Hey, hey! How are you doing today? I'm pretty chill, and I am hoping the same for you.
It's Friday, and I am visiting my parents. In the United States, it's the day after our Thanksgiving Holiday when we get together with family, give thanks, and feast.
In my last post, Spiritual Experiments to Destress, I invited you all to do a spiritual experiment, and I said I'd do it too.
Here is my update...
Day one: I forgot about it until my head was bitten off by a gatekeeper. Earlier in the year, I'd been to this same facility before, and the same person bit my head off.
I put my head down and said a little prayer for this person, and it went like this. "Dear Heavenly Father, please bless him/her with comfort, patience, and strength, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."
When I lifted my head and smiled, the individual changed with a twinkling of an eye. It was weird! I kid you not, from mean to kind, just like that. I was highly impressed.
Day two: I spent much time praying for others as much as possible. I was praying for random people that I didn't even know.
Day three: I returned to the same facility as day one, and the gatekeeper, aka security, was very pleasant.
All day long, I said prayers for people. Praying for blessings upon them and their family.
Day four: I woke up feeling so good, with indescribable joy and love in my heart. This is what love feels like, and God abides in us when we love like this. In essence, it is God because He is love.
"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." ~1 John 4:16, Holy Bible, KJV
Day four continued: As I persisted in praying for others, I found myself thinking, "How do I know what I should pray?" This came to me because I was running out of things to pray for others. Then, I began to ask Heavenly Father to help me understand what to pray for when praying for others.
This is how my spiritual experiments evolve.
About day five, I had a dream. My Grandfather, who passed away when I was fifteen, was sitting with me, and he told me that I was doing really, really, really good. He also told me I am too hard on myself, but I don't know because my concentrations are unintentional. He kissed me on the forehead, and that was it.
I understand that we are contemplating, focusing, and habitual mechanisms. I also know that we are not aware of all of the thoughts we think. I've read studies that say we have over sixty thousand thoughts a day.
On day six, I began to focus on intentional concentration and contemplation.
I began asking Heavenly Father what the most critical habitual, intentional thoughts could be.
The answer seemed to always be faith, patience, and trust.
For the past week, I've been waking up and going to sleep, contemplating faith, patience, and trust.
I've tried to pray for others' faith, patience, and trust throughout the day.
All the while, I've been praying for understanding, and what I have seen is people expressing more kindness and more patience.
Here in California, people are typically involved in full schedules and sometimes in a rush. Recently, I have noticed more patience in others and less hurry. It is beautiful.
With my focus on faith, patience, and trust, I feel more faith in God, life, and others. I'm being more patient with others and myself and thinking more about what trust in God, life, and others is.
Faith, patience, and trust, in my humble opinion, are always the lesson when we are feeling angry, anxious, or depressed, which are fearful states.
I've made faith, patience, and trust a habitual focus, a constant prayer, and I believe unconditional love has ensued.
With unconditional love comes the connection to God and spiritual expansion. Unconditional love is perfect love, which casts out fear.
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." ~1 John 4:18, Holy Bible, KJV
As this holiday season continues, you may want to level up in feeling more joy and love by intentionally contemplating faith, patience, and trust.
I've been focusing and concentrating on these for the last week, and things seem to go my way. I mean by 'go my way' is a connection to God via ongoing happiness and joy for life, others, and myself.
Part two of Spiritual Experiments to Destress could be intentional contemplation on faith, patience, and trust.
Let us make it the first consideration in the morning, the focus throughout the day, and the final reflection as we retire for the night.
Let's see how it goes!
Praying my ramblings of spiritual experiments help.
God bless you, my dear friend.
Speak soon...
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