The Art Of Making Spiritual Excuses

When something in my life goes wrong, I immediately start making excuses.  And - what I notice is that I blame what went wrong on Divine Intervention.  It's simply out of my control, right?

These are my tried and true excuses:

"I know I'm late in getting this work to you but everything happens in perfect, Divine timing."

"It's not my fault.  I'm carrying around old past habits that make me do things this way."

"I realize I got angry with you but I'm trying to work through my feelings by expressing them."

Not surprisingly, these excuses are starting to sound lame.  And, I don't want people to tune me out or roll their eyes when I throw these out there.

At the same time, I'm not perfect and there will be times when I sincerely need to explain why I acted badly or am late or needed space for a minor meltdown.

And, here's where the art comes in of identifying and re-directing my excuses into something that works for everyone involved.

So, when my project is delayed because I got stuck, I can explain that this was beyond my comfort zone and admit that I can use some help.  It now becomes a learning opportunity for my self-growth.

Or, when I get frustrated because I don't have the details I should have received from others, I take a deep breath and find a trusted person to bounce some problem-solving ideas off of.  Now, I have created a space for compassion and understanding rather than self-pity and anger.

And, I know myself well enough to recognize a few of my triggers.  Being aware of those allows me to be pro-active and express concerns BEFORE I take on a task.  Rather than flippantly blame old habits, I simply admit that managing others, for example, is not my forte and I may be challenged by keeping people in line.

With the new re-worked excuses, what emerges is something that is truly more spiritual than the whining I did previously.  It becomes more about self-mastery and MY evolution of recognizing that things are not happening 'to' me, they are happening 'through' me.

And, that recognition is exactly what I need to make a change. There is an intelligence within me that is here to push me to grow and to thrive; it is NOT here to be my scapegoat.

So, where are YOU using the Universe as your scapegoat rather than taking responsibility for your choices?

Today, I set the intention to take responsibility for my actions in ways that allow Spirit to move through me and NOT throw Divine Life under the bus.

"There is no need for you to be some kind of super-being in order to measure

 up to everyone else.  Who you are is really quite enough!  You know enough and

 have enough to offer something valuable, whatever is going on."  

~Iyanla Vanzant

"The will of the Spirit is peace, clear thinking and happiness; it could have no other will."  

~Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind

Affirmative Prayer:
Breathing into this moment and surrendering to the end of the day, there is an awareness of One Divine Life.  It stands as tall as the trees and is as vast as the ocean.  This Life is strong and at the same time gentle; vibrant and at the same time soft.

And in this moment, I can see that I am surrounded by an Infinite Intelligence that responds to all that I think, all that I say and all that I do.   I am open to the Spirit within as I create a life that awakens my souls desires.  I am moved to new experiences, allowing my actions to be guided by the still small voice that always has my highest and best in mind.

Embracing the energy of Divine Wisdom and Love, I claim with conviction that I am, at heart, a spiritual being.   I see clearly that as I make choices at work and at play, I am supported, even when I may make a mistake.  I let go of the fear of admitting I am wrong and, instead, find compassionate and truthful ways to admit my human tendencies.  As I claim my errors, I welcome the support of the Universe that tells me I am always enough, in every situation.  And I affirm that as I get better at voicing things I didn't handle so well, a whole world of possibilities opens up for me to prosper.

I am filled with gratitude for this growing awareness that I can be humble and still thrive.  I am thankful that as I discover my own unique brilliance, success chases me down and lifts me up.  And I am grateful for the gentle reminders from the Universe that put me back on track to accepting responsibility for my life, here and now.

From this place of deep gratitude, I release this prayer to the Divine Action of the Law, knowing it is already done and made manifest in loving ways.  I am worthy of this and so much more.  And I let it be so.  And so it is!

Photo courtesy of Banu/Flickr