The RevJerryTroyer's Podcast

The Law Of Success

The device you are using to read this article is probably sitting on a table or desk.  The reason it is not flying around the room is because of the law of gravity.  It works for you, for me, for everyone, all the time.  In San Diego, Albuquerque, and Paris.

Notice that word LAW--for everyone, all the time.  So it is with the Law of Attraction.  If you are familiar with the Bible, you remember Jesus said "it is done unto you as you believe."

Remember the old song, "I Fought the Law (and the law won...)"?  Sometimes we fight the law, when we say we want something, and then spend all our time doubting that it could happen, and giving ourselves all the reasons why it couldn't possible happen.

The Law Of Sacrifice

What do you think of when you hear words like discipline and sacrifice? Doesn't sound like much fun. And yet, if we want to learn to play a musical instrument, we must have the discipline to practice regularly. If we want a change in our lives, we must do our spiritual work.

Consider that we have to give up (or sacrifice) something to get something else. It might be sacrificing a $5 bill to get our nonfat soy latte, or giving up an old "story" of guilt, shame or victimization, in order to set into our greater life.

The Law Of Compensation

There is an old expression, mostly in the physical fitness industry, that states, "no pain, no gain." I would suggest that gain doesn't necessarily require terrible pain, but we pretty much always have to give up something, in order to get. We have to give up that old believe, or "story," in order to step into our greater good. Because there's no such thing as a free lunch.

The Greatest Of These

The great English writer Aldous Huxley said, “people often ask me what is the most effective technique for transforming their life. It is a little embarrassing that after years and years of research and experimentation, I have to say that the best answer is—just be a little kinder.” If you were with me on Sunday, you may remember this quote.

What would it look like in my life today if I chose to be a little kinder? Letting someone with just a few items go ahead of me in line at the grocery store; giving a clerk or bank teller my undivided attention (as I would like from them) and not answering the cell phone if it rings during my transaction; being fully present in a conversation, rather than texting, watching television, or thinking about what’s for dinner.

There is also the opportunity to be a little kinder in our forgiveness work. We may see (either in this moment or in our memory) a situation that calls out for forgiveness. Can we look at the whole picture, with the entire situation, rather than just the end result?

You’ve probably seen the news reports about the shooting in Florida of a young African-American man (Trayvon Martin) by a neighborhood watch volunteer (George Zimmerman). What if we allowed ourselves to see the whole situation, and try to feel what each person felt? Often, fear makes people do strange things. At the end of the day, all we can do is forgive, but in our empathy, we can come closer to understanding. We can put ourselves in our neighbor’s place and see and feel just a little of what they might have seen and felt.

That’s why, in I Corinthians 13, Paul reminds us that “the greatest of these is love.”

The Greatest Gift

Of all the gifts we have from Spirit, I believe the greatest is grace. Grace allows us to keep walking--through changes in life that we might judge as painful. No matter what is happening, we know that we never walk alone. But sometimes we "judge by appearances" and miss the opportunity to see that there is more than meets the eye.

The Greatest Gift

"The holiest of all the spots on earth is where an ancient hatred has become a present love." -- A Course in Miracles

We often say that we are "spiritual beings having a human experience". The "spiritual being" of us recognizes that each person is the beloved of God, that there are no victims, and every experience we have brings us a gift, a lesson and a blessing. Sometimes the "human experience" part of us doesn't get that far, and needs to forgive.

Forgiveness is truly the best gift we can give ourselves.

The Gift Of Generosity

You probably remember the quote from the New Testament about “the greatest commandment:” loving God (which we talked about on Sunday, February 1), and loving our neighbor as ourselves.

I believe that loving our neighbor, no matter who that is, requires generosity, not only of pocket, but also of heart and spirit.

Yes, that generosity might include putting a quarter in an expired meter, or paying for a box of Thin Mints to be sent to a military person (since we have sworn off carbs and sugar). But it can, and should (if I may use that word), include giving of our undivided attention when we are in a conversation at the table, as well as in a business transaction. (Don’t you want the teller at the bank to give your money their full attention? Fair is fair.)

Generosity often calls us to “go the extra mile.” Agreeing to do something we don’t really want to do for an hour—and then staying an extra hour. Getting up—even though it’s not “your turn”—to change the DVD, and filling the water glasses while you are up.

It has been my experience that it is not possible to be genuinely generous with someone else without benefiting myself. In fact, there is a Hindu proverb that states, “help your brother’s boat across and your own will reach the shore.”

I believe we are also called on to be generous with ourselves: by receiving gracefully, treating ourselves with compassion, and not taking anything personally.

The Experience Of Praise

Those of us in what we call Religious Science or New Thought may not have used the word "praise" in a long time. Traditional Christianity, with a higher power out there somewhere, often approaches praise and worship as necessary so that the Old Testament God will answer their prayers.

We know that our God (Spirit, the Universe, our Higher Power) is bigger than that. Rather being intended for God, praise is intended for us--to bring us to a higher level, of gratitude and expectation.

The Experience Of My Experience

You might have had a difficult day.  Someone said something at work that really hurt your feelings.  Or a family member said or did something that made you angry.  It's all their fault, right?

NOPE.  The truth, whether we like it or not, is that no one can hurt our feelings, and no one can make us angry.  It is always our reaction to an event, very often based on what happened years or decades ago.  We used to call it "pushing our buttons," but whatever you want to call it, you (and I) have absolutely responsibility.    The good news is that because it is our trip, we can change it.

The Courage To Love Extravagantly

If you were with me last Sunday, you remember I quoted Stephanie Dowrick’s wonderful book, Forgiveness and Other Acts of Love, in talking about loving extravagantly:  “It takes courage to wake up to how mysterious and profound life is, and not to avoid, deny, scorn, repress or contain what doesn’t easily fit into our world view.”

What is my world view?  To me, it is my list of rules and regulations—how it should be.  It requires courage to look at a situation and remember that there is always something more.  That’s why we are told to not judge by appearances.

I am convinced that the people in our lives always bring us a gift—sometimes obvious, sometimes not.  Often, the gift is in requiring us to take a higher view.  In staying out of judgment, we remind ourselves that we have no way of knowing exactly what the other person went through—exactly what they experienced, or what they felt.  All we can do is love, and love extravagantly.