CHAPTER SIXTEEN STOP THE CHASE AND BE A WITNESS

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

STOP THE CHASE AND BE A WITNESS

Even though President Obama won his second term, people are waking up and righteousness will yet prevail.  Mitt Romney did an excellent job waking the people and bringing the church out of obscurity.  I believe he would have made a great president, but it’s not the time to have a great president.  There are still many lessons we need to learn before we're  ready for freedom.  We must return to virtue and freedom principles, but it’s not happening.  Our country is going in the other direction.  The Lord has his own time table and  will deliver his people.  The righteous shall escape and everything will be alright in the end, but it’s not the end yet! 

I always thought we would have good health into our eighties, like our parents. My mom used to tell me that we were running too fast and would burn ourselves out if we didn’t slow down. Most our life we ran faster than we had strength, now I can barely walk!  It's easy to become discouraged as I watch my body get weaker and slower, the tremors get stronger and my right hand lose function.   It appears that Parkinson’s is going faster than I can rebuild my body.  Even though my energy is coming back, the dis-ease seems to be getting worse.  I don’t see improvement in my brain and nervous system.  Perhaps I could have turned things around if I had started a raw diet years ago and taken better care of health.     

                                  My healthy parents in their eighties.

When I opened a book by Dr. Wayne Dyer these words nearly jumped off the page,   “STOP THE CHASE AND BECOME A WITNESS” -- truly a message from heaven that I needed.   I’m amazed that God is aware of the details in my life.   Dr. Dyer says:

“The more you pursue desires, the more they’ll elude you.  Try letting life come to you and begin to notice the clues, that what you crave is on its way.  You’re in a constant state of receiving – the air you breathe, the water you drink, the food you eat, the sunshine that warms you, the nutrients that keep your body alive, and even the thoughts that fill your mind are all gifts from God.  Stay appreciative of all that you receive, knowing that it flows from an all-providing Source.  STOP THE CHASE AND BECOME A WITNESS - soothe your demanding habits by refusing to continue running after more.  By letting go, you let God. Inventory your desires then turn them over to God.  Turn them over and do nothing but trust.  At the same time, listen and watch for guidance, then connect yourself to the perfect energy that sends whatever is necessary into your life.” 

I am tired and weary of the chase!  I’ve read so many articles about reversing Parkinson’s and spent lots of money doing what they say to do! I’m exhausted from running around searching for answers.  There must be a better way!  Can I find peace and rest in stillness, in quiet places, in my Savior’s arms?   Please Lord, help me see that I’m not in a race to beat Parkinson’s.  I’m weary of chasing after treatments and supplements, and  I’m tired of spending so much money to get well.  

Fear is a prison and the root of all my darkness.  When I think about my future a cloud of fear hangs over my head,  and  I become afraid that time is running out on me. Fear is like a heavy fog that blankets the earth, blocking the sun.  It’s  the single biggest block that prevents me from reaching the light and hope that is all around me.  Many of our fears do not come from us, but from our progenitors;  it's the genetic  code in our DNA.  We carry this code until it no longer makes any sense and we  change. It takes a spiritual transformation.

 

I’m still finding fears hiding under the surface. My cupboards are full of nutritional supplements, to the point of being ridiculous.   My daily routine would seem insane to any normal person.  When my sister, Vicki, saw all the things I do she was shocked.  When I saw myself through her eyes, I started laughing and we both laughed so hard it hurt.  This was the best therapy we’ve both had in a long time.

                                      My sisters keep me laughing!  

In today’s world, sometimes you can’t fight, and you can’t flee.  The only way out is to learn to flow.  The word fight is a word that implies force and control and I’m weary of those energies.   I don’t want to fight any longer.  I’m willing to work hard to regenerate and rebuild my body, but even that goal implies that it’s up to me to heal myself.  My Martha-like behavior takes over again and I leave God out of the picture. I will heal if it’s God’s will and it will happen in his own due time.  

God will lead me to everything and everyone I need to walk this healing journey.  My job is to do the best I can to eat right and take care of my body, then have patience and faith in God,  the great physician and healer.   Faith without works is dead,  do the works the best you can and leave the rest to God.    I believe in miracles more than medical theories.  I need to believe that I can heal, that I already am, and see the miracles that happen every day.  Praying in faith is more  than believing that God will act according to my desires, if only I believe hard enough.  It’s  knowing that God will always respond to my prayers according to his purposes and his promises.

It’s easy to feel hopeless when I see the evidence of Parkinson’s in my body, but “Faith is the hope of things not seen.”  Alma 32:    I can be hopeful and have faith in things that are not seen and   believe in miracles.  Elder Marcus B. Nash said: 

“Faith is both a principle of action and of power.  It is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if we have faith we hope for things which are not seen, which are true.  It is an assurance of the spirit gained through our learning that moves us to act, to follow the Savior even through times of trial.  Faith brings us the power of the Lord, which among other things is manifested by a hope of good things to come – miracles that confirm our faith.”

  

We can exercise such faith in the Lord, believing and trusting that he will bless us with his miraculous power, suited to our needs.  I’m ready to release the darkness of fear that has enslaved me for so long.  Everything is safe and perfect.  We are living in the most exciting time in the history of the world, the time of awakening and rebirth.  All things will become new again.  Greg Braden calls it the Shift of the Ages.

“In these days a generation will be birthed that will have power inherent in their being and virtue of their life experience and relationships, that power will be awakened and in the awakening the world will never be the same again.  The earth will go through unprecedented changes and our bodies will mirror those changes.  Time is speeding up and so are our bodies, as we change our belief system, our past hurts are the triggers that help us redefine who we are.”

                                    Hope and Autumn, a new generation.      

Becky says I need to let go of the attachment to getting well, or any outcome, and turn my life over to God, surrender to his will and be willing to accept any path He wants me to walk.   If it’s His plan for me to be handicapped then He will give me the strength to face my future and be what he wants me to be.

If our approach to a situation isn’t working, there is more to learn.  Either something else will provide help or the flow of events will reveal what is needed.  I won’t get to the solution until I admit that my response isn’t perfect.  Controlling people lack this flexibility and humility; they insist on being in charge. This behavior promotes disharmony both within themselves and with their environment. Unable to simply allow, they pay the price of never truly experiencing the nourishment that comes when life is allowed to flow.  Stress always arises when we concentrate on how something has to turn out.  We don’t need to know where we’re going to enjoy the road we’re on.

I will stop the chase and be peaceful, and stay focused on Christ who is the healer!  If it’s His plan, He will heal me in His own time.  In the meantime I will try to be peaceful and calm as I walk into the unknown, putting my trust in God with child like faith.  Faith is a gift and peace is the reward when I doubt not, fear not, and look to Him in every thought.  It’s a new way of walking, hard for humans, especially old humans.  It’s the way I learned to walk in Cambodia, one step at a time!  Our mission prepared me for this new trial and taught me how to walk through all the trials in my life – just be loving and peaceful and follow the Savior.  He will lead me where he wants me to go  as I’m willing to follow him.  I don’t need to know where I’m going to enjoy the road I’m on.

                         Walking with faith in every footstep in Cambodia.

When the young man escorting Joan of Arc to the King of France asked this amazing young woman  which way to go she replied “I don’t know, I’m just taking it as it comes.”   Which way do I go now?  I don’t know!  I'll just take it as it comes!