Spiritual Insights: How to Find Spiritual Peace in a Tough Economy

by Lizzie Elzingre

If we are to re-define peace in today's economic conditions, it is inner tranquility in age of stress brought by the complexities of modern life. Bad economic times make everybody worried sick about jobs, and their financial status.

Since it is not possible to tolerate stress for a long time, for fear that you become insane, how you will overcome, then, what seems to be undefeatable? How would you stop feeling miserable, if reason and consciousness do not want to forget?

When a friend suddenly found herself without job after 15 years, the hardest times she had were when she allowed her mind to project into the future with self-talk statements like "What if I exhaust all my savings?"

While we normally find ourselves in this behavior, we have to be more aware of the need to pull our mind back to today, telling ourselves, "I can handle this, right now." There has to be a continuing awareness of the need to pull back starting in the personal level.

Jesus tells us that the birds of the air do not worry, and they are well take care of and fed. The flowers of the field do not fret, and they are beautifully clothed.

Jesus is not talking about escaping the stresses of life. He is not saying, we relax and not worry. However, Jesus is giving us much deeper reason why we should not worry. The Father in heaven is taking care of us.

We have to be mature about how we apply this principle. Mature Christians must know how to entrust situations or conditions to God and make a deliberate decision to do so. As we put God and his will first in our lives, everything else falls into place.

Together with our self-knowledge on coping with difficulties, we should keep prayers and meditation, which are fundamental and essential in our quest for spiritual peace.

In the Oasis of Silence

Quiet times replenish, renew, and recharge life with spiritual peace and spiritual balance. In silence, we can reconnect with our true source of energy and wisdom. Those months you spend on the sofa, meditating about unemployment is not a wasted time. You are thinking. Your pause actually keeps you on course.

Pausing in silence allows us to connect with inner guidance. Like a dance, the best moves come out when the music slows down. A slow, rhythmic, pace is the best type of movement because we will learn to recalibrate our paths when we pause. Likewise, only in solitude can we hear the whispers and urgings of our spiritual self.

Sometimes God gives us the strength and the wisdom to do Finding spiritual peace in a tough economy what we must do. At other times, the Lord shows us that what we think we have to do is not necessary at all. Occasionally, we follow our own will and not the will of God when we take responsibility for certain things.

When the Lord's kingdom is our first priority, when we listen to him before others, we realize that the things we thought were so important are not at all, then we let go. At times, the Lord even allows us to fail in what we do.

Thus, it is better for us to realize that we are not all-powerful. We are dependent on God. Many good lessons come out of failure if we give God His rightful place in our lives.

Spending our Moments in Materialization

The Bible tells us about Jesus Christ feeding 5,000 people with a few pieces of bread and fish. Christians regard the act a miracle. The Science of Parapsychology calls it "materialization," "producing something out of nothing."

There are different ways of doing materialization. One is through psychic ability, wherein a person must be able to visualize in very clear and vivid detail the object he wishes to materialize. Some people are able to materialize things with the help of spirit helpers or guides. Both ways require mental power. You must be able to see, feel, taste, smell and hear the object. You must also have the strong desire to make that object appear physically. Through our psychic ability, we can visualize life as an immense and magnificent tapestry.

In order for us to come to this kind of attitude, we should allow faith in God to surround us, and to protect us during difficult times. Faith is the spiritual peace that allows us to receive the supreme intervention of God.

If we look at the world through the eyes of faith, there is only one real thing. God wants to connect His grace with us. Thus, we need to be aware of where our thoughts are, which means we need to live consciously. When we discover our thoughts wandering back to the unchangeable past or forward into the unforeseen future, we can choose to bring our awareness back to Him.

As we bring ourselves to rest in the unseen arms, we see opportunities unfolding perfectly. Each day, we can learn to love ourselves just as we are, even if still struggling.

We all want to lead a life of abundance and prosperity, but money can be difficult to have during economic downturn. Certainly, you could handle whatever situations with Jesus Christ. To the recurring query, and one at time indicative of doubt, the Christian Faith replies with firm certainty, "All that God has created, He watches over and governs by His Providence." All that is created, by the very fact of having been created, belongs to God, and consequently, depends on Him.

Lastly, just as we wash our bodies and our clothes, we need to cleanse our emotional bodies. As we move through our days, many of us, through our psychic ability, vacuum other people's feelings. The more sensitive we are the more debris we collect.

A clean emotional body gives us the stamina and energy to begin another day. One excellent way to symbolize purifying our emotional selves is to imagine rinsing all limiting, defeating and depressing feelings as you stand under the shower. Then, visually, saturate the cleansed areas with love and energy.

