With a Thought and a Prayer

I have a dear friend who is struggling with some heavy duty health concerns at the moment and my thoughts and prayers are always with her.  There are those among my friends that think thoughts and prayers are lame and that only real action can make a difference, I beg to differ.  I believe that thoughts and prayers are real actions, that the human mind is so powerful that thoughts and prayers can heal any condition or situation.

I need look no further than my own history to be convinced of the healing power of thoughts and prayers.  Back in November of 2007, death had me in its grip, I was clinically dead for five to seven minutes, and survival should have meant brain damage, but I had a whole community of people praying for me and I made it through remarkably.  Go ahead and scoff but I’m a firm believer in the power of thoughts and prayers!  There have been times when faith in myself has been challenged, and times when I felt powerless over circumstances in my life, but there has never been a time when I didn’t believe in a Power far greater than myself able to see me through any situation.

This Power, which I choose to call God, isn’t the same God I grew up with, the Old Man in Heaven spying on me to see whether I ate my broccoli or not and judging me because of it, no, God for me today is an unlimited and unfailing energy that always responds according to principles and laws, the greatest of which is love.  This is not as metaphysical a concept as it seems, it correlates with the fundamental teachings of Christ, whom I love and believe in, that God is always present and that faith is always rewarded.

Thoughts are prayers, and prayers are powerful!  I have faith today, and I know that my faith reaches God who moves Heaven and Earth to answer my prayers.  Regardless of appearances, I know, feel, and believe that God is right there where Anita is and that my thoughts and prayers bring fruitful results.  Today, I’m sending out thoughts and prayers to all who need them, and I’m doing so believingly, absolutely certain that as Jesus said, these prayers are being answered!

Love you all!

Luc

Lost and Found

There was a time, in the late seventies, when the best I could possibly hope for was to breathe in and breathe out.  My teen years were marred with low self-esteem, self-contempt, and self-depreciation, and the natural functions of living zapped all of my energy and ambitions.  Thoughts of death were common, and if I had any courage at all, I wouldn’t be here writing this today.

I was lost in every sense of the word, a loner with no hope, no faith, and certainly no ambitions.  I would spend my free-time alone in the solitude of my room pretending to be anyone other than who I was.  I had dreams, far-fetched dreams, which even I didn’t believe in, but I pretended away anyways, living out my dreams in the deep dark recesses of my mind.  It was a long shot for sure, but sometimes long shots pay off, and something absolutely wonderful happened.

In 1979, I had just turned sixteen, old enough to quit school, which I planned on doing anyway when I was offered a full-time job with our local community television station as the Assistant Program Coordinator.  I had been volunteering for them for a few years, mostly lugging equipment around, set-up lighting, and as playback operator (the person who pushed the button at seven every night so the programming would go on air), but now in my new job, I would get to do what I had wanted to do for so long, produce community television programs.  My main dream had been fulfilled, in spite of myself, and I was introduced to the Law of Attraction.

I didn’t know about the Law of Attraction back then, and it would be a few years before I would understand the role it played in my life, but there were many small successes that would follow, and I relished each one.  My attitude about life changed, and as a result, my life changed as well, the lost boy had been found, I returned to school and graduated with honors, furthered my dreams by working in both radio and print journalism, and won a poetry award.

I’m certainly no expert on the Law of Attraction, and I still struggle with applying it to my life, but I’ve summed it up in a simple statement, “Think bad things, and bad things happen, think good things, and good things happen!”  There are many different books and videos, each preaching a different approach to the Law of Attraction, but I always find it best to keep it simple, and Jesus stated it as simply as possible when he said, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” 

I believe in the Law of Attraction itself, not necessarily with all its various interpretations and rules, and I know without any doubt whatsoever that as long as what I want doesn’t hurt or harm myself or others, and doesn’t take away from someone else, I can and will have it, as long as I apply myself to it with faith and conviction.  I am resolved to make good things happen, and I know, feel and believe that they do.

Love you all,

Luc

Compassion and the Law of Attraction

Abraham, the Spiritual Entity channeled by Esther Hicks, whose teachings are the subject of the Law of Attraction books by Esther and Jerry Hicks, claims that we should detach from other people and their problems, that it’s okay to be selfish, and that we aren’t here to fix the world but to live abundantly, Houston we have a problem!  I’m a firm believer in the Law of Attraction but have to disagree with Abraham on that one.

I agree that sometimes we spend too much time focusing on other people’s problems, that we get wrapped up in them, and that it hinders our own growth, but by the same token, I believe that in good measure, helping others helps us.  I could never, in good conscience, ignore the needs of others, it’s just not in my humanity.

I have known people, as a matter of fact, I still know some, who selfishly focus on themselves and disregard the needs of others, the need for justice, and the need for equality, and let me tell you that from my experience, these are not happy people.  They are bitter and angry and attract similar people, things, and experiences to themselves.

Compassion is a vital part of the human experience, Abraham misses the mark on that one.  It is said, and I believe it thoroughly that the more you give, the more you receive, and it doesn’t matter what form the giving takes, this is a bonus of giving and shouldn’t be the incentive.  Giving, whether it be time, energy, wisdom, money, or love, is a spiritual practice that I intend to practice alongside the Law of Attraction, as I always have.

I haven’t really applied myself to the Law of Attraction in years, but I am ready to embark on its wonderful journey, and I will do it while maintaining my compassion and caring.  Sorry, Abraham, I have a need to prove you wrong!

Love you all,

Luc