Summer 2004
Edition Search Dreams Alive:





Compartments Of The Mind | Holding Onto Your Peace





by
David Nelmes



Holding Onto Your Peace

Perfect love casts out all fear. Love and peace are one in the same in that one cannot exist without the other and one is always the product of the other. Peace and love abolish fear and their presence makes all things possible.

Fear is the anti-belief that something good can arise from your situation. Fear is the stumbling block that makes you so sure your world is one of torment that you don't see the good that is there for you. If fear is in your heart, you can only communicate to others through fear and then fear is likely to be the only thing returned to you.

The fears in our lives are often so deeply rooted that we will go to such extremes to hold onto them, even though these same things are destroying our lives. By identifying yourself as a tough person, by acknowledging and embracing that you are a sickly person, and by denying there are things in your life to improve, you are embracing fears and accepting their effects as who you are. Fear, being the result of darkness or lack of light, is terrified of the truth because it knows that truth will simply make it vanish. When the light is turned on in a darkened room, the darkness doesn't leave...it ceases to exist.

If you identify yourself with these darker thoughts, you will find yourself not wanting to hear the truth because it tears at the core of who you think you are and creates a misperception that you will lose yourself if you open yourself to the truth. The reality is that you are not what the fear has taught you that you are and there is nothing to lose, only your freedom to gain. Fear strangles and limits. Truth caresses and grows.

Anything that teaches through fear or uses fear in any way, is not from God. This truth is so simple, yet it unhinges most of what we have been taught. Any religion you pursue, any teaching you listen to and any concepts or ideas you hear can be looked upon with that truth. If something does not agree with this truth, it is in error in some way. It's best for you to know that God does not teach nor command through fear, sacrifice, temptation and suffering. The concept of an actual loving and peaceful God nullifies much of what was written about the judgmental, paranoid, vengeful and ill tempered God of the Bible and many other books. Knowing the truth that God is an actual loving and peaceful being, helps you to more easily identify and focus on those few things that are truthfully written about him.

Peace is the absence of fear. Fear cannot motivate you to find peace. When you find yourself working hard to find peace, you can get blinded to the fact that its your own busyness and efforts that ensure you won't find it. Peace is the total lack of any effort or work because it is always there and has never left. Peace is pure tranquility, stillness, gentleness and quietness and is the total absence of work, tiredness and effort. If you are working or using effort to find peace, you are ensuring you never will because peace is the total opposite of the work and effort you are using to find it. By learning to stop and by learning to set aside the man-made concepts of working to reach peace, you will learn and see that peace exits as it always has existed and it is patiently waiting for you to stop and just allow it to enter your way of life.

Peace and love is the final result of our journey back to God. There is not one among us who will not achieve this. There is not one person you know or have heard about that will not eventually return to God after having allowed the light to enter and having dispelled all fear. Total forgiveness is the result of removing fear. Unconditional love is the result of removing all fear. Total knowledge and awareness of God is the result of removing all fear.

Discovering your peace is a wonderful thing. It's a holy thing and a treasured thing because it is really the only state of being that God acknowledges that truly exists. Holding onto your peace is often an entirely other thing. Often we let the slightest change in our environment or the smallest of words, totally obscure peace from our lives. Many of us can testify to having had the most wonderful day, morning or moment and then see all our peace and contentment disappear the moment we allow something in the world to affect us.

No effort is necessary in finding peace or holding onto peace, because peace is always patiently waiting there for us. One the other hand, consistent and sincere effort is necessary in handing over all the thoughts and ideas that we allow to obscure our peace. You worked hard to build these obstacles to peace and so there may be some effort in removing them. As with God and love, peace never leaves, we just put things in its way. After obscuring our peace, we say it has left us, but it hasn't...we have simply obscured it. Eliminate the unpeaceful thoughts and peace is right there where it always has been.