Learn more about this author, Lizzie Elzingre.

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Reframe Family Pictures

Almost all us have moments in our past when we felt loved and supported. Remembering those good times facilitates healing and bolsters our belief in our own loveability.

However, if we are suffering of guilt over how we have been parenting our children, it is especially important that we accentuate our functional behavior in order to build on it. In learning to lovingly re-parent ourselves, it is a good idea to look at the family album we carry inside our heads.

Some of the snapshots will evoke happy memories and warm fuzzy feelings while others may seem more like potshots aimed hurtfully at us. A great many of our internal images were developed when we were young and had child's less-than-powerful perspective. As adults, we now have the authority to reframe painful memories much the same way we might change the frames of pictures displayed on the piano.

Give yourself some time to mentally browse through the photos you have accumulated from your past. Choose one or two that seem to call attention. Very gently become the child you see there. Even more gently ask what the child wants and needs from you.

Are you willing to fulfill the wish? If you feel loving and protective of the child, allow your adult self to comfort in the ways the child requests. But, if you do not feel good toward the child, you can bring into your mind's eye a protector who does feel love for the child. Allow this individual to care for the child.

With the help of either your adult self or the protector you call in to assist, redevelop the uncomfortable snapshot into a picture in which the child is safe and happy. Sense the feeling of that life from that viewpoint. Then absorb and claim those feelings as rightfully yours. Now, put your new memory in a picture, in a beautiful, valuable frame and display it in a prominent place.

There will be times in your life you find yourself reverting to the distressful feelings of the original picture. Move your thoughts to the new one, stay there, concentrate and remind yourself that as as an empowered adult, you can reframe your child's painful experience. We get so used to seeing these framed pictures that we eventually just accept them as reality. But if we remember they’re really framed pictures, we understand that we can reframe them any time we choose and in so doing open up a whole new way of seeing the world. We suddenly see something we’ve been looking at forever in an entirely new light.

Accentuating the functional encourages us to trust ourselves. It give us a surplus of strength we can draw on for support when we need to look at dysfunctions in our life. It aids healing process and bolsters faith for the best.

Prayer:

Lord, heal my aching heart
Give rest to my spinning mind
Keep peace in my difficult soul
Ease my pain and bind my wound
Amen.

Pampering Sarah Is Permissible

When I ask women, who seem drained, what they do to pamper themselves, many of them respond uncomprehendingly, as though I have just spoken in a foreign language.

To most of us, pampering brings to mind diapers or what we do for others. The idea of indulging ourselves is an alien concept. If it does occur, we avoid the idea because it smacks of being spoiled or selfish. After all, we've been taught to be givers rather than receivers.

Sarah, a colleague, is a workaholic and married to a man who is still a little boy in terms of accepting responsibility at home. By the time she agreed to counseling, Sarah was, in her terms, "a raving, ranting bitch." According to her, the bitchiness came from her anger at being the only adult in the family shouldering career, housework, and childcare. In the process of attempting to change her husband, Sarah had totally neglected herself and her emotional safety net was virtually nonexistent. Her nerves were frayed to the breaking point and she was lashing out in frustration.

Her family and friends encouraged her to stop working so hard, instead, to start taking care of herself and to learn to believe that she is worth pampering. It was very difficult for Sarah to let go and step into such change. With no other option, she began by allowing herself one hour a week in the luxury of a body spa. Eventually, she realized that the pampering made her more confident, rested and happy. Following that, she cared for herself in small ways, such as saying no when she feels like it, and in interesting ways, like saving money for a travel to Thailand.

Her husband and children adapted quickly. They have accepted Sarah's need to take care of her. Consequently, they agreed to take responsibility for her other chores. Sarah is now happier and healthier.

Like Sarah, Sarah Palin is a woman, and hails from a blue-collar background. In her speech to the Republican convention, Palin pointedly described her family as working-class, saying her husband was "a lifelong commercial fisherman... a production operator in the oil fields of Alaska's North Slope... a proud member of the United Steel Workers' Union." Like other women, she is required to pay attention to varied and unexpected occurrences. Thus, it is possible that the demands of the current political campaign exceed her energy, and that the $150,000 expenditure on clothing and make-up of Gov. Sarah Palin must be her way of pampering herself - coping creatively with the demands and difficulties of America's massively huge 2008 Presidential Campaign.

