Vince Shifflett

 

The adoption of the philosophy “It is what it is” brings me deeper peace and happiness when I am able to put it into practice. It is all about accepting what is even if it is not what I think it should be. Tough at times indeed. Most of us are very familiar with the statement, “It is what it is” but do we truly accept that?

It is the key to living a positive present life.

It you want to be happier, accept life as it is and let go of the need to be in control. 

I have come to accept that I am not in control. Perhaps wanting to always change things is a means of wanting control. I think I often want things my way. I often want people to see things as I do and believe as I believe. I find myself at times wanting things to be different in my government, my home, my job, my family, and my relationships.

I am finding that every time I am able to release the need to be in control, it makes my life so much easier. I am only responsible for one person in this life and that is yours truly.

Where am I putting my energy? Constantly wishing things could be different is a waste of energy. It is perfectly okay to want things to be different in the future but in this present moment accept things as they are. To fully live in the now one must accept the now exactly as it is.Wishing it could be something else takes away from the present beauty.

It is about accepting people and situations exactly as they present themselves without judgment and without feeling the need to change anything. What a load off of your heart and mind when you are able to do this.

I recently allowed myself to suffer during the holiday season because I spent so much time focusing on what I thought the holidays should look like. I thought it should be a time for family to be together in the spirit of love and thanksgiving. Because that did not happen, I suffered. My expectations led to suffering.

Again, for me it is about learning to accept what is.

It was the same with my mother’s tragic sudden death. I went for several years suffering and wishing I could change it all and have her back. Questioning why she had to leave. Wanting to change so many things surrounding that whole situation. Once I was able to accept what was, I found peace with her death. We do not need to understand. Just accept what is and know that a higher power is in control. Not us.

I also allowed myself to suffer for many years after the breakup of my 18-year relationship to the love of my life. Unnecessary suffering. All things in our life unfold exactly as they are supposed to at exactly the perfect time whether we understand it or not. Being able to accept this alleviates a lot of suffering and allows for a deeper peace.

Life doesn’t always give us what we want no matter how positive we think and no matter how we think it should be.

I challenge you today to let go. Let go of wanting to change people and situations. Just accept what is in this present moment and express gratitude for it.

Much love,

Vince

http://www.vinceshifflett.com

 

Where did labels come from? Labeling contributes to some of the deepest problems that face our species. Labels are often used to identify, differentiate, and separate, often with the intent to disconnect us from the one source.

Where did the label Christian, Muslim, Black, White, Gay, Straight, Fat, Skinny, Rich and Poor come from? People love to label. They use other labels such as bully, nerd, hippe, slut, good girl, bad boy, and the list goes on. Is it necessary to label people?

We are all essentially the same but we find comfort and security being associated with a group, especially when we are fearful and vulnerable, and do not feel grounded in our own skin.

Are we true to our labels?

It has always been a mystery to me how a devout gay Catholic could stand by his or her faith, knowing that the Catholic faith teaches strongly against the gay lifestyle. I have also wondered how someone who calls themselves a Christian can lie, cheat, steal, gossip, create drama, abuse their bodies, or have hatred in their heart toward others when it all goes against the teachings of the Christian faith? How can the rich look down on someone they have labeled poor? How can an African-American who has been the victim of racism and prejudice, continue to hold onto their own prejudice ideas and thoughts about other groups of people? This gives very little meaning to labels when I think of them in this context. I see them often being used to judge others who associate with a different label.

It is my belief that labels are man-made. God has nothing to do with labels. He created us ALL equally. Man came up with the name Christian. Man came up with the name Muslim. Man came up with the names Gay and Straight. Labels serve mainly to divide us. When we label ourselves a certain thing, we immediately set ourselves apart from others who are not that thing.

What would happen if we all starting seeing every human as part of God’s creation?  Not a Muslim, not a gay man, not a Catholic, not a transgender, not a black man, not a Buddhist, but a human that is part of the One Divine Source. Could it change the way we feel about others and create more love and togetherness in this world?  

There is so much hate in our world right now. Even here in our country with the current political environment, there is much hate and name calling using many labels. The name calling and labeling is disturbing to me. What is more disturbing is seeing the re-posting of all the hate filled comments on Facebook and other social media outlets. More than ever, I believe it is a time for us all to practice loving behaviors and stop supporting the hatred.

I make a commitment to pause and ask myself, do my actions support love and inclusion or do they promote hatred and division in any way? Am I part of the solution or do I contribute to the problem? I commit to see ALL beings as a beautiful part of God. I make a commitment to only allow love to dwell in me. No thoughts of division.

I do not subscribe to the notion that one is right while others are wrong.

What are your thoughts when you see a Muslim? Do you see the label or the person? What are your thoughts when you see someone of a different race?  Do you see their race or do you see the person that God created? What are your thoughts when you see 2 people of the same gender holding hands? Do you judge them based on the gay label or do you see them as part of the same creation you belong to?

