It is not a sin to be content; it is your destiny.
Jesus: Hello, Ann. I want to talk to you about anxiety, anxiety that leaves us feeling vulnerable, out of control, and incompetent. It can come on suddenly for no obvious reason or with a clear trigger. It can dissipate as quickly as it came or escalate over time until we feel ourselves immobilized. No one is exempt from these episodes though some are more up front that others about their occurrence.
We can have anxiety flashbacks or for extended periods because of our history, because of a recent event, or because of existential concerns, but sooner or later we all experience anxiety. Even the rare individual who is a stranger to such attacks in early or mid life is not immune. As we age or if we become ill before that time, we will experience anxiety, first due to physical limitations but elementally because of the irrefutable knowledge of own mortality.
We all react differently to this soul deep understanding. Some struggle to maintain their physical abilities against a desire to simply lay down their burdens. Others refuse to acknowledge the inevitable ending of life on the planet in which case anxiety runs at a subterranean level which nevertheless influences their life decisions.
I understand. I fought against my own destiny. I did not ask for it, I did not think it should have been necessary, and, indeed if I had made other choices, that cup might have been taken from me.
But whether our transition comes early or late, by the hand of man or the forces of nature, please take comfort in knowing that there is help along the way if we practice before the time arrives.
By practice I mean letting go of our need for control and offering our lives up to Spirit, at first perhaps just for a moment or two, then as our comfort and confidence increases, for longer and longer periods.
The first time you make this offer, you may be surprised by a calmness that continues to resonate. If you persevere, you may notice that anxiety does not have as strong a hold on you as before as you continue to release the concept of control into calm.
We leave this world for the next without any accoutrements, competencies, accomplishments, or penance. We travel simply as we are, ourselves, no more, no less, for this is all we have. So when you are in one of those vulnerable states that anxiety brings on, remember to offer yourself to Spirit without reservation and ask for guidance.
Once you experience this release and its attendant relaxation and comfort, you will come back over and over again. Many who meditate or who have a regular contemplative practice will tell you that the need for this space becomes nothing short of an addiction – an addiction to God.
I wish this for each one of you, for this is the first step into the next world. This is the bridge that will carry you safely over the raging waters in your life and in your transition however it may occur. This is the surrender to love.
It may sound trite, even irresponsible, to withdraw into that peaceful place when you see all kinds of merry hell going on around you, circumstances that cry our for your attention and care. And yet your highest calling is to align yourself with Spirit, then do what you can in the world with a quiet heart.
It is not a sin to be content; it is your destiny. For when you return in spirit or in body to your Maker, you are joyful indeed for you will have found the one reliable truth, the unconditional love of your Creator.
July 12, 2021