Conversation With God

I was talking to God the other day about how to succeed, and believe it or not, I got an answer. It wasn’t an external booming voice. There was no lightning or thunder. The words just gently dropped into my meditative open mind.

“You must make a sacrifice.”

Since I was fresh out of lambs and had recently given up sugar, I asked, “What would you have me give up in order to have more success in my life?”

“Television,” God replied. “No TV five days a week.”

I panicked! “But it’s football season, and “America’s Got Talent” is down to the final ten, never mind the fall season is starting. Only two days… is that two full days? Can I Tivo 48 hours of shows and watch them all?!”

Then I realized I was trying to negotiate more television time with God! God was essentially telling me I could have guaranteed success - all I had to do was cut down my TV watching to two days a week and use that time to be more creative and productive.

In metaphysical teachings, the topic of sacrifice is generally avoided. This “feel good” spirituality, in my ever so humble opinion, is why so many people struggle with success in some aspect of their lives, be it career, relationship, finances, etc. We all have dreams and we all want to be successful, but when it comes down to giving something up in order to make that happen, we usually don’t want to. Behind every successful person is a significant sacrifice.

[**Jesus Alert** Don’t panic, I am about to reference Jesus. Please note: I believe that the parables, stories and symbols in the Bible hold amazing teachings, and that the Bible is not necessarily meant to be taken literally. I also believe that you and I can read the same passage and receive two completely different messages, and both interpretations can be correct. So please don’t let the reference turn you off.]

I digress.

When Jesus was gathering his disciples, he told them to drop everything, leave their old lives behind and follow him. Metaphysically speaking, that means that if we want real fulfillment in our lives, we must be willing to drop our old ways (because clearly they aren’t working) and follow Spirit (whatever form that takes for you).

So I am giving up TV five days a week and using my time for spiritual and creative endeavors. I’ll let you know how it goes. So far, I’ve started this blog and am writing an article for a local women’s magazine.

In the meantime, ask yourself two questions. What part of your life isn’t what you would call “successful?” And what do you have to sacrifice in order to have success in that part of your life? If you sit with those questions, you will get your answer. It may not be immediate, but you will definitely get an answer. When you do, I hope you realize that you are worth far more than any sacrifice you are asked to make.

Godspeed!