One of my favorite pastimes on a Sunday evening after a fulfilling day at Unity by the Shore is to cuddle under a blanket on the couch as I watch some of my favorite shows.  One of the television shows I enjoy is Little Big Shots hosted by Steve Harvey.  This program showcases incredible children and teens with unique and extraordinary talent.  On one such evening while watching this delightful program, I was moved to tears by a twelve-year old boy named Sparsh Shah who rolled onto the stage in a wheelchair.  Sparsh was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, brittle bone disease, and is confined to a wheelchair, because the tiniest movement can result in a fracture or break to a bone.  He was born with 30 broken bones, and since birth Sparsh has fractured over 130 bones. Although Shah is small in statue, his personality is larger than life. Shah was on Little Big Shots to perform several rap songs.   During his interview with Steve Harvey before his performance, Harvey asked “With all of your challenges how do you have the energy to sing?”

Sparsh’s response was, “ I don’t focus on my fractures. I am here to inspire the world.”  With that the tears started rolling down my face as he began singing with such passion and power.  

Why is it that some people, habitual complainers, could have their days ruined because of the weather, traffic, bills, and other people, while others with such physical challenges can powerfully inspire and uplift others?  The answer is consciousness. Consciousness is what one participates and/or holds in thought, belief, emotion, and action. Our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions, shape our attitude and impact the actions we do or do not take.  In the words of Emmet Fox, “What you focus upon grows. Whatever you allow to occupy your mind you magnify in your life. Whether the subject of your thought be good or bad, the law works and the condition grows.” Consciousness not only affects each of us personally, but everyone else around us.  

Despite the pain and physical limitations that Sparsh experiences on a daily basis his consciousness is focused on, “I am here to inspire the world.”  This belief has impacted his life and touched the lives of others in many ways. Sparsh has released a tribute CD of one of his favorite rap artists Eminem, has song the National Anthem for many professional sporting events, has performed at numerous concerts with various rap artists, and has performed at the Grammys.  As he focuses on being a giver of life through his music and zealous attitude, he not only brings good into his life, but he also influences others to be a giver of their greatness.

How would your day be shaped if you awoke each morning with the belief, “I am here to inspire the world”?  How would that influence the choices you make big and small as you move through your day? Each one of us is Divinely Powerful with unique gifts.  As you make the choose to be a giver of love, joy, kindness, generosity, creativity, passion, zeal, and encouragement you too have the power to bring goodness into your life and bring light into the world.  

With the dawn of each new day may you remember you are here to  shine. May these beautiful words of Truth from Emmet Fox remind you of the Power of Love and your passion to be it: “There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer: no disease that love will not heal: no door that enough love will not open…It makes no difference how deep set the trouble: how hopeless the outlook: how muddled the tangle: how great the mistake. A sufficient realization of love will dissolve it all. If only you could love enough you would be the happiest and most powerful being in the world…” 

Albert Einstein brilliant physicist and philosophical scientist stated that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Here are some very real experiences of participating in behaviors that you know do not serve your greatest highest good, but you do them anyway:

• Eating food that saps your energy and causes major distress in your body.
• Spending money that you don’t have.
• Participating in gossip because it’s familiar.
• Having the same argument with loved ones.
• Procrastinating or failing to complete something.

Participating in behaviors that lead to disempowerment can leave you feeling exhausted, discouraged, and even hopeless. Have you participated in an “insanity loop” of your own? If you have, you’re in good company. In Romans 7:15 Saint Paul wrote, “I don’t understand myself. I want to do what is right but I do not do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate … It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what’s right, I inevitably do what’s wrong.”

Charles Fillmore, co-founder of Unity, reminded us of the importance of self-knowledge and that our most important study was observation of our own consciousness to uncover hidden motives that influence our thinking and behaviors. Exploring the following questions can help you claim Dominion and end an insanity loop.

• What is the pay-off and is it worth it?
• What does my heart truly long for?
• Am I motivated by fear or love?

First, ask yourself what pay-off do I receive by participating in this behavior? Could it be the pleasure or thrill of instant gratification? We live in a world of instant gratification and frequently when we are hungry, lonely, tired, or frustrated the tendency is great for us to look for something we believe will give us a quick fix. Therefore, many turn to substances or behaviors that can give them a “temporary ”high”. Additionally, a payoff could be postponement of doing something you deem unpleasant, so you reach for or participate in something “more pleasant”. For example, sitting in the silence in an effort to transcend loneliness can seem daunting, and so you choose to reach for a few glasses of wine or busy yourself with mindless activities instead of facing feelings of sadness and unworthiness. If you are one who procrastinates, ask yourself, “ Is my free and mindless time more important to me than taking action in order to get my dreams off the ground?” Ultimately, the gratifying feelings of a chosen quick fix will subside only to elicit deeper pangs of unhappiness.

Another area to explore is to uncover what your heart truly desires. Often individuals who desire financial security, love, and/or joy in their lives reach for external substitutes to fill the perceived void they are experiencing. Ponder,
“How might I bring joy or love into my world and into the lives of others, and what is one small step I can take to make that happen today?” Reflection on whether your choices are fueled by fear or love is another important contemplation. Are your desires to participate in nourishing your body with healthy foods and movement conceptualized as “should s” because it is the right thing to do or a means to thwart aging and getting ill? Or, do you desire to participate in empowering practices because you love yourself and are devoted to nurturing your body, mind, and soul with acts of loving-kindness? When the motivation comes from loving you an activity moves from dread to pleasure.

So, my friends, as the season of Lent, a time of reflection and elimination of what no longer serves you, comes to a close, what are you willing to release? Free yourself from an “insanity loop” and rise in all of your glory to claim your Power and you will be resurrected to new life.