~~ Gandalf (THE LORD OF THE RINGS)
~~ Alfred (BATMAN BEGINS)
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Yesterday morning, I incredibly INSPIRED by a speech given by Joel Osteen. I must profess I rarely watch his show and have yet to read any of his best selling books, but as I was switching channels this day, the moment I turned to his show, he was espousing the importance of looking for the BLESSINGS that come with most of our daily burdens. And of course being The New Age Nerd that I AM, I was hooked! So much of what he was saying resonated at a deeply profound level for me. Much of it because it correlated very closely with the core vibration of this site, that being The Hero's/Heroine's Journey. And the fact that NO THING that comes into your experience is a coincidence. Be it illness, loss, betrayal, as well as the many wonderful and amazing things that we co-create each and everyday. It is all a part of the DIVINE'S way of supporting us on our true path. It does not mean that these experiences and emotions are easy. In fact, some of them can feel downright painful, and cause us to question what the hell is going on in our lives. Some of us get hit so hard, and in so many ways(often all at once), that we start to lose our faith. That is why his message was such a powerful infusion of Re-membrance for me and I am sure many others.
Mr. Osteen told some powerful and humorous stories about his own life in which some quite challenging personal events forced him to face, became some of the most magnificent BLESSINGS he had ever experienced. For instance, his father was a pastor who actually started the church in his family. Joel was much younger then and was quite introverted and shy. He much preferred to stay behind the scenes and help his family by serving the church from behind the stage. UNTIL, his father suddenly passed away. And in the middle of his heavy grief, he had a huge decision to make. In order for the church to continue, he knew he would have to take the lead and become the pastor. Something that scared the ‘HELL’ out of him. But he decided to put his entire faith in Spirit, and so the following Sunday, he gathered (was given by Spirit) the courage and strength to grab the microphone himself for the very fist time, and get on the pulpit to carry on the work that his father had started so many years before. And as we all now know, Joel is one of the most loved spiritual teachers currently on this planet! He has inspired millions of people to live the Greatest Version of the Grandest Vision ever held of themselves. Now that is a transcendent example of turing a burden into a blessing. Not only for himself, but for the world!
It also brought to mind a powerful story from the life of Napoleon Hill, who started the modern day movement toward self transformation back in the 1930's. Of all of the magnificent stories he has shared through his many books, none is near as powerful as the story of his second son in his seminal tomb ‘Think And Grow Rich.’ You see, Napoleon Blair Hill was born without any physical signs of ears. From birth, all his doctors proclaimed that due to his physical deformities, he would live a life of being both deaf and mute. A devastating declaration for any parent! However, Napoleon Hill was a true Bringer of the Light. He made a vow that very day the doctors told them their opinion, that his son would INDEED one day learn to hear and speak! He has said his determination came from a famous quote from transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson, who profoundly stated, “The whole course of things goes to teach us faith. We need only obey. There is guidance for each of us, and by lowly listening, we shall hear the right words.”
To help demonstrate the power of DESIRE, in the second chapter of his book, he outlined his plan to assist his son toward his goal:
Napoleon's plan included:
- renewing his own pledge daily for Blair's wholeness;
- imparting his burning desire to Blair;
- not teaching sign language to Blair;
- mainstreaming Blair's education instead of sending him to a school for the deaf;
- creating bedtime stories for Blair with themes "designed to develop in him self-reliance, imagination, and a keen desire to hear and to be normal" as well as to establish the belief that"his affliction was not a liability, but an asset of great value"
Blair not only made it through a basic education, but later excelled at the University of West Virginia. After graduation, he reluctantly traveled to New York as a company who had heard about his story, developed a hearing aid device they thought would support his deep desire to hear clearly. But so many former attempts of turing various devices had all failed. But little did he know his Hero's Journey was beginning anew!
The device actually worked tremendously and allowed Blair to hear clearly for the first time in his life. So excited and now doggedly determined to use his father's philosophy that included turning burdens into blessings, he asked the company that designed the device if he could work on a marketing plan. His goal was to “render useful service.... to bring hope and practical relief to thousands of deafened people who, without his help, would have been doomed forever to deaf mutism.”
Blair spent a great portion of the remaining of his life on his mission. And DID INDEED help millions of hearing impaired individuals all around the world to live new lives through the use of this magical hearing aide device.
In what ways can we all start taking a look at the BURDENS we are currently carrying, and decide to ask for Spirit's guidance in showing us how we can turn them into BLESSINGS. Not only for ourselves, but for all the other people that these examples might serve?!?! And what an extraordinary way to help shift the consciousness of the planet..............
Nerdmaste,
Jeffrey Louis Martinez
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