction of my choosing. I then could reach out with my hand and grab hold of even the smallest protrusion to give myself balance and additional stability while each foot, in turn, found the next foundation of support. There was a very good chance that, if my foot slipped, my hand or fingers may not hold my body’s weight and I could fall. The rope was the backup plan, not something to swing from or rely upon.

I faced my fear. Through repeated movements (and instruction and rope/harness gear) I gained the confidence that allowed me to move from bouldering two feet off the ground to climbing a 40-foot cliff. I became strong in body and spirit. I discovered my physical limits and mental boundaries. I was humbled by the rock and empowered by the experience. I grew in self-assurance and faith and moved forward in other life challenges.

We have limits all around us. There are financial limits… how much money you choose to spend on something; what you’re willing to loan to a family member. There are relationship limits… what you’re willing to contribute emotionally to a partner; how long you tolerate a certain unacceptable behavior of a spouse or child. There are many opportunities that prompt a person to stand up to a situation and say “Enough is enough!”

But do you have limits to how much Good you’re willing to let into your life? Do you put a cap on a great idea because of fear? Are there things that would really help you or improve your life but you’re not willing to accept them for yourself? Where do you “stand” in your core values and beliefs?

Setting boundaries or limits can do two things: 1) keep something away that could harm us; or 2) keep us away from our own Good. It’s important to recognize the difference and to know when to change the situation as needed for our highest and best experience.

For most of us…Feet are the body’s instrument upon which we stand. Feet are strong enough to hold up our bodies for hours every day. Feet are the tools that help us drive our cars – accelerator or brake – go forward or stop. Feet are the means that allow us to move in the world, to get from one place to another and to change course at will. Feet move us in many directions and can traverse all types of terrain. Feet provide us with the awareness of a solid foundation, balance, and stability.

Watch your feet. Give yourself the best foundation you’re able. Know your boundaries and move forward in life with confidence and faith.

F is for Faith or Fear… Spirituality A to Z

Posted on by cmryan

A wise friend once told me, “You can’t have Fear and Faith at the same time – choose.”

Yes, you get to choose. And to the degree you focus on one or the other, your choice determines how you will fare through any situation or decision.

What I’ve discovered as I contemplate this equation is that it takes very little Fear or Faith to tip the scales in the other direction, depending on the situation.

Fear-Baby-2The seed of Faith is and always has been present, waiting to be nurtured, cultivated, and allowed to grow to fuller expression. The weed of Fear has always been with us, too, although it was initially in our infant make-up only as the fear of falling and loud noises. All other fears developed as we grew, coming from those around us and society in general, especially through the media. Fear is a learned characteristic.

It takes a concerted effort to not get caught up in the hysteria of news events and tragedies that bombard our psyche on a daily basis. Yes, sad things happen. Yes, some of those acts are brutal, senseless, and unforgiveable. As long as we continue to view and share and repeatedly talk about such cruelty, that is what will continue being created in our minds and our world… and Fear will maintain its foothold in our race consciousness. We need to stop replaying the tapes or teaching these fears from one generation to the next. There is another option.

Be selective with what you fill your mind and thoughts. Be informed and be objective, yet learn to be non-attached to the form of negative experience. If the acts of violence you see projected through the media are too much, then turn off those programs!

Let me clarify, learn to separate your awareness from the act itself…to look beyond it…and focus on the person or people behind it. While it may take some effort and a change in your own beliefs to accept it, that person or those people are just like you and me – human, God-beings in physical form.

For whatever reason, they are coming from a place of Fear, brought on by misguided information, erroneous instruction, habitual cultural or religious teachings that have gotten off-track at some point. When you react with Fear…rather than responding with understanding, love, objectivity, non-attachment, or forgiveness – and a Faith in the God within …then you and I only perpetuate the cycle of Fear and it becomes stronger in everyone involved.

While this level of Fear may describe a global situation or local tragedy, and be perhaps a most difficult challenge to address with Faith and Love, you can apply the same awareness in your everyday life. For example, a toddler has complete Faith that his parent or grandparent will catch and protect him from falling when he throws himself backward in their arms. The only time Fear may eventually appear is if no one catches him…time and again…and trust is broken with that person and caution takes precedent in future behavior.

