Can You Acquire Faith?

"Faith is a mental attitude toward life which can be cultivated.  It can be consciously acquired.  Any desired state of consciousness can be acquired if we work at it long enough." ~Ernest Holmes, How To Use The Science of Mind.

Last weekend I was sitting in an airport, waiting to catch a plane to Pittsburgh and wallowing in my unhappiness.  This weekend, what a difference!  I spent time with girlfriends at a beautiful ocean-side resort, enjoying every minute of our time together.

I absolutely believe that making a conscious choice to up-level my thoughts during my spiraling misery manifested into the amazing experience I just had, filled with laughter and joy and sharing.  And, so, while I know that what we focus on is what we attract, it also reminded me that what we focus on will multiply - beyond what we might even imagine.

This experience also reminded me that my faith is being up-leveled too.  Most of the time, I'm convinced I have the faith that everything is working on my behalf.  But events and circumstances creep up on me and before you know it, I'm looking at what appears in my life and thinking that life is just a crap shoot, led by luck and by chance.

What I have been TAUGHT about faith previously is that I either have faith or I don't - there is no middle ground.  And what I'm LEARNING is that faith is something we acquire as we go through the phases of our life.

So, when I'm feeling unhappy, it's a time to cultivate my faith and trust this is for my best.  When I'm feeling hurt by someone else, it's a time to believe there's a bigger plan at play for my life.  And when I'm feeling bored or stuck, it's a time to get quiet and shift my mental attitude to hear the still voice within that is guiding me.

Then, when I start to see situations revealing themselves in a way that works out even better for me, my faith grows.   By working on my spiritual practices consistently, I can expand my faith so that it becomes easier to leave behind the thoughts that life is all about lucky moments.

My life is at choice, NOT at chance.

As I keep putting my attention back on what I want, and hold the increasing faith that the Universe is supporting me in realizing my dreams, I notice that I get less uptight about issues and more accepting of the notion that I'm doing the best I can and getting better each day.

Faith is an evolution of my consciousness, shifting from 'life is happening TO me' toward 'life is happening FOR me.'

And, as difficult as it can be sometimes, I'm beginning to appreciate the times in life when I need to dig deep for my faith.  I am seeing that often there is a nugget of gold buried within the lesson and only with my growing faith am I able to find the buried treasure.

So, where are YOU at with your faith?  

Today, I set the intention to cultivate my faith that the Universe is always working for me, letting go of the negative thoughts around difficulties and having the courage to learn from them instead.

"I stopped waiting for the world to give me what I wanted; I started giving it to myself."  

~Byron Katie

"You have only just begun to discover your magnificence.  This period of your life 

marks a New Beginning.  You can feel it.  And you have only just begun 

to know the treasure and the glory of You."  

~Neale Donald Walsh

Affirmative Prayer:
Breathing in and letting go, there is a consciousness of Spirit and a deep knowing of Divine Wisdom.  It is an endless cycle of renewal just as each Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter is a time of renewal for all that is.  And as the flowers bloom each day and the trees stand strong, this Creative Intelligence never wavers in the pure joy and happiness of Its nature - Divine Love.

Feeling the energy of Love being called forth from within, I am in harmony with the joy and happiness that is expressing through me.   As Divine Power surrounds me, I relax into the grace that flows in me and as me, moving effortlessly in all areas of my life.  I am nurtured and sustained in this present moment, never separate from my all-knowing Source of perfection, of beauty and of peace.

Declaring the perfection of my soul as my Truth, I am free to laugh and sing and dance, enjoying my life as I up-level my thinking. I embrace a deep and profound awareness that my faith is always growing, always being acquired, and I can release any barriers I have built to prevent my magnificence from being discovered.   I welcome the new possibilities for my life as Spirit reveals Itself as courage and I am a channel for this expression of learning and adventure.  I am guided and I am directed in all that I do and I revel in the knowing that my present is shaping my future in beautiful, amazing ways.

I am deeply grateful for the courage to be exactly who I am meant to be, knowing I provide value in what I do.  I am thankful for the situations that come into my life at the right and perfect times, allowing me to grow and cultivate my faith.  And I am filled with gratitude for the events that propel me forward into realizing the dreams for my life.

From this place of deep gratitude, I release my Word to the Divine Action of the Law, knowing it is already done.  I see it, I believe it and I let it be so.  And so it is.

I Wouldn't Be At All Surprised If I Get What I Want!

