Holy Spirit at Work
by Ron Roth,
Ph.D.
In
recent years, large numbers of books, tapes, workshops, and
seminars have been devoted to previously undervalued concepts
such as intuition, flow, guidance, spiritual healing,
empowerment, motivation for success, and reinventing ourselves
and our work. One quality these concepts share is the fact that,
during humanity's thrust toward enlightenment,
industrialization, and technology over the past three centuries,
they have all been gradually played down in favor of logical
thinking, rationality, a general speeding up of the pace of
existence, and a disenchantment of everyday life. But these
concepts also share a less obvious characteristic: They are also
the work of the Holy Spirit. If we can begin to understand how
the Spirit operates continuously in our lives, then our daily
existence will become less stressful and more relaxed, filled
less with drudgery and more with enchantment, and we in turn can
become more creative and begin to enjoy a new sense of purpose,
fulfillment, and enthusiasm.
Spirit has
everything to do with the energies that impel us into more
fulfilled and satisfying lives. It is the divine essence at the
center of our being, but as long as we remain ignorant of that
holy energy, it cannot be fully operative in our lives. Because
of this, until we learn to recognize and then embrace the
presence of the Spirit, we cannot be as productive, creative,
and fully alive as God intends.
I found out
years ago how dearly I needed to be informed about the workings
of the Holy Spirit for my life to flow with increasing abundance
on every level. Sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake, but
if I keep my mind open, eventually I get the message. When I
left my last parish and resigned from the institutional
priesthood, the diocese gave me a certain amount of time to find
a home of my own, but I had trouble locating a place, and I was
down to my last week at the parish house. As I worked with a
local realtor, I was especially attracted to one house, but I
knew that I couldn't afford it, so I tried to put it out of my
mind, even when the realtor kept suggesting that I look at it.
Although I often teach the importance of not putting limits on
our thinking, I was guilty of doing so myself. I kept driving
past the house, though, because something wouldn't let me
completely forget about it. At the same time, I had been given a
life-size statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by a parishioner
whose wife was healed of cancer. It was a very expensive statue,
but I almost didn't want to accept it because I had no idea
where I could put it. I began getting a picture in my mind that
when I found the house I was looking for, I would open the front
door and see a niche where the statue would fit easily.
After driving
past the house a number of times without going in, I decided to
call the realtor and have a look. I also invited a friend who
was a member of the parish to go along with me. And when I
opened the door, the first feature that caught my eye was a
brick niche perfect for my statue of the Sacred Heart. Even so,
I wondered how I could afford the house, which required more of
a down payment than I could presently muster. Noticing the look
of consternation on my face, my friend asked what was bothering
me. When I explained, he said that he would help me financially
so that I could get the house. As it turned out, it was a good
investment all around, because the value of the house has
doubled in the eight years since I bought it, and I was able to
pay him back. Some people might say that was coincidence, but I
don't believe in coincidence. I believe that this is what living
in the Spirit is all about.
A similar thing
happened when I was shopping for a new car some years ago.
Because I'm big and tall, most of the models I tried didn't have
enough leg room, and I struggled to find one where my knees
weren't up to my chin when I sat in the driver's seat. All along
I had been eyeing a Lincoln Town Car that looked like it would
be plenty big enough, but once again I thought I couldn't afford
it. After four months of trying to squeeze into smaller models,
I finally gave up resisting and took the Town Car for a test
drive. That night I realized it was the right car for me, and
after I bought it, the money materialized to pay for it. The
Holy Spirit had been whispering in my ear all the time, trying
to help me overcome my resistance to getting what I needed, but
I had pretended not to hear.
Once you learn
to listen and tune in to the whisperings of the Spirit, you will
be amazed at how much energy is freed up within you because the
Spirit is energy.
At a time when
spiritual teachers are increasingly working with energy as a
healing force, we would be foolish not to examine this energy
that has long been honored as the creative force of the
universe, the very breath of all that lives. The energy of
Spirit can assist us in our daily lives to be great healers,
enthusiastic entrepreneurs, motivating speakers and teachers,
great artists, innovators, or inventors.
Just to be aware
of the workings of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives will lead
to an awareness of our own limitless possibilities, for the very
reason that at the core of our being we are Spirit, emanations
of divine light. To be aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit
will help alleviate the stress, tension, and sense of
hurriedness that is already the cause of so much discomfort and
disease in our lives. In place of that stress will come a sense
of peace, harmony, balance, and tranquility arising from the
knowledge that you are protected, guided, loved, and never
abandoned. You will exude joy as your desires for success and
fulfillment spur plans that seem to evolve from nowhere at the
instigation of the Spirit.
Since the Holy
Spirit guides us without our conscious knowledge, you may think
it unnecessary to be aware of what's happening. Yet knowing that
the Holy Spirit is at work will save time as you learn to trust
your instincts, the "still small voice" that urges you
to do one thing, or to refrain from doing something unhelpful
that you may be about to do. As you begin to recognize that the
Holy Spirit guides your actions and protects you, helps you
remember things, and instills in you both desires and the plans
to fulfill those desires, you will become more accepting of the
impulses that spring to mind unbidden. Once you do, you can
welcome the Holy Spirit's comfort, vitality, and enthusiasm, and
begin to realize your visions and dreams.
Author's Note:
The Christian scriptures and most traditional theologians refer
to the Holy Spirit as masculine in gender. Yet, throughout the
Hebrew and early Christian scriptures, references to the divine
Presence that represents the Spirit of God often use the
feminine, as in the Hebrew words ruach and shekinah, and
the Greek pneuma. Although God comprises both genders,
the English language requires a choice of gender for personal
pronouns. Because I have come to think of the Holy Spirit as
feminine, I choose to refer to the Spirit throughout this book
as She or Her. If that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to
substitute the pronouns of your choice.
This
article was excerpted from Holy
Spirit, © 2000, by Ron Roth. Reprinted with permission
of the publisher, Hay House Inc., www.hayhouse.com.
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