Let's follow some of my thoughts and see how this works. I will walk you through a moment where I perceived a problem in my life. My thoughts are shown like this:

I have become upset about the way somebody has treated me. In doing so, I no longer feel at peace.

When I realize I am no longer at peace, I remind myself about many of the truths I have discovered. Some things I often remember are:

Nothing outside myself can affect me.
If I think the problem is outside myself, I will never look within myself and it is only within myself that any problem can ever be resolved. Thinking the problem is with something else or somebody else, guarantees you will never find the answer, because it's not out there to find.
There must be something I am fearful of if I am upset.
Fear takes on many forms, but the easiest definition is that anything that is not based upon love, is based upon fear. Often fear is the result of the feeling that you are losing something such as control or possessions.
I am never upset for the reason that I think.
We often think we know why we are upset, but that is not so. Our upsetment has to do with what we believe things mean and not with what actually occurred. We can change our mind about what we believe things mean and therefore end our upsetment.
I would rather be at peace.
Knowing this and remembering this helps in finding and releasing anything that might stand in the way of restoring peace.
The first thing to do is to hand over all non-peaceful thoughts to the Holy Spirit so that he can judge them, refine them and then either dispel them because they are simply not real or return them to you as they really should be.

This thought that I am somehow losing something, I place in your hands to correct.

This thought that others are inconsiderate, I place in your hands to correct.

This thought that the situation will never be resolved, I place in your hands to correct.

This thought that the world is against me, I place in your hands to correct.

This thought that he will never be healed, I place in your hands to correct.

A key focus on really getting past many issues that return, time and time again is to see and understand that you are often holding on very tightly to what our society and religion has declared as Our Rights. Your right To Be Angry, will distance you from God, as will your right to not forgive...your right for vengeance, your right to be upset, your right to hold somebody else responsible, your right for man-made justice, your right to hold onto your man-made rights, etc. etc., etc.

As long as you hold onto these dark rights, you can never truly forgive...you can never truly get past an event and you can never truly be at peace. It can appear difficult to give up your right to hate somebody that has done something to you or to a loved one, but it is one of the most important steps you will have taken to breaking the cycle of events that occur over and over again in your life. You don't have to like what a person did or is still doing, but you can learn to separate the person from the actions they are doing and know they are not one in the same.

I give up my right to be upset at her.

I give up my right to not forgive him.

I give up my right to thinking they should suffer for what they have done.

Say it...mean it and know that the Holy Spirit hears it, has been waiting for it and will heal your mind about it. The bottom line is that as long as you desire to hold onto these dark rights, you are also choosing, planning and accepting the situations that occur so that you can practice and languish in that dark right.

There is nothing you can do to heal the way you think and feel, other than to be willing to let your mind be healed. You can't fix it by yourself. If we did know how to fix our own perceptions, we wouldn't be in the situation in the world that we are. By being willing to change, you are opening the door for the Holy Spirit to remove the blocks and obstacles you have set in place between yourself and the light. By choosing peace, you are allowing God to heal your perception of this world.

I choose to see things clearly.

I choose to see things differently.

I am willing and open to hear and see the truth.

The healing of your mind happens. The extent of your faith may limit this, but there is no way to prevent it. It is what God wants for you. For every microsecond that you are truly open to being healed, God is there, healing your mind, opening your mind and patiently waiting for the moment he is allowed in again. You might not see it or hear it as is occurs, but later that day, later that week, you will notice you are reacting differently to that situation that bothered you so much before. You will find that you see people differently than you did before. You will experience the realization that your healing occurred... not as a loud fiery boom in the sky, but as a gentle and peaceful growing within you. Peace and everything that brings about peace is everything that is not loud and distracting. Peace is gentle and calm, as is the method God uses to heal our minds.

