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July-September, 2022

Mind Repairs Through Car Repairs

by Rev. Robin Singler, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

I own a bright red passenger van named Ruby the Wonder-Van of Love. I was guided by Spirit to buy her in 2019, and like any other relationship, having Ruby in my life has brought many opportunities for forgiveness. Spirit has me on a new journey with Ruby that is leading me deeper into mind healing, or mind repair, as I get to choose whether I want peace or conflict.  Issues with Ruby’s ability to get me where I need to go consistently bring up worry and anxiety for me, but Spirit is helping to change all of that.

Having recently moved to Huntley, Illinois, I find myself in need of a trustworthy place to bring Ruby for her maintenance and repairs. Placing Spirit in charge, I began to look for local shops that had good reviews from customers that were nearby my home and were reasonably priced. When I saw the repair shop called JDM Repair, the words “Jesus does miracles” popped into my mind and I felt inspired to have them do an oil change.
I went into the shop for the appointment expecting a warm, inviting experience, but instead I left feeling disappointed and wondering why I had been guided to go there. I stood and waited at the service counter for 20 minutes while the employees were in another room, not even noticing that I had arrived for my appointment. This treatment went unacknowledged by them and rather than bringing it up in the moment, I just let it all unfold, certain Spirit would help interpret this for me.

My expectations had been high, I realized, because I felt so guided to go there. I made the mistake of assuming I knew how the mind healing would look in form. The reason for anything in my life as an ACIM student is mind healing, but I saw I made the mistake of fantasizing about a beautiful experience at the shop because of the guidance. As beliefs in my victimization came up I wanted to blame the shop for my feelings and make them the bad guy. Surely I shouldn’t go back there if I’m going to be treated like that! Forget them!

Soon after, Ruby started making unsafe sounds when I was taking turns, so I searched again for repair shops so I could get her issues diagnosed. I was led to call another local repair shop; however when I called I found that they would be closed for the next three weeks, which was too long to wait. They recommended another shop so I followed that prompt, but upon calling I learned they had no waiting room for customers due to COVID-19. This won’t work for me seeing as I must be able to wait for my car to be fixed when I get repairs done. And so, with a chuckle at how Spirit works, I found myself back to square one, looking to JDM Repair for help. Spirit was going to show me I could trust them by leading me back there; how amazing!

The next morning I brought Ruby there to have her safety issues diagnosed so I could understand what repairs were needed and make decisions about what to do next. I have a job that requires me to have a running vehicle every day, so my concerns about safety and keeping her on the road are high. Much to my surprise, the second appointment also left me disappointed in their service and the overall “vibe” of the place. There was an air of forcefulness and judgment that felt uncomfortable, and I did not want to give them my business. The estimates for the work needed were also very high. I left wondering what was this all about; where was the healing?

I realized that when it was made clear to me that I would be visiting JDM Repair again, I expected a change in their behavior that would convince me that I could trust this repair shop. I imagined the gentleman behind the counter would be warm and kind, and that signs and symbols would be used to change my mind about the feelings I had. When I still felt uncomfortable after the second visit I had to admit to myself that I was trying to determine what the healing would look like, and that I had been mistaken.

I assumed that because I was sent back to the same repair shop that there would be some change in my trust level of them right away. This was not the case, but I felt desperate. Ruby was in dire need of repairs that threatened my safety and I needed to be able to work. So reluctantly I made an appointment to have Ruby fixed there.  I knew I was doing this out of desperation and fear, not because I really wanted to. I thought I had no other choice available to me.

However, I was prompted to reach out for help to my brother-in-law who is an expert mechanic hobbyist. I texted him with the information the shop had given me and I asked for his opinion. Is this fair? What do you think about the price they’re giving me? As I waited to hear back from my brother-in-law, I sat and reflected on what was going on in my mind.

As I looked more at the situation, I was reminded about what Jesus says in the Course about the world being a reflection of my own state of mind, of my own thoughts. In workbook Lesson 15, the statement “My thoughts are images that I have made” is offered as a beginning step to accepting this. In Chapter 21 Introduction, He tells us “...the world…is the witness to your state of mind, the outside picture of an inward condition.” (T-21.in.1:2-5)

I must has desired the experience of victimization, fear and entrapment so I projected it out from my mind, but I don’t have to keep that in place anymore; I can change my mind. The Holy Spirit can help me see this differently so my mind can be repaired along with Ruby!

I also realized that I am very accustomed to attacking and defending myself against what doesn’t feel comfortable to me rather than just walking away without judgment and waiting for Spirit’s guidance. I thought about posting negative reviews about this shop online, telling the world that their estimates were overpriced and that they were rude and had terrible customer service. I saw myself as a victim and felt the conflict in my mind growing. But as the day progressed I was reminded that everything in this situation represented thoughts arising from my mind to be looked at differently, and that there is a practical way to apply this.

If this repair shop circumstance is a result of my thoughts, and if the situation doesn’t feel comfortable to me or is not welcoming, it must be a call for love from my own mind. I saw that I was being given an opportunity to simply say, “No thank you” to the thoughts that felt unloving and uncomfortable for me (represented by the repair shop attitudes and appearances) instead of attacking and turning myself into the victim of the circumstances. 

This is a very deep and powerful change to how I’ve done things in the past. According to the small ego-self, if I get “mistreated”, then I am justified in attacking and defending myself. It became clear that the limited false self-concept was trying to hijack a beautiful opportunity to be grateful to this repair shop and the men who work there for showing me that I can merely step back, be patient and wait for guidance to come from Holy Spirit from a place of calmness and quiet strength instead of continuing the knee-jerk reactions that have been so habitual.

Soon after I had reluctantly made my fear-based appointment with the shop, I heard back from my brother-in-law that he disagreed with their estimate. In addition, he offered to help me order the parts online for much cheaper than what had been quoted at the shop AND to do the repairs for me himself that weekend!

By the end of the day a plan came together for me to get the repairs done in a timely fashion for far cheaper than I had imagined possible by someone whom I trusted to care about my safety. I was absolutely thrilled. My brother-in-law had never offered to help me with my car before. And now he was being sent in as an angel to get Ruby the attention she needed and get me back to a place of comfort where I felt taken care of. Isn’t this what God wants for me, to feel safe, loved and peaceful?  I was given the help I needed in a matter of a couple of hours in a form I wasn’t expecting, and my part was to simply reach out for help as I felt prompted to do so.

This new wonderful plan allowed me to cancel my fear-based shop appointment for the next day. When I called the shop, it was a powerful experience for me. There was no need to justify why I was canceling my appointment or explain myself, nor did I need to condemn them or bring up any perceived errors that I thought they had made. I simply told them with gratitude in my heart that I was unable to make the appointment. I thanked them very much and wished them a wonderful day and hung up the phone. The conflict was over.

Thank You Spirit, for using the images I perceive to reach and teach me. And thank You for the reminder that my job as a miracle worker is to give up my own ideas (expectations, opinions, etc.) to have them be replaced by Your Plan, which is much happier and easier than mine.

I can simply pause and choose peace over conflict and accept mind repair over mind despair.

© 2022, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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