LOOK AWAY FROM THE UGLY SHOES: Insistence Creates Resistance
LOOK AWAY FROM THE UGLY SHOES
Insistence Creates Resistance
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Not long ago, my teenage daughter and I were waiting together for her dental appointment, when she happened to look down at my shoes. She then commented on how ugly and embarrassing they were. She couldn’t believe I’d worn them out in public.
My first inner thought was, “My shoes aren’t ugly to me! They’re whimsical and adorably cute! Who cares what you think!”
I hesitated before making this reply however, because I knew it would only result in a futile argument. Rather than responding impulsively, I paused for a few heartbeats, waiting for advice from the Holy Spirit.
His response was, “Insistence creates resistance.”
I then decided not to insist my shoes were lovely, and these inspired words came to me instead:
“Well then, if I were you, I’d look away from these ugly shoes. You’ll feel much happier.”
And she did. And there was no conflict or argument, and neither did I invalidate her feelings, which were true for her. I only redirected her attention to how she happened to be feeling, in the present moment, and she made another choice.
In fact, we can do this with any thought we do not like. Look away! Redirect your attention elsewhere to something you DO like. Each small positive thought will propel you onward and upward, in an ever-increasing spiral of inner peace and unprecedented joy.
This is not “burying your head in the sand” and denying there’s a problem. It’s only noting when you’re having thoughts you do not like and deciding you do not want them. It’s simple physics. If you’re moving in a direction you do not like, walk the other way! If there’s something you can “do” about the situation at the present moment, then stop for a breath before responding and wait to be directed from within. Do not be afraid to accept that sometimes the best action you can take, is to not respond at all. Rest assured, any action directed by the Holy Spirit will always be the path of least resistance – which is the path with the least amount of conflict and the most joy.
The next step then, is to walk in this direction as far as you can, with no insistence on the outcome.
This applies to every moment of your existence. You are constantly deciding “for” or “against” your joy, and you can only do this in the present moment.
People often ask, “How do I let go? How do I keep my mind in the present moment? I don’t know how to release my anxiety, fear, disappointment, anger…”
The answer is, to stop focusing on what does not serve your greatest joy. Look away from those ugly shoes! Then redirect your mind to something you DO like and notice the gentle shift in how you feel.
Most of what we think about, we can’t do a thing about. It’s done. It’s over and gone. Or it’s something based in the future, and again, you can only take action in the here and now.
All of us can agree we want to arrive in the most preferable future possible, but there is only one way to get there: change the vibration we’re putting out now. We can only do this through our thoughts in the present moment.
A Course In Miracles clearly describes the power of our thoughts in Text, Chapter 2: VI. Fear and Conflict:
"Few appreciate the real power of the mind, and no one remains fully aware of it all the time.” (9:3)
“The mind is very powerful, and never loses its creative force. It never sleeps. Every instant it is creating. It is hard to recognize that thought and belief combine into a power surge that can literally move mountains. It appears at first glance that to believe such power about yourself is arrogant, but that is not the real reason you do not believe it. You prefer to believe that your thoughts cannot exert real influence because you are actually afraid of them.” (9:5-10).
There are no idle thoughts. All thinking produces form at some level." (9:13-14)
Our outer circumstances then, as such, do not matter. It is only how we respond to these circumstances that matters, because belief creates experience. Our beliefs set the level of our vibration and are thus the “voice” of what we are “asking” for more of. Therefore, only our present state of mind, in relation to the world we see, matters.
This may cause many great distress because they feel like a helpless speck of dust tossed upon an ocean of fear they cannot control.
Fear not! There is no need to “control” anything. Simply notice when you are having such thoughts – thoughts that feel unhappy, uncomfortable or depressing – and simply accept you are having them. The second step is to decide if such thoughts are something that you want. Ask yourself, “What purpose do these thoughts serve? Do I like the way I feel when I am having them?”
If the answer is “no” then take the third step: decide to stop focusing on them; think the next positive thing. This does not have to be a monumental decision. We are constantly deciding in every second what we want to think and do. Do you prefer wheat bread or white bread for your sandwich? Do you want to take a left or a right on your walk? Should you wear green socks or red? Keep it simple! You may have to back all the way up to deciding whether you should take your next breath or not. It all comes down to what decision, what thought, will cause even the slightest increase in your joy.
Then, something remarkable will happen. You will begin the positive journey upward and out of your despair. As you continue to practice this simple way of living in the present moment with a positive mindset, life will begin to increasingly manifest seemingly miraculous coincidences. Life will naturally arrange itself to support your new, higher vibration. As you consistently choose, over and over again what brings you your greatest joy, you are aligning yourself with God’s Will, which is that you be filled with joy!
This way of living will gain momentum, because choosing only love – your greatest joy – even if it is simply thinking about flowers instead of something “less perferable,” you will emit a higher vibration. This more closely attunes you to the reality God Wills for you; a reality of unending peace, joy and love.
However, there is one important thing you must remember: do not insist on any specific outcome as you think about what brings you joy – which often is based on events we want to happen in the future. It’s okay to think about happy things to come, but then as soon as you feel your joy, let go of your insistence on a specific outcome. Stay in the present! Because insistence creates resistance. By insisting on a specific outcome, you literally block your greatest joy from coming to you, because the outcome you insist on, is often far less than what God Wills.
If the situation that manifests is initially “not preferred,” know that these things arise merely because something within you is still in need of healing. As you learn how to respond to these situations with grace, they will pass all the more quickly as the universe adjusts itself to your higher vibration. You will dissolve the energy of the situation – thus “passing through” rather than “struggling against,” or resisting what you do not prefer in the present moment.
You will then peacefully sail along on the ocean of fear without any worry you will drown in it. Remember that the present moment is your ship, your thoughts are the winds that propel you forward, and the Holy Spirit is your Captain.
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