Not My Job, Man

I ASKED GOD TO TAKE AWAY MY PRIDE.....

And God said "No." He said it was not for him to take away, but for me to give up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. And God said "No." He said her spirit is whole, her body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience. And God said "No." He said patience is a by-product of tribulations. It isn't granted, it is earned.

I asked God to give me happiness. And God said "No." He said he gives me blessings, happiness is up to me.

I asked God to spare me pain. And God said "No." He said suffering was not of His doing, and He can't undo that which He did not do.

I asked God to make my spirit grow. And God said "No." He said I must grow on my own. But he would prune me to make me fruitful.

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life. And God said "No." He said I gave you life, that you may enjoy all things.

I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as he loves me. And God said, Ah, finally you have the idea.

(Author unknown - somewhat revised)

Let's pretend to have a conversation with God. It goes like this:

MAN: Hey, God. All of this is like you saying, "Not my job, man." But, hey, we have been taught from childhood that God delivers. If you aren't going to deliver on things like the above, then what DO you deliver on?

GOD: The answer is simply Love.

MAN: Aw - heck! That's double-talk! What is Love if it can't heal the sick, mend the wounded, make the blind to see, etc., etc., etc.?

GOD: It does. But not the way you think it should or want it to. For one, I didn't create suffering and war. Those are fabrications of your own mind. Real enough, to be sure, but only "real" to you, not to me. In the Kingdom of Heaven (to borrow a phrase from you), such things don't exist. Only Love exists. The Kingdom of Heaven is what I created. The rest was your own doing.

MAN: Hey, that's an awful big trip you're putting on us lowly humans! Why are you saying that we're responsible for pestilence and war and such? I thought that was all the Devil's doing!

GOD: Cause and effect. In the "world" you cherish, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Get hit by a speeding train and you'll know about such things from personal experience - for a brief moment. Get angry with your neighbor, throw a stick at him, and wait for the consequence of your actions. It's all the same. I didn't get angry, you did. I didn't throw the stick, you did. I can't undo what you have done, for if I were to do that, you would then have reason to be angry with me. I gave you authority over all things. To then take that away from you is plenty to get angry about. Getting sick is a result of not being aware enough of your own power to avoid such things. You hide behind your self-made fears and can't see your own light. You cringe behind your own guilt and can't stand up to Love even yourself. If I were to wash all that away from you in an instant, what would you have learned about Love? How would you be able to create your own Love as I have if you know nothing of what it is?

MAN: Okay, but if I'm wrong about how Love heals, then please tell me the right version.

GOD: Setting something "right" is simply a matter of seeing it as it really is. The body follows the mind. A broken arm is an expression of the mind. Heal the mind, and the body heals with it. Seeing the person as sick, broken, or whatever is to reinforce the popular belief that the mind is sick, broken, or whatever. See the "person" as whole and you are sending them Love. This is how prayer works. This is how psychic healers work. That is how Jesus performed his miracles. In the moment of Love there is healing, because nothing sick or broken can exist where there is Love. You can do this for one another and not feel like your power is being usurped because you don't yet recognize that it is Love doing it. You still think it has something to do with miracles.

MAN: Well, if making the blind to see isn't a miracle, what is?

GOD: A miracle is when you change your mind about something that no longer works. When you change your mind, the universe bends over backwards to shape reality to fit your new image. But it's still just your perception of reality. The final miracle is when you give up all your illusions about what is reality.

MAN: Wow! That's heavy! But let's get back to healing. Are you trying to say we don't need doctors anymore? Just Love?

GOD: It would be nice if it worked that way. It can, but don't put your money on it that it will for everyone. Each person has their own lessons to learn. What works for one does not work for all. But we're talking technique here, not reality. As I said, in my kingdom you are already perfect, have always been perfect, and will always be perfect. I need do nothing to change you. All you need to do is realize yourself as I know you. To do that, you have to give up all your beliefs about what you think you are. You have spent a long time making up those beliefs. Short of a complete memory loss, changing your mind may not come easy.

MAN: I see. It's not your job. You have already done your work. And the rest is up to me. You'll stay close to me while I get through this, won't you?

GOD: Eyes open, eyes closed, it's all the same. You can't go anywhere without me. You see, we're all the same, you and me. I am Love, and all that I can create is Love, and you are my creation, therefor you are Love. What is not Love, I did not create. If you see it any other way, it is of your own doing.

MAN: That kind of helps. You have let me know that each step I take is really my choice, and that what I step into is a matter of what I walked into that was already there, just waiting for me. Foresight is just a matter of recognizing how things are related to one another - the "cause and effect" of things. Right?

GOD: Good enough for now. There will come a time when foresight as you know it won't be needed. I'm pleased that you have the courage to be who you are. But recognize that courage is not something I pass out, either. Courage is the capacity to go beyond the limits of your own fear. That's another decision that only you can make. Keep in mind this one thing: you are not your body, you are Love. But don't be foolish enough to think that believing in such a thing makes you bullet-proof. And again, there will come a time when it won't be necessary to even bother about dodging bullets. Hang in there. You're worth it.