"I promise myself...to forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future."   As I go through the motions of examining my beliefs and working on changing them to new beliefs, the Optimist's Creed by Christian D. Larson, and this statement, jumped out at me.

It's been a great exercise for me to release old drama, forgive myself for past mistakes and make a decision to move forward.  Then, out of the blue, an old issue that I thought I had truly let go of comes back up to the surface.

What the heck!  I was so confident that I had forgiven myself and shelved thoughts of being a failure.

I heard someone mention recently that it may be that I have not yet learned the lesson I was supposed to receive working through the issue.  It might also be that my subconscious is not ready to make a big leap to what I have been affirming.

<sigh>  That sounds like a valid point.  I realize that I can't just simply say, "I don't believe this about myself anymore", and expect it to be gone.   But, when do I finally just let "stuff" go?

For example, I have been affirming that I am effectively self-employed, and I thought I had forgiven myself for a past failed business.  Yet, that memory of failure keeps nagging and my inner critic tells me that I already screwed it up once - what makes me think I will be successful the next time?

Thankfully, I became aware of another tool to use when working on transforming my beliefs.  It was in the April issue of Science of Mind magazine.  The tool was to specifically break down limited thinking.

Here it is.  If there is something highly unlikely that you would like to happen in your life, say "I would not be at all surprised if.... and then add whatever it is you are desiring to create.  In my case, it would be, "I would not be at all surprised if I became effectively self-employed within the next two months." (thanks to Bob Luckin for sharing this).

What a beautiful way to work through these mental blocks that I hang on to.  And it's wonderful trick to reframe beliefs that are keeping me from what I wish to create in my life.

I don't yet understand how these tools seem to work - but they do!  If nothing else, it raises my energy level from feeling down on myself as a failure to seeing potential for the future.  And, I'm sure that's the premise of the Optimist's Creed - to keep our mental attitude aiming for the highest and best future possible for us.

The Creed ends with "to live in the faith that the whole world is on my side, so long as I am true to the best that is in me."  And there might be my lesson - forget the mistakes of the past and do the best that you can with what you have in this moment.

A magical life is waiting for each of us.  We just need to press on with our journey.

So, what are some tools that have worked for YOU to release past mistakes?  And what motivates YOU toward greater success in the future?

Today, I set the intention to remember that I am always taken care of by a Divine Source, releasing past mistakes and celebrating my achievements as they unfold.  

"If our experiences are the result of our thoughts, then the future, if it is going to be 

given birth to in the present, will be largely the lengthened shadow of the content of 

our minds, of our feelings of faith or fear.  It is no wonder that the future so seldom

 becomes better than the past, and often worse as pessimism takes the place of optimism. 

 We have to learn to speak an affirmative language."  

~Ernest Holmes

"Human beings are already gods, so why take on the consciousness and behavior

 of robotic, soulless slaves and machines?  Trust your Self, not the material mind;

 be fearless and go forth with enthusiasm and kindness."  

~Terry Cole-Whittaker

Affirmative Prayer:
As the trees sway in the wind and the flowers open up to receive the morning dew, there is the feeling of a Power of Good rooted firmly in this moment.  It is peace and harmony, compassion and love and this Power is never wavering but bends easily in the breeze to support and sustain all that is.

Right here, right now, this Power of Good moves through me and I accept that I am a Divine expression of Infinite Intelligence.  That is the truth of my being - perfect, whole and complete - as I claim my Oneness with the Universe, my Oneness with Spirit, my Oneness with Source.  

Knowing there is something great within me, I live my life with the faith that I am always provided for.  And as my greatness emerges a little more each day, I welcome the success that is revealed in my life.  My gifts and talents are brought to light and Divine guidance shows me the next steps for sharing my unique and beautiful abilities.  I let go of any self-imposed thoughts of lack or limitation and instead, I act like the enlightened, Spiritual being that I am.  Everything I need is in my hands right now and I simply need to reach out and live my purpose, believing that I am here for a magical life filled with joy and with fun!

Smiling at that thought, I am thankful for the greatness that is revealed as I do the best I can with what I know.  I am filled with deep gratitude for a Source of love that makes my decisions easy and my choices clear.   And I give thanks for my achievements each day as I stretch past the familiar and step into the new adventures and opportunities for expansion.

Breathing into that space of gratitude, I release my Word to the Divine Action of the Law, into the One Mind, knowing it is already done.  I receive it right now!  And I let it be so.  And so it is!