When we first awaken, when our mind is free and clear of distractions, when we remember that we are one with the universal source of all there is, the first thing that we should do is pray.  We should give honor to the air that we breathe and the space that we take up.  We should remember the “AUM” and the “I AM” and the “Amen”.  We should remember that we are greater than the appearances, that we can move forward with the divine guidance that the Holy Spirit gives us, that we can allow — really allow God to bless us.  But what do we do?  We sit on the toilet — in la la la land.  We get a cup of coffee and watch the news.  We run to the gym and work out like a maniac.  We pick up the cell phone and text.  We rush off to work late because we decided to stay in bed for a little while longer.  But all we need to do is enter that secret place, and remember that God is in charge.

When we are spiritually fit — all the rest of our good follows.  Excess fat begins to disappear.  Circulation improves.  Complexions clear up.  Blood sugar returns to a healthy level.  Bloating stops completely.  Strangely enough, we stop tending to everybody else’s business.  We don’t have time to talk about how they don’t have their acts together.  We stop focusing on their shortcomings so that we can ignore our own.  We stop second-guessing ourselves.

When we second-guess ourselves, it’s because we don’t really want to believe that God is an on-time, everywhere present God.  It’s easier to believe that we can’t rather than we can.  It’s easier to hold onto to who we used to be — rather than surrendering our olds ways so that we can allow a new self to emerge.

Spiritual fitness is a blessing that requires us to live by new standards.  We have to let go of the thoughts, hesitations and fears that prevent us from seizing new opportunities.  We cannot keep telling the same stories.  We cannot keep repeating the same mistakes.  We cannot keep hiding behind bad habits.  We cannot keep believing that we are poor, that we are sick, that we are sad, that we are depressed, that we are anything less than the image and likeness of God that we were made in.

Matthew 19:26 says “with God, all things are possible.”  But for some reason, we prefer to make our lives difficult.  We could just let go and let God — but instead, we try to be in control.

God — the will of Spirit that is everywhere present, the will of universal intelligence that goes before us, the will of inexhaustible supply that opens endless channels of blessings for us, the will of divine ideas shaping and molding and forming the ethers into the creative manifestation of our desires, the will that is willing to be our counselor and our teacher and our guide — knows more than we do.  God knows that there is a balm in Gilead.  God knows there is a river that never stops flowing.  God knows that manna rains, in fact it pours down from heaven.  God knows that when we leap the net will appear.  But we first have to surrender.  We have to stop fighting in the flesh what God has commanded us to do in the Spirit.

When we first try to walk the water of infinite possibilities, we may feel like we are drowning.  We may think that we are losing control — but only because we’ve never been in control in the first place.  In the physical, we see nothing but chaos, confusion and strife, but ultimately we will find ourselves safe — protected — secure — and right where we should be.  All we have to do is be willing.

The Psalmist says “Create in me a pure heart, O’ God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”  (Psalms 51:10-12)  He is saying, I am tired of wandering in my own misery.  I am tired of not being willing to let go and let God.  I am tired of being tossed — to and fro in the waters.  So give me a willing spirit.  Help me stop blocking my good.  When I’m willful, when I’m resentful, when I’m selfish, when I’m jealous, when I’m controlling — I create the toxic energy that closes all of the channels of my blessings.  So move me out of my way!

We have heard about what Jesus called “good news.”  He says right in the scripture — that our good doesn’t end with his story, his prophecy, or his miracles.  He taught us that we don’t have to get it right in the flesh because He has sent us a helper — the Holy Spirit — to teach us all things.  It’s not a Spirit that we need to seek because in John 14, Jesus teaches that this is a Spirit that lives in us.  It’s not a Spirit that needs our guidance because  John 16 teaches that the Spirit of Truth will guide us in all things.  All we have to do is move out of its way.

Jesus said tear this temple down, and in three days, he would raise it up.  He wasn’t talking about the church, he was talking about his body.  He said let not my will — but your will be done.  He gave his life to demonstrate that greatness doesn’t stop with Him, because Spirit gives us the opportunity to do even greater things than Jesus — when we surrender to its will and not our own.

Spiritual fitness is when we can trust the universe because we know that God can do no more for us than God can do through us.  We have to be willing to accept that it’s not what we ask God for that really matters.  What is most important is realizing that we are One with God’s source.  We are One with the will that never stops teaching us to be Absolute Good.  We are One with the vortex that never stops opening channels of divine ideas.   We are One with every miracle, every poem, every possibility, every rhythm, every divine vibration ever imagined.

Spiritual fitness is when we are simply centered in saying “yes,”  knowing that God will take care of the rest.

Namaste,

Reverend Cecilia Loving

About SPIRITMUV:  Spiritmuv® is a trans-denominational church, which means that it transcends the confines of religion and teaches unconditional love for one another regardless of race, creed, culture, or religion.   At the heart of its teachings is what Jesus taught — that we love one another, as well as the community that Mahatma Ghandi inspired when he said, “I am a Christian and a Muslim and a Hindu and a Jew.”  Reverend Cecilia Loving is the founder and creator of Spiritmuv, which was formed in 2007.  Services are held for an hour every Sunday, from 2:30 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. at the Unity Center of NYC, located at 213 West 58th Street.

Rev. Loving, author of Prayers for Those Standing in the Edge of Greatness, is the sole owner, creator and administrator of God is a Brown Girl Too®, which holds annual retreats and workshops.  The next God is a Brown Girl Too Retreat will be held April 1-3, 2011, at the Mariandale Retreat and Conference Center.

None of the content herein may be copied or otherwise used except with Reverend Loving’s written permission.

 

Join the Spiritmuv  Community at www.Spiritmuv.ning.com for special postings by Rev. Loving.

GOD IS A BROWN GIRL TOO® 

“CREATING  BEYOND THE  BOX  OF CONVENTIONALITY ” RETREAT
will take place in the Spring of 2011
from April 1 at 5:00 P.M. through April 3 at 1:00 P.M. 

Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to enjoy the peace, serenity and creative consciousness of a like-minded group of women of color at the Mariandale Retreat and Conference Center, located at 299 North Highland Avenue, in Ossining, New York.   All rooms are single and surrounded by the loving prayers of the Dominican Sisters who own the facility. 

 The cost of the entire weekend, including rooms, workshops and three delicious meals per day, is only $450.00.  There is a $100 discount for senior citizens, so seniors pay $350.00. 

 Registration has already begun at http://www.godisabrowngirltoo.com/or you can mail payment directly to God is a Brown Girl Too, 376 President Street Unit 2H, Brooklyn, New York 11231.  But act fast because rooms are sellling and there are now only 13 rooms left.