Miracles News

May-August, 2024

A Place to Go with Problems

by Rev. Larry Glenz, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

“Learn to be quiet in the midst of turmoil, for quietness is the end of strife and this is the journey to peace.” (T12.II.5:5)

I love the idea of learning to be quiet in the midst of turmoil. I am just not very good at it. But I know it is the right thing to do. I have been taught the value of going to Holy Spirit for guidance. But during times of strife, it doesn’t seem to be the first place I go. The ego has its way with me first. It speaks first and loudest.

I took my annual drive to Florida last month with my dog, Buddha. I plan to stay for four months. I am a snowbird.

Upon arrival at my small condo in Palm Beach County, I found there was mold throughout half the apartment. Mold remediation and restoration would cost me a small fortune.

And I felt guilty. The condo was vacant for 8 months. I failed to secure a caretaker to check on my place while I was home in NY. The air conditioning drain line clogged and water backed up into half of the apartment. The water sat there for months in the Florida heat and humidity.

And I had not insured the place. I would have to pay out of pocket for this mistake.

“What a screw up I am,” my ego mind screamed. “This is all my own fault.” I spent days feeling guilty, incompetent, and foolish. And then I got quiet and listened. It takes practice. I do practice. Still the ego beats me to the punch often.

I had been working in a new Pathways Course 3007: Healing Is Accepting Your Own Reality. On page 10 I was reminded:

“We don’t have to know what to do with the illusions of the world. We just have to diligently practice, day by day, moment by moment, thought by thought, giving everything of this world to the Holy Spirit and let Him judge it truly.”

My daily spiritual practice is soon to hit my 30-year anniversary. I started doing the ACIM’s Workbook’s daily lessons in 1994. I learned a while back that I have a place to go when I am tormented by ego thoughts.

So it was not long until I started to look at my mold situation differently. Holy Spirit knew how I was feeling. However, He comes to me only when I remember to invite Him. Only with a daily practice of ACIM, can I remember to take my perceived problems to Spirit. I need to put Him in charge.
When I returned to my condo after 9 days of mold remediation and restoration, my laptop was missing! It was a MacBook Air and cost $1175 dollars to replace. It also felt like I was violated by a thief who has that specific personal item of mine.

Again I felt guilty. I left the laptop out on the book shelf. I thought about putting it in a drawer before I left. So I looked everywhere possible over and over again many times. But it was gone.

Again my mind became twisted. My thoughts were fearful, angry, projecting guilt anywhere I could. But after a while of feeling awful, I came upon this:

“Look straight at every image that rises to delay you, for the goal is inevitable because it is eternal. The goal of love is but your right, and it belongs to you despite your dreams.” (T-12.II.5:6-7)

My thoughts changed quickly. I was being encouraged by Holy Spirit to let go because the theft means nothing. No matter what happens in the dream, only the Love is real. Only Love is eternal. And the Love belongs to me.

And thank you Holy Spirit for the reminders. Keep them coming!

Rev. Larry Glenz, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister living in Long Beach, NY. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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