Weave a pampering pattern into your safety net. Make a list of ways in which you would like to pamper you, and then, start with small steps. Have the courage! Indulge! You are worthy of receiving as well as giving. Pampering and taking care of you is a healthy thing to do. You'll be better with it!

Who Remembers The Powerline "A Kinder, Gentler Nation"

Long before George Bush began talking about a kinder, gentler nation, my personal stationery carried the reflection, "Live gently with yourself and others. People regularly respond to that thought by saying something like, "I wish I could live more gently!"

When George (H.W.) Bush ran for president he said he wanted "a kinder, gentler" nation. He said he would be the "education president" and the "environmental president." But, with respect to Iran, North Korea, and the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Bush administration foreign policy is in something of a shambles.

One way for us to learn the art of gentleness is to keep the word gentle or gently in our awareness. Gentle, along with its synonyms kind, considerate, patient, and tender, is easily lost in the hubpages of our demanding days. In the course of our normal schedules, the concept of gentleness rarely occurs to us.

As I was retraining myself to live gently, I put a business card size reading "gently" in my wallet, on the fridge, on my desk , in my journal and anywhere for as long as it is my space. Thus, each time I saw the word, I was reminded that there was a different, a supportive and comforting way for me to treat myself and others. Now, when I tune into negative self-talk or judgemental feelings toward myself or someone else, I eventually remember to ask, "Is this gentle?" Often, just that little nudge helps me move from a prickly to a soft place within myself.

Choose an evening when you can have some meditative time for yourself and allow your mind to roam back over the day or week. Were there times when you would like to have acted more gently on your keywords or adopted a more gentle attitude? If so, replay those scenes as though you were already in the habit of walking gently in your world. Soak in the feelings you receive from making that change in your actions, communication, and responses.

Right now, we can make the commitment to being more gentle in lifestyle and content. Living gently creates an aura of peace in or lives-a down comforter of support for ourselves and those with whom we are in relationships.

The Value of Networking

Humans have always known the importance of networking with others. The earliest road systems developed from paths and trails and appeared with the invention of wheeled vehicles around 3000BC facilitated trade, provided ways on which people, animals, or wheeled vehicles move, integrated people and businesses.

Since we travel the career path as well as the family path, like our forefathers, we recognize the value of networking. We go to meetings and join clubs for the express purpose of meeting people who can assist us and vice-versa. But if you join social communities without a clear strategy for maximizing their value, you may end up as a wall-flower, merely watching other people network and wondering why you gave up the time in the first place.

Kathleen, a relative, was so sick of her job that she woke every Monday morning with a severe headache. Sometimes, she burst into tears at the sound of the alarm. However, even with messages as strong as these, she continued to work, literally dragging herself to work. When I asked her why, she said she believed there is no other job for her and she would never find any job superior than her present so she better stay put. She said that a voice in her head would constantly tell her she is darn lucky to have this work. In addition, deeply buried in her was a barely audible voice persistenly whispering all her failures in life.

Close your eyes, and visualize your physical, emotional, and mental selves. They can appear in any form or you may merely sense them. If you are feeling chaotic, they may appear confused, swirling out of control. After you sense these three aspects of yourself, envision your Higher Self - the spiritual part - above the other three. Softly say, "gather together . . . together . . . be together". As you repeat the words up to nine times, picture them uniting under and into your spiritual self.

Courageously, Kathleen began to greet these inner strangers. She found that many of the should and have to they spoke echoed her life as a young, single mother having to work to support herself and her child. But, there was this voice she became acquainted with, a tiny little girl who believed she does not deserve happiness. Kathleen made a commitment to comfort that little person who said she is a failure.


Continue to meditate, visualize and make the effort to search for the causes behind the negative voices. Forgive and understand your selves until you begin to feel a sense of calm instead of the chaos. Even though this exercise may seem simplistic, it speaks powerfully to our subconscious mind and allows us to gather our energies, naturally harmonizing our feelings.


Kathleen's self esteem expanded as her internal voices became confident. Before she could successfully network socially, she had to network with her selves. Although the confrontations were painful, it opened her eyes to acceptance, humility, and responsibility. After a while, her negative voices that have been persistently pestering became discouraged and they disappeared altogether.

Prayer:

Help me God
To give up excusing for my failures
To take responsibility for my actions
To replace chaos with calm
To have harmony and balance
To love and accept all what I am today
Amen.

Swimming in the Great Salt Lake

Once, on the way home from California, friends and I drove through Salt Lake City. Remembering the strange experience of swimming in the Great Salt Lake long time ago, we decided to stop and try it again.

