Miracles News
January-March, 2018
Finding the Help We Need
Do you ever have one of those days when you do not want to go to WORK? Well, this past Monday was one of those days! Oh my I’d rather go to the dentist. Then, I paused. Wait a minute Mary. Something is wrong with this picture. The more I listened to my “self-talk” — that me-character who is always trying to drag us down, you know the one — the more I heard my self seeing everything as work and calling everything “WORK”!
As I paused, I saw how I was labeling all kinds of things as “work.” Getting out of bed is work, exercising is work, making breakfast is work, doing laundry is work, paperwork is work, on and on… life is work.
Hmm. I don’t like where this line of thinking is headed and in fact has already gone! So, I paused, again. As I went through the PRACTICE OF THE 4 DECISIONS to receive another way of seeing what I was calling “work,” I heard within, “Drop the word ‘work’ from your vocabulary”! I was weighing myself down. As I paused and stepped back, I was inspired to replace my thoughts about life is work, with life is about being Truly Helpful to myself and others, whatever I am doing. Ah Ha! Pausing points me in the right direction once again. I saw a completely different way of seeing who I am. In a moment’s pause, I went from feeling overwhelmed with all the work I do, to being overjoyed with all the being Truly Helpful I get to do!
This may sound like a crock, but I challenge you to try it. Replace the word “work” with saying, “Today I get to be Truly Helpful.” This new way of seeing changes everything! No longer are we shuffling through the drudgery of daily existence, rather we are here to be of service. Now everyday life has meaning. The daily routine is now filled with an open heart, a giving hand and an extending peace and helpfulness to others. Yes, we are working, thankfully, but our experience of working shifts and what felt depleting is now energizing. Helpfulness gives purpose to our work. Often in life we search for our “passion.” I did that. No sooner did I find my passion I got bored and was off looking for another passion!
In this world we are often defined by our occupation. We judge one another “up” or “down” based on what we do to earn our living. Seeing one’s self as here to help frees you from how others may be judging you based on your job title. Even more important, it frees you from judging yourself. It frees you to help someone and that is always a good feeling. Why is that? Seeing the things I do in life as being of service helps me to experience my connectedness to others, that we are all in this together. True passion I find is in experiencing that when I give, I receive; being Truly Helpful is LIFE GIVING, JOYFUL and FULFILLING.
Seeing that my helpful part is essential, opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Life now feels more expansive. Instead of going to ‘work,’ I am going to ‘serve’! Now driving to the office I am remembering that I am a helper and as I see my role differently, I begin to see other ways and roles I have been called to serve — this is really exciting because I am not stuck in one job. The more we turn away from thinking “life is work” and turn towards “life is an opportunity to be of service,” we can see ourselves teaching, listening, inspiring, encouraging and yes, even creating. True creativity is being an instrument of LOVE. There’s more! Pause is a nonprofit and I do a lot of administrative work, and yes I especially experience this as work! Yet, I hear in my heart, “Mary, you are being of service in administrative work too.”
This is my story. I hope you open to experiencing pausing from feeling like life is all work, to seeing that the help we all need is found in our being Truly Helpful to one another. Your heart may turn inside out, your mind expand beyond yourself, your spirit take flight and even your body may be given a new purpose.
Rev. Mary Gerard Lenihan is a Pathways of Light minister living in St. Louis, Missouri. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Website: http://www.pauseforinspiration.org
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