You move from Fear to Faith when you try again after a failed relationship. No matter how bad it was before, you believe and trust that it MUST be better next time. There’s a time for healing and renewal, eventually leading to a rebirth of Love.

There might also be Fear about changing jobs or starting a business. Previous experiences of non-success (AKA mistakes or failures) may slow your decision-making process to the state of paralysis, making NO decision for long periods of time…until, finally, you MUST listen to that voice of Faith and take at least one step in the direction of your dream simply because the voice of Creation won’t be quiet.

When properly recognized, Fear can be a useful tool as an early warning system within our psyche. Acknowledge it. Look at it. Reveal the love-floating-heartssource causing it and resolve to move beyond it through Faith in a Higher Power, Unlimited Intelligence and Eternal Love.

Grow within you a belief that everything DOES eventually work out for the Good of Life overall. You can stay in Fear…or move forward in Faith and watch your world change. You choose.

Defiant Faith

Posted on by cmryan

This week a phrase has been repeating itself in my head and heart with absolute clarity and power: Defiant Faith. I don’t normally think of myself as defiant…not since my teenage years or battling through my first divorce. The simple definition is “a bold resistance to an opposing force.” This Defiant Faith of which I speak relates to the Power of Thought and its ability to create whatever images or ideas or beliefs we keep in our consciousness long enough to manifest.

I know how powerful thought can be in my life…in anyone’s life. I’m a witness to the “miracles” occurring for many people around me – getting promotions at work, being awarded new jobs in a beloved career, homes selling in record time, offers of help just when you need it, unexpected gifts that ease the burden of life, recovery from pain and illness. Defiant Faith is a powerful trust in one’s vision for their life. You know that you know that you know!

“Men fear thought as they fear nothing else on earth — more than ruin, more even than death. Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, thought is merciless to privileged, established institutions and comfortable habits; thought is anarchic and lawless, indifferent to authority, careless of the well-tried wisdom of the ages. Thought looks into the pit of hell and is not afraid…Thought is great and swift and free, the light of the world, and the chief glory of man.”

~ Bertrand Russell, Why Men Fight

When moving and living in Defiant Faith, you do everything you humanly know to do in a given situation, in that NOW moment…cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s. You demonstrate responsibility for your part of the creation process. Then you let go and let God have some space to create the final form. It’s in this last step where Defiant Faith can be such a powerful force for yourself…to support your belief in the idea you are about to birth. It’s a way to remind yourself that the direction in which you are moving has value and purpose. You are resisting the opposing forces of negative thought of your ego or from the naysayers around you. Your belief, your faith, MUST be defiant if this dream or desire is to come into being!

“We must face this situation with great awareness, responsibility and defiance.”

~ Bashar Assad

PhoenixAwareness comes from many sources. First, and foremost, from that “still small voice within” if we only give It proper attention and actually listen to It. Meditation is great for hearing It. Awareness and responsibility also come from our own life experiences, including any ventures deemed unsuccessful. There is MUCH to be learned in what we sometimes call “failure.” Mythology tells of the great phoenix rising from the ashes of its predecessor. There are many success stories built on years of disappointment. And yet a Defiant Faith kept the dream alive. An idea, a thought, to create…whatever had been placed in someone’s particular being…head, heart and soul…had to be brought into being…or die trying.

“Dying is not difficult, yielding is impossible.”

~ Jane Grey Swisshelm

I, too, am at that juncture. My desire to create “something” is so big I can no longer contain it. Yes, it’s important to take measured steps, to plan and build on solid ground, to do my part in full awareness, with great responsibility, and in absolute integrity. This adventure will teach me even more about myself; it will test and expand my skills, capabilities and consciousness. I will definitely grow. The tasks will build community and connection; it will bond those involved in a united purpose for the highest and best good of all. And this journey will require a Defiant Faith and trust that this thought, this idea, is mine to do…now! And so it is.