Live... Now

When the Instructor had himself situated in front of the waiting class, he looked over the group and asked for a show of hands in response to this question; “Who, among you, has either implemented or made an attempt to implement all that we have discussed in our sessions up to this one today?” Finding himself want of so much as a single hand raised amongst the group, he continued “It is obvious then, that we are in need of no new instruction, inasmuch as you have not made use of what has been given thus far.” He then made a deliberate step back from the rostrum and looked out at us… silently. His lesson for that day was satisfactorily communicated. Every member of the class had his or her own personal indictment. We had been accumulating a prodigious quantity of information… to no beneficial end.

On another occasion, and from another instructor, I was handed a tool that has proved invaluable, over the course of many passed years, in the business of living. This instructor simply asked “Is what you are doing emotional tension relieving… or is it primary purpose achieving?” We were then asked to reflect on our daily activities and determine if there had been any times when we found ourselves “tidying up” the clutter of our desks or workspaces in the guise of making ourselves ready to work more efficiently… when the truth was that we were merely practicing an avoidance of some task of primary importance that seemed daunting, unpleasant, challenging, or some combination of any of those. Were we doing what relieved the emotional tension created by some visual or circumstantial clutter while hiding from the demands of those things that required our attention for meaningful purposes? And did we then, at end of the day, find ourselves wearied by a day of activity spent in “busy work” … still facing the now-larger (for want of timely attention) monster that had intimidated us away from addressing it?

Yes, My Dear Reader, I do know something of the barriers to moving ahead that we all must contend with. Yes, I do understand the debilitating power of fear. I am intimately familiar with the force of scale when perceiving myself as the ‘David’ of mere mortal abilities confronting the ‘Giants’ of life’s challenges. So my heart was ready and receptive when I discovered the teachings of Ann Kiemel as she presented examples of her own life walk. Thus, when she repeatedly spoke of the times that she presented herself to settings that required more of her than she and the attendees of the moment thought possible, she had taught herself the power of the truth in her well-practiced declaration “I am just a small person in a great big world… but I have a giant of a God in me, and He, and I, and Love are changing my world… one day at a time… one challenge at a time… You just wait… you will see.” And I found a way to contact this demure and seemingly-delicate young woman to express my appreciation for and admiration of her and her demonstration of the power available to us all.

So, Dear Friend, I offer you this encouragement. You have all of the powers available to you that have, from the commencement of time, been available to anyone. So, let us, you and me, agree together to stop this business of “getting ready… to begin to prepare… to start to get ready… to live”… and simply LIVE! Ask yourself those questions… “Am I implementing what I already know?”… “Is what I am doing AT THIS MOMENT simply emotional tension relieving… or is it primarily purpose achieving?” Tension relieving or purpose achieving? “Am I changing my world with the combined forces of all of my spiritual and physical resources combined with the directional navigation of love… one day at a time… starting right now?”

These considerations have served me well over many years… I trust that you will realize the same benefits from your own thoughtful reflection on them… as I remain, always, Your faithful Servant and Friend,

John-Michael