One by one we can make a difference in our world by simply dropping the labels and being an example of loving kindness toward ALL regardless of what label they identify with.

Next time you find yourself using a label, remember we’re all not so different after all. We all just want to be accepted, understood, respected, and loved for who we are.

Until next time,

Peace and blessings

 

What is the true purpose of the church? This is something that has been on my mind for quite some time, and it has given me reason to pause. You may not agree with everything in this article, but again it is just something I can’t get off my mind so I wanted to share my thoughts.

I grew up in church and have spent most of my life in the church. I am deeply grateful for that experience.

The physical structure of the church, along with its many denominations, is all man-made. Man created Baptist, Methodist, Science of Mind, Pentecostal, Christian, Catholic and the many other names (labels) we use for our different religious organizations.

What makes one better than the other? Isn’t the message supposed to be the same?

These many different denominations, again all man-made have been used to divide us. They have caused wars. They have led to hate and not love with each individual religion thinking their way is the right way. What happened to the traditional biblical scripture “let every man work out his own soul salvation?”

Growing up in church, I can remember the church was run completely by servants. Every penny that came in through the offering plate went to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and clothe the poor. Not pay salaries for church employees. As a child, the pastor of my church had a full-time job. He pastored the church with no salary. It was a calling, not a job.

Fast-forward to now, when there seems to be a lot of energy spent on the whole money issue. I’ve noticed that 30 minutes of any given service is spent talking about money, how much is needed, and all the ways you can give your money. Then there are advertisements from the pulpit about all the things for sale such as classes, books, videos, and concerts as well as many different types of services offered.

For me, at times it makes it difficult to get the real message when it seems all I hear are the commercials.

Then of course there’s a little fear thrown in saying you will not be blessed unless you give. The church as a means of control uses fear. They further emphasize that fear by using biblical scripture to back it up. It is the same way they use fear to get you to believe exactly as they do or “you’re going to hell.”  Is the purpose of the church to instill fear in its members?

With the move and focus towards mega churches, I have noticed church leaders are driving nice cars, flying private planes and living in mansions while many in their congregation are struggling. There is certainly nothing wrong with blessing others monetarily but have we gone too far?

I completely get it. My family and I used to travel and minister in churches all along the northeast when I was growing up. The churches we would minister in would take up a love offering to help us with our expenses. I am aware that it takes money to run the church. The question for me is, “Are we being good stewards of the money coming in through the offering plate?”

The church has been a great source of strength and inspiration for me in my life. However, I recently stopped attending where organized religions meet. It was my hope that the last one I attended would be different. I am grateful for my spiritual evolvement as a result of attending there, but I quickly learned that it too was a man-made religious organization where much of the offering was going to pay salaries with great focus on money and personal gain.

I remember attending there one Sunday and the whole band was missing except for the piano player. After service I asked her, “Where the rest of the band? She replied, “we could not afford to pay them this Sunday so they did not come.” Wow! They didn’t even attend the service.  That stuck in my heart and saddened me to some degree.

Just think what the church could do with all the money paid out in salaries. How many more people could the church help? How much more could it fulfill its true purpose of serving those in need?  Could those salaried positions be filled with people who just do it merely to be a blessing expecting nothing in return?

I have personally made a decision to give my money directly to those in need instead of having a portion of it going to pay salaries. I am a giver by nature and believe in the principal “You reap what you sow.” I am just learning to evaluate where my money goes. I want my giving to feed the hungry and be a blessing to those less fortunate. Giving back is essential.

I also finally came to realize that I do not need the physical structure of an organization to have a spiritual experience and deepen my walk with God (Spirit). I can wake up any morning and have a beautiful spiritual experience by taking a walk in the park, giving thanks, meditating, volunteering in my community, and/or just spending time in silence. I do not need to pay for that.

Has the church lost sight of its true purpose? I love the church, but I believe it should be a center that takes care of the community and those in real need. It should be a center that loves and welcomes ALL. I know there are actually still some churches out there doing just that. Abundant blessings to you. Perhaps I am thinking more about the ones who seem to have a different focus.

You are the church.  I am the church.

We can each do our part to fulfill the true purpose of the church by:

1. Reaching/Touching those in need
2. Volunteering in the community
3. Loving ALL those around us
4. Being kind to ALL of God’s creation

Each individual can do that without belonging to an organized religion created by man. There is certainly nothing wrong with belonging to a church if that is what one chooses to do. Personally, I just found that a deep evaluation of my purpose was necessary.

My intent is not to be critical of the church but just to ask myself questions about my observation of the church. Do churches need to be multi-million dollar buildings with $60,000/month operating budgets? Or should they be more humble abodes filled with people ready to serve? Or should there be churches at all? Again we are the church. The building is not the church.

My sanctuary is inside of me.

Just my thoughts. I look forward to your feedback and as always I appreciate and love each of you.

Until next week