Another good thing to remember is that you only receive whatever it is that you truly desire to give, so whatever you want for yourself, give that thing and then you shall have it as well. Jesus said it best when he said we should love who we perceive as our enemies and pray for them. Would he have you pray for the hopeless? Would he expect you to keep seeing them as enemies? Your prayers for them do matter and they do help to open their hearts more so that God can work with them. In sharing this desire about them, you have forgiven them and have opened your own heart more and God can perform more healing in your life as well. You get what you give because in giving, you are also discovering and accepting what God has already given you.

I extend peace and wisdom to you whom I thought was against me.

I desire that you be happy and at peace and that you would bask in the warmth of total forgiveness and love.

Your happiness is my happiness. I extend my love and forgiveness to you.

God, Love and Peace have never changed, and are always exactly where they always have been...inside you all the time...a part of you that is you. Holding onto your peace is simply a series of methods you use that help you remember this. Your methods might not be the same as mine and my methods might not be the same as yours, but the overall spirit of wanting peace, love and forgiveness in our lives is the same. You can and will find ways to hold onto your peace because that is what I want for you, it is what you want for you and it is what God wants for you. It's impossible for you not to be able to hold onto your peace if that is what you truly desire because your will and Gods will are one. Both you and God want peace for you and both you and God want you to return home.

I extend my peace, love, forgiveness, health, faith, patience and wisdom to you all.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

David Nelmes - David considers it a wonderful blessing that his insight and writings can provide opportunities for those around him to see things from perspectives they had not considered before. He pursues Gods truths and is open and willing to see what God would have him see. He invites you to join him.

His influences consist of truly being open to seeing and applying the truths he has discovered through life and through both "The Bible" and "A Course In Miracles".

Visit David's website for many more inspirational and helpful spiritual articles: http://www.beingwilling.com

CTenaLouise

That was good, but sometimes it's upsetting to me to watch people close out the world around them when they really should be paying attention.

I've been watching a pattern for years now on an American Indian board. Outsiders with good intentions (either to convert to Christianity or learn "how to be an Indian") are not greeted kindly. The response from the outsider is usually the accusation that they don't know God or don't know how to be good Indians.

The problem isn't with the Indians. It's a news board for Indians to get together and talk about the issues and everyday life on and off the reservation. It's a place for them to get away from all the people in the real world who are trying to convert them to Christianity, trying to learn how to be a "Shaman," or consider them savages.

The problem is the outsiders didn't listen to what the Indians had to say when they explained why they were so angry. The outsiders closed them out of their minds.

As a result, the Christians AND New Agers go away thinking that Indians are savages. The Indians continue on in pain and anger, and often take it out on each other because the outsider ran away after causing all the chaos.

This is extremely upsetting to me. I can't just turn my back on this because it would mean I'd have to turn my back on Christians, New Agers, and everything having to do with this country

Any ideas?

I'm really troubled over this, and it's very stressful to me.

Does anyone else have an idea on what I should do about this? If you can't provide professional spiritual support, I'd appreciate your personal support.

I don't believe in turning my back on others, and I don't want to have to turn my back on everyone.

Kathy

you know I always have a hug for you

I am not quite following why the situations you have described, as much as I agree they should not have to be endured by Native American peoples, has relevance to CTena's post tho........maybe I am just a jello brain today but anyways....the is sincere and you know that even tho I am a Christian (or "follower of Jesus Christ" as I prefer to be known these days ) I do not feel Christians have a right to ignore the plight of anyone and certainly not to add to it! Nor does anyone have the right to try to intimidate or change someone else's belief...as much as they shouldnt denigrate it by turning to it "fashinably" rather than sincerely

hi kathy

i read your post a few times. mulled it over in my monkey brain.

it's not different than many group. if you don't go with the flow and believe what they do...you don't belong. pretty crappy.

we saw it on obt on sss. people didn't want people who didn't believe what they did to post on their threads. heck...me...i posted on the non chritian threads. i'm a christian.

i see it as the pay it forward thing. just keep being kind and understanding to all. hopefully somebody else will see that and do the same. then all will be welcome.

i don;t want peope to post to me or be my friend just because i'm christian...or that i have green eyes...or that i'm female. i want them to see what is inside. not a label or a feature.

keep being you kathy. don't give up. other see it. you are just braver than most to voice what is in your heart.

