To meet challenges with Spirit, I like to get as practical as I can which means minimizing my down time. So I do my best to recognize when I'm experiencing something that's bringing me down. Our thoughts, feelings, senses and perceptions are psychic-material conditions that affect us all. However, the part of us that transcends those conditions is our Spirit. When we get onto the Spirit through our inner awareness, it is expansive and uplifting. It is joyous.
To get into the Spirit, you can tune into what I refer to as your "Inner Master". However, it doesn't matter what you call that presence within you. Even if we look at that inner consciousness as a kind of hierarchy with the High Self, realms of influence, Lords of Karma, angelic and arch-angelic forces, or whatever you may consider exists, eventually it comes into a singular focus. Your Inner Master, the Spirit, is the consciousness of the Divine that comes to you as you.
When you relate to the Spirit as, "The Inner Master is who I am, and I am the Inner Master," you're moving your awareness towards the truth of your being. You always have an opportunity to bring yourself into that greater connection. It's your choice and in the way you choose to relate to who you are within you. In a simple and practical way, just deepen your breath. That's a moment to pause and be more conscious of that divine presence within you. That deeper breath provides a moment you can connect with your Inner Master.
It's my intention to reach into the Spirit 100%. I want to experience that connection as continuous and constant. So I do my best to keep renewing myself in the Spirit. In each moment, I can remind myself of the Divine within me. Whatever I'm doing in the outer world, I'm also touching within. So even if I'm driving or working, I am choosing to renew myself with the Inner Master. It comes across through my attitude.
When our attitude is lined up with Spirit, we experience the Scripture "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). At those times, everything is lined up, and there is nothing that's disconnected from our Spirit. Even when we're asleep, or doing things contrary to what's uplifting, our Spirit is awake. So even if we're struggling with a challenge, we can meet that challenge with a sense of joy. It's just depends on our attitude.
When our attitude is aligned with Spirit, joy comes naturally. Joy can be experienced in even the smallest of things. Joy is in every detail at some point because God is in the details. Even though you may have heard, "The devil is in the details," the truth is it's your attitude that determines how you choose to align yourself.
With a good attitude, you can relate with joy to whatever happens. The first step is to move into acceptance, which I often see as simply being neutral. For example, let's say you open the refrigerator door and a glass bottle falls out. Now the bottle breaks and what was in the bottle spills all over the floor. You're not only going to miss drinking what was in the bottle, but you've also got to clean up the mess. Could this be a joyful process? Could this be uplifting? I say, "Yes," by adjusting your attitude and choosing to turn it into a joyful process. It's choosing to accept and even making the experience fun.
In the Spirit, we're always having a good time. So keep that in mind when challenges present themselves. When something happens that you don't like, look at where your attitude goes. If you're thinking, "That shouldn't have happened," then choose to connect with your Inner Master. Take a deep breath and align with your Spirit and the attitude that accepts and enjoys all.
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John Morton is the author of the inspiring books, The Blessings Already Are and You Are the Blessings: Meditations and Reflections on Life, God and Us. You can learn more about John and his works at www.theblessings.org. Contact John Morton at johnmorton@theblessings.org.