"Girls, I sink like a rock every time I try to float!" Anita, the tallest among us, answered. "You won't here," I promised her. And of course she did not because the Great Salt Lake assists even the most leaden among us to float effortlessly.

In life, a big help in establishing a safety net is finding buoyant emotional waters that can support us when we feel in danger of drowning. In addition, it is essential that we create an atmosphere around us that helps us stay on top of the water rather than thrash and struggle through it. But, how do we do this?

Choose to be around people who are up-lifters, rather than like weights around our necks. This is very crucial in establishing an environment that helps keep us afloat. Up-lift people accept us as we are and are truly interested in us. They are kind and do not put us down or demean us in any way. In their presence, we feel good.

Of course, it is essential that our internal voices are up-lifters, too. Is your glass half-empty or half-full? How you answer this age-old question about positive thinking may reflect your outlook on life, your attitude toward yourself, and whether you're optimistic or pessimistic. We must always speak to ourselves in supportive and encouraging ways because even surrounded by the most buoyant people, if we speak to ourselves in concrete-shoe way, we will sink.

Our voice is one ever-present voice in our life. Therefore, it is crucial that our self-talk instill confidence within us. It must be supportive, not submerging to help keep our spirits afloat. Positive thinking together with acceptance and trust of our own selves makes us the most effective, and influential buoy.

Low self-esteem can negatively affect virtually every part of your life, including your relationships, your job and your health. But you can raise your self-esteem to a healthy level, even if you're an adult who's been harboring a negative self-image since childhood.

Changing the way you think about yourself and your life is essential to boosting self-esteem. These five steps toward healthy self-esteem are based on cognitive behavior therapy principles. As you go through these five steps, jotting down your thoughts, experiences and observations in a journal or daily record may help you use these steps more effectively.

Step 1: Identify troubling conditions or situations

Think about what conditions or situations about your life you find troubling and that seem to deflate your self-esteem. You may wish to change aspects of your personality or behavior, such as a fear of giving a business presentation, frequently becoming angry or always expecting the worst.

Step 2: Become aware of beliefs and thoughts

Once you've identified troubling conditions or situations, pay attention to your thoughts related to them. This includes your self-talk — what you tell yourself — as well as your interpretation of what a situation means and your beliefs about yourself, other people and events.

Step 3: Pinpoint negative or inaccurate thinking

Your beliefs and thoughts about a condition or situation affect your reaction to it. Negative thoughts and beliefs about something or someone can trigger unhealthy physical, emotional and behavioral responses, including physical responses such as a stiff neck, sore back, racing heart, stomach problems, sweating or change in sleeping patterns.

Step 4: Challenge negative or inaccurate thinking

These kinds of thought patterns tend to erode self-esteem. Your initial thoughts may not be the only possible way to view a situation. These long-held thoughts and beliefs feel normal and factual to you, but many are simply opinions or perceptions. Ask yourself whether your view of a situation is consistent with facts and logic or whether there might be other explanations.

Step 5: Change your thoughts and beliefs

The final step is to replace the negative or inaccurate thinking you've identified with accurate thoughts and beliefs. This can enable you to find constructive ways to cope and give your self-esteem a boost. These strategies may help you approach situations in a healthy way:

* Use hopeful statements. Be kind and encouraging to yourself. Pessimism can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. That is, if you think your presentation isn't going to go well, you may indeed stumble through it. Try telling yourself things such as, "Even though it's tough, I can handle this situation."

* Forgive yourself. Everyone makes mistakes. Mistakes aren't permanent reflections on you as a person. They are isolated moments in time. Tell yourself, "I made a mistake but that doesn't make me a bad person."

* Avoid 'should' and 'must' statements. If you find that your thoughts are full of these words, you may be setting unreasonable demands on yourself — or others. Removing these words from your self-talk can give you and others more realistic expectations.

* Focus on the positive. Think about the good parts of your life. Ask yourself, "What other things have gone well recently?" "What personal skills do I have that have helped me cope with challenging situations in the past?"

* Relabel upsetting thoughts. Having negative thoughts doesn't mean you must choose to react negatively. Instead, think of them as signals to use new, healthy thinking patterns. Ask yourself, "Which of my strengths can help me respond in a constructive way?" "What can I think and do to make this less stressful?"

* Encourage yourself. Give yourself credit for making positive changes. Treat yourself as well as you'd treat a loved one. Tell yourself, "I did a good job on the presentation. It may not have been perfect, but my colleagues said it was good."