Maybe I didn't explain myself very well. It was the talk of "Perfect Love" and the part saying if a person feels they have a right to be angry about something it will distance them from God. It reminded me of what I hear a LOT at that other board.

I've been a member of that American Indian message board for over 4 years now. I very rarely post because it's connected to an Indian News board. It's a board for Indians to discuss these issues and generally gather together to talk about daily life in Indian country here. It is NOT a spiritual board.

There is SO MUCH pain and anger on that board - over 500 years worth of trauma. They need their space to heal, but the Christians and New Agers keep pecking at their wounds and turning the Indians against each other.

You can't just tell the Indians to get over it. They are still being raped. Would you expect a rape victim to feel forgiveness in her heart during the violent act? Would you scream over her screams "Don't be angry - it will distance you from God!"

The Christians go in with good intentions, but it only triggers the traumatic stress when they want to talk with them about Jesus. If Christianity hadn't tortured and separated them all from their families, they wouldn't be feeling so disconnected and lost. It's always the same excuse that the former Christians weren't "true" Christians. The language from the Indians can become quite vulgar, and this usually causes the Christians to fly off the handle and laugh at the Indians for their pain because they are evil and will never know Jesus.

It's painful enough to know their pain has been caused by Christianity. It's even more painful to watch the trauma it creates - suicide rates are through the roof in Indian country.

I don't understand why it is so necessary to push Christianity onto strangers you know nothing about.

New Agers are the same way because they have this idea that all Indians are spiritual beings who hold the secret to living a happy and fulfilled life. This triggers the traumatic stress of having lost everything but their connection with God. When the New Agers don't get what they want, they accuse the Indians of being selfish for not sharing their spirituality and healing powers.

I won't turn my back on the Indians because they are suffering more than any other people I know in this country. It's because of us and no one seems to care.

It's been very hard for me to watch these Christians and New Agers in action over there. It makes me wonder if the true intention of their interaction with the Indians is to kill them off. When their true colors show, there is SO MUCH hatred inside them, not "perfect love." I think the Indians have a right to be angry at the way they are being treated.

My question: How can I continue to watch this vile behavior toward my friends without my anger turning into hatred for Christians and New Agers? It has already cause me to distrust them all because I can't tell the true ones from the fake ones.

I hope this post isn't deleted.

I care Kathy

I guess my feelings are that I try never to lump all in the same barrel

I have learned that there are sincere and insincere people in every facet of life, and so I try to know the person for themself and not pre- judge them for their "label"
........
and
because in all my time of knowing you, you seem to have the same openess and willingness to see beyond a label, I couldnt imagine you bearing hatred toward all New Agers and all Christians.... I hope

I had to help my son with a school project on the crusades, and being highschool work, some of the references I pulled up for him to work from were pretty detailed
I cringed once again, as did he, in being reminded of that, especially with the extra backdrop of some mind boggling historical notes

and there is MUCH in the history of Christianity that I find apalling.

But the Jesus I follow did not advocate violence nor did his disciples, who established the early church...when they were called The People of The Way a label I much prefer

What many people have done in the name of Christ is abhorrent to me, but that is not the Way that I follow nor do I find those things anywhere sanctioned by the Jesus I believe in. And I know many who feel the same and also of the countless numbers who show the love of God by sincerely caring and helping and sharing whatever they can, They are just being the witness with their lives.

anyway
I digress

My purpose here was to tell you that I DO care about the American Indians.
It stems from my roots in South Africa and the plight of the native people there under an awfully unjust system that horrified me as a child.

