One of the most important points, Luke made throughout his gospel. Jesus looks beyond the external appearance, into the heart of everyone, what an example for us! There Jesus sees each persons need for the love of God. Deep in his heart Zacchaeus must have cried out: there must be more to life than this. He was rich in material goods but he was lonely and empty of love that only God could give.

SEPTEMBER 2,2007

SURRENDER

Surrender becomes so much easier when you realize the fleeting nature of all experiences and that the world cannot give you anything of lasting value. You then continue to meet people, to be involved in experiences and activities, but without the wants and fears of the egoic self. That is to say, no longer demand that a situation, person, place or event should satisfy you or make you happy (Certainly, not like the Pharisees who grasps for places of honor). Its imperfect nature is allowed to be.

And the miracle is that when you are no longer placing an impossible demand on it, every situation, person, place or event becomes not only satisfying but also more harmonious, more peaceful.

When you completely accept this moment, when you no longer argue with what is, the compulsion to think lessens and is re placed by alert stillness. You are fully conscious, yet the mind is not labeling this moment in any way. This state of inner non resistance opens you to the unconditional consciousness (the Holy Spirit) that is infinitely greater than the human mind. This vast intelligence (God) can express Himself through you and assist you, both from within and without. That is why, by letting go of inner resistance, you often find circumstances change for the better.

Am I saying, "Enjoy this moment. Be happy"? No.

Allow the "suchness" of this moment. That’s enough.

Surrender to this moment, and not confuse it with a story the mind has created around it? Surrender comes when you no longer ask, Why is this happening to me?"

Even within the seemingly most unacceptable and painful situation is concealed a deeper good, and within every disaster is contained the seed of grace.

When someone comes to you for help and you don’t know what to do or say.

When you fully accept that you don’t know, you give up struggling to find answers with the limited thinking mind, and that is when a greater intelligence (God) can operate through you. And even thought can then benefit from that, since the greater intelligence can flow into it and inspire it.

Sometimes surrender means giving up trying to understand and becoming comfortable with not knowing.

Do you know someone whose main function in life seems to be to make themselves and others miserable, to spread unhappiness? Forgive them, for they too are part of the awakening of humanity. There is nothing personal in this. It is not who they are.

Whatever you accept completely will take you to peace, including the acceptance that you can not accept, that you are in resistance.

I mentioned surrender a few times. Some might say it sounds fatalistic. To some people, surrender may have negative connotations, implying defeat, giving up, failing to rise to the challenges, and becoming lethargic, and so on.

True surrender, however, is something entirely different. It does not mean to passively put up with whatever situation you find yourself in and do nothing about. Nor does it mean to cease making plans or initiating positive action

Suppose you say, I can see that if I am in a situation that is unpleasant or unsatisfactory and I completely accept the moment as it is, there will be no suffering or unhappiness. I will have risen above it. But I still can’t quite see where the energy or motivation for taking action and bringing about change would come from if there isn’t a certain amount of dissatisfaction.

In the state of surrender, you see very clearly what needs to be done, and you take action, doing one thing at a time and focusing on one thing at a time. Learn from nature: See how everything gets accomplished and how the miracle of life unfolds without dissatisfaction or unhappiness. That’s why Jesus said:"Look a t the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin."

If you’re overall situation is unsatisfactory or unpleasant, separate out this instant and surrender to what is. That’s the flashlight cutting through the fog. Your state of consciousness then ceases to be controlled by external conditions. You are no longer coming from reactions and resistance. Ask yourself, "Is there anything I can do to change the situation, improve it or remove myself from it. If so take the appropriate action. If there is no action you can take, you can not remove yourself from the situation either, then use the situation to make you go more deeply into surrender, more deeply into the Now, That is more deeply into Being (God).

What about people who want to use me, manipulate or control me? Am I to surrender to them?

They are cut off from Being (God), so they unconsciously attempt to get energy and power from you. It is true that only an unconscious person will try to use or manipulate others, but it is equally true that only an unconscious person can be used and manipulated. If you resist or fight the behavior in others, you become unconscious yourself. But surrender does not mean that you allow yourself to be used by unconscious person. Not at all. You can say no, let it be a nonreactive "no" a "no" that is free of all negativity and so creates no further suffering.