Spiritual Solutions

(Note: This is the fourth lesson adapted from the series “Steady in the Wind,” by Ann Strong, of www.thrivingcoaches.com . Ann kindly gave me permissioin to adapt and use parts of the lessons in my blog and newsletter. I believe you will find much value in applying the twelve life principles covered in this course. Enjoy!

Welcome to Lesson Four: Commitment

Please listen to the audio first by clicking on the link below, and then let’s read the lesson together.

Lesson Four: Commitment

In this lesson, we will cover commitment, which helps us keep the faith even when the wind blows strongly - even it seems to be an ill wind.

Commitment will help carry you through the times when you don’t see your vision coming into reality. Sadly, people often let go of their dreams, stop short of their visions, just shy of success, without ever realizing they have come so close. Commitment helps you hang on through that time to realizing your dreams and seeing your visions come into reality.

Imagine the commitment of the gardener. She tills her soil and plants her seeds. Then, she waters the seeds and keeps the weeds out of the garden. She may need to plant more seeds if she notices the birds ate some or the wind carried many away. She then tends those seeds.

What would happen if she had no commitment to her garden? If she only watered when she felt like it or only pulled weeds occasionally? What if she noticed many of her seeds had been dug up by an animal, but she didn’t bother to replant that area? Without consistent commitment, her garden would produce meagerly or not at all. So, too, that happens with whatever figurative seeds we plant.

Commitment helps carry us through all the stages of a garden. Even when we see only dirt, commitment to the gardening process and to the harvest gives us faith. Our vision helps remind us why we have made a commitment to this particular garden. We most easily keep our commitments when we believe in ourselves, our ideas and the bigger picture of our visions.

HOW COMMITMENT APPLIES TO LIVING STEADY IN THE WIND

Because you cannot grow a lush garden if you keep digging up the seeds to see what they are doing, commitment helps carry you through all the stages of a garden. Commitment gives you faith in the process and the restraint to keep from digging up the seeds.

WHAT WILL YOU COMMIT TO?

Whata can you or will you commit to? To a relationship? To a particular project you are interested in? To going to church on a regular basis? To tithing 10% of your gross income? To attending a class? To stop smoking? To more exercise? To flossing your teeth every day? To paying off all your debt? To your marriage? To your family? What will be your commitment? You get to choose.

For those who need help or healing or guidance, Psalm 37 says, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will bring it to pass.”

There are some key words in this passage. “Lord” refers to the law of your being; it is both the divine potential of you and the law of mind-action that controls its expression.

Another is “trust.” Put your faith in the law and in the ultimate manifestation of that which you desire.

Another key word is “commit.” This word has nearly lost its meaning in our time.

The question is, “Have you made a commitment to the law of your being, to Truth, to the concept of righteous thinking and living? Or is Truth something that you heed only occasionally, and then lay aside because it is inconvenient for you to do something about it? Commitment is truly an “all or nothing” law.

EXAMPLE OF COMMITMENT

In July of 2001, Ann Strong decided to refinance her house. Her refinanced loan didn’t close until February 15, 2002.

She says, “Talk about commitment! The more-than-seven-month process made a record for my mortgage broker. I never understood what all the fuss was about. I just knew I wanted to refinance my house and I really liked this particular loan product, so I hung in there.

“Three days before the first scheduled closing, the lender told my broker they had decided not to fund the loan because they don’t finance one-bedroom condos. I actually own a one-bedroom town home. They don’t have a policy on one-bedroom town homes, so they decided to lump it in with condos.

“From day one, they knew the exact nature of my property, and at the last minute, someone made an arbitrary call. My broker tried to reason with them. They declined.

“Lender number two took three months to determine my property didn’t appraise for enough. (By then, September 11 had taken its toll.) They wanted me to bring thousands to the closing table. I said, ‘Let’s go with lender number three.’ My broker did not want to hear those words. He had told me about lender number three as a worst, worst, worst case scenario back-up. He had never personally closed a loan with this lender. (He now has!) His colleagues had used them, but didn’t like them because they had a reputation for backing out of loans at the last minute for no reason!

“Almost three months later, they did close my loan at an excellent rate with no money due at closing. My broker will be the first to tell you he was stunned. He gave me a $395 credit on one of his fees out of gratitude for my persistence. I’ll tell you, I kept the faith because I had a commitment to refinancing.”

PRACTICE COMMITMENT THIS WEEK

What is your commitment to something of your own choosing?

When you notice yourself getting distracted or feeling unsure about the seeds you’ve planted, how can you bring yourself back to your commitment?

Record evidence in your journal that supports your commitment.

CONTINUE PRACTICING COMMANDING THIS WEEK AND BEYOND

What have you chosen to command or claim? Are you recording evidence in your journal? What is showing up for you?

CONTINUE PRACTICING VISIONING THIS WEEK

Write out and track at least one vision this week.

CONTINUE PRACTICING DEEP LISTENING

Are you integrating both deep listening within and deep listening to others into your natural, regular routine?

CONTINUE PRACTICING YOUR OBSERVER ROLE

Is observation becoming a natural part of your life and work?

Next week, you will receive Lesson Five: Awareness.

Until then, have fun with commitment, commanding, visioning, listening deeply and observing.

God is Blessing You, Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

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Rev. Alan Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-six years, invites you to enjoy more articles and/or subscribe to this free inspirational newsletter, “Spiritual Solutions,” at www.spiritualsolutionsblog.com

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