And, although a totally unique situation here, yet some of the history of the two countries has parallels that have left awful scars on the native people and their culture

I care deeply Kathy
and I am so sorry for the pain and awful devastation that people, whatever lable they have , are causing for the American Indians by trying to intrude even more into what is sacred and precious to them

if you saw my husbands cheekbones...and i told you about his heritage on his fathers side...you would know...I LOVE INDIANS.

kathy...we can't go back and change history. it's human nature. we tell people what we belive..and want them to believe the same. the early settlers didn't take the time to learn, they thought it best to change the indians. who knows, maybe many would have become christians anyways.

in religian ( and not just chrisitanity...they all do it)...it is make disciples. some tend to make this the purpose. go forth and mulitply. me...i don't like people shoving their beliefs down my throat. but when i meet somebody..and it's like wow...that person has a good heart..and spirit, i want to know more. that was how i found my faith and the church i love.

i really think lara has a good point about the trolls. i saw them rampent on the aol message boards. it was creepy and sick. i could never get myself to post. reading was heartbreaking. same as what you posted.

Curious

I'm not just talking about internet trolls. People witness about the glorious wonders of Christianity everywhere, not just on internet forums. They knock on my door all the time.

I'll use a very dear and close friend of mine as an example of what I'm talking about.

He was taken from his home on the reservation - ripped from his mothers arms at the age of 5 because Christians decided she wasn't a good enough mother. His relatives wanted to take him in, but the Christians decided they weren't qualified. He loved his mother dearly.

He was raised in an orphanage, fostered out occasionally, but was told nobody wanted an angry and unruly Indian boy. They beat him hard and told him no one would ever want him.

He was an adult by the time he left the system. He had to start from scratch because he didn't even know where he'd been plucked from. By the time he found his home, his mother and father were dead.

Like any other prison system, it turned him into an animal. He survived on crime and alcohol.

He cleaned himself up and got a college degree. The only work he was ever able to find was serving coffee. The degree doesn't matter because nobody wants to hire an Indian where he lives.

He's 50 years old, currently out of work and his wife and kids are leaving him. He's suicidal at the moment, and I'm not talking just ideation. He's been kicked down EVERY single time he tries to do the right thing - for as long as he can remember.

How nice it would be to invite him to our Sanctuary or the Survivors of Suicide forums, but I can't. Christianity will never bring him comfort, regardless of the integrity of the individual or perfume in their prayers.

At the opposite end would be the New Agers who also "love" Indians. Because of our history with the native community here, it's a MAJOR trigger when people say they love Indians. It makes them feel like they're about to be raped.

This is just one person's story. There are thousands more like it on that board. It sends me into a tizzy to watch the ones who smile so sweetly and claim to be "true" Christians ridicule these people who are already suffering an insurmountable amount of pain. They ridicule the Indians only because they couldn't turn them into sheep, control the Indians and make themselves feel good.

I don't know if I'll be able to keep my friend alive all on my own. I don't know how I'll be able to contain my anger if I lose my friend.

This isn't history. It never ended - it continues today, but the media blocks out what the government is doing to the Indians.

This also isn't just our history with American Indians. I'm watching our attempt to promote that history throughout the world. It worked with the Indians, but we had bigger guns and an ignorant society back then.

We're in a war now that can't be won with murder - can't be fought with guns. We're repeating history, but using the old and outdated manual. We have been and will be judged for each step we take. It frustrates me to watch this country do the moonwalk when they really should be paying attention to the world around them.

I tried to take religion out of the picture because I think it has more to do with just bad people rather than religion even if those bad people did these things under the banner or in a uniform of a particular creed. I just seem to look at people a bit differently.

I've edited my posts seeing as I still could. I guess that'll cause a stir.

The people that I know from SOS and here are truly wonderful people. They're not the 'bad' people. TenaLouise who posted the original topic ... well I've never seen her say a bad word about anyone. I wish you could bring your friend to SOS or here. This is called Sanctuary for Spiritual Support. The heading was Peace? I wish you peace.