With practice, these steps may come more easily to you. You'll be better able to recognize the thoughts and beliefs that are contributing to your low self-esteem. Because self-esteem can fluctuate over time, you may want to revisit these steps, especially if you begin to feel down on yourself again. Keeping a journal or daily log can help you track trouble spots over time.

Positive thinking brings inner peace, success, improved relationships, better health, happiness and satisfaction. It also helps the daily affairs of life move more smoothly, and makes life look bright and promising.

Pray:

God, please buoy up my spirit
Cleanse me of negative thoughts
Surround me with love, support and care
Teach me to be hopeful and understanding
Help me create an environment in which it is
possible for me to float
I trust that in Your hands,
I will be more than what I desire to be
Amen.

TEARS FOR FEAR

Is there a bully in your life? A big bulk who loves to make you cry? Beside this person you feel very tiny but very angry.

We often allow ourselves to be deeply wounded by the actions of people around us. Sometimes, we even feel guilty and irrationally think that it is our fault if people treat us badly.

For years Fiona was at the mercy of her husband's temper. She was terrified by his outbursts. Faced with his fury, she would appease him, suppressing her own feelings in the hopes that he would calm down. Her husband did and said things that wounded her deeply.

Finally, cautiously she began to work on setting limits in their relationship. She talked to therapist and went to life coaching meetings to help her have the courage to break the destructive pattern she was in with her husband.

On the eve of their travel to Hawaii, her husband blew up again and said they were not going. Calmly, she continued to pack for the trip. With sadness but without anger, she told him she was sorry he felt as he did. Calmly, she said that she is emotionally devastated because she had been looking forward to having their second honeymoon. But, whatever it takes, she was going to tour Hawaii without him.

Getting to that point took tremendous courage for Fiona. She disallowed tears, faced her fears and triumphed. Her husband apologized for his outbursts and they had a wonderful second honeymoon.

Do not be afraid of the bully in your life. Stand up against this person not with anger but with kindness. However, if you are constantly grieving, in tears or in pain, it may take more time for that bit of courage to surface.

These courageous acts can be very simple. Think that we are not to blame for the actions of others, and that we do not need to be their target. We can train ourselves to always remember that we are not responsible for what anyone else does or says. We do not need to fix anyone else's attitude or circumstances, even if people insist on projecting their unfinished business unto us.


Prayer:

Thank you Jesus for blessing me
With friends of all kinds
Some may make my life heavier
But they make my heart braver

Some days when I am in tears
For fear of anger at me
Help me remember that
I have the courage
To move and act even when
I am afraid

Amen.

A RIDE ON A BRAHMAN BULL

We all face situations in which we feel powerless and afraid. A long time ago, a close friend was terrified to face an upcoming child custody hearing. She felt intimidated by the legal system, the lawyers, and her ex-husband. I asked her what it would take for her to feel safe and strong in the court room.

"Nothing short of riding in on a Brahman bull!" she answered jokingly. It was a great idea, straight out of her inner wisdom.

We thought it would help to work with the image. So, she created the scenario of herself galloping into the court on a huge, snorting bull that threatened to gore anyone who tried to frighten her.

Her day in court was a success because each time she felt, even a bit, scared she visualized herself astride her bull. With the help of her amusing but effective mental imagery she felt strong and capable. As a result she was treated as if she were powerful, someone not to be easily dismissed or manipulated.

The story illustrates that we are all strong as we imagine ourselves to be. When we act as if we are strong, we move towards becoming the powerful person we desire to be.

Many years back, I lost my company due to Forex fallout because of the economic crisis in Asia. With clenched fists on hips I bragged 'I am brave'. But even the bravest of the brave gets scared sometimes. Life after that was of lightning and thunder. The sun never appeared because I was constantly with fear.

Having the courage to see ourselves as strong, capable, and wise to do what we want helps us make it so. But we need not to do it alone. We can move creatively through our fears by accepting support and guidance from the unseen helper.

"Did you know that God controls the rain, the lightning, and the thunder? He gives the rain to help living things grow. Have you ever gone out for a long walk, run, or bike ride on a gorgeous summer day and been caught in a torrential cloudburst? Bad enough to be caught in the rain, but cloudbursts can leave you drenched to the bone. But have you ever watched the approach of a thunderstorm darken the sky and then been surprised at how bright the day became after the heaviest downpour?"

When you feel powerless, and afraid ask God to be with with you. Pray then ride on your Brahman bull.

Prayer:

God, make me strong and capable,
Fill me with hope and confidence,
Help me erase my fear,
Be with me, stay right here,
Amen.