Surrendering the Race
by Mary Cook
We chase after false gods of money, power, possessions, drugs and sex, instead of asking what it is that we hope to feel, and what it is that we are running from. When did we jump on a treadmill of escalating expectations and call it life? When did we learn to fear our own pure feelings deep within? When did we stop trusting our connection to the infinite? When did we stop believing in our ability to evolve from all that we and life create?
Typically the desire underlying addictions is to experience a sense of peace, wholeness, happiness, positive esteem and fulfillment. Ironically addicts experience chronic conflict and pressure, a sense of deficiency, misery and shame, a life out of balance and continually contracting, distance and loss of what one loved, and diminishing self-care and adult responsibility. Addiction only gives us a bed of roses at the cemetery. Supporting our true desires means that we find the place where we feel whole deep inside, we find all that’s precious within us, and we find blessings and miracles in everyday life.
We can lose our sense of safety and run away from life. We can fear others’ intentions and stay small and self-contained. We can isolate from authentic engagement and fantasize that we are free. But we’re really on a self-made island running out of food. So when do we meet the sadness with a compassionate heart? When do we face the trauma and begin our healing journey? When do we find what is trustworthy in us and in our life? When do we find the nourishment that can’t be taken away? When do we find the sacred bond and know that we are free?
We can accept each moment exactly as it is, or we can try to control, quarrel, deny or hide from it. We can focus on our judgment of the moment, or we can focus on our highest, healthiest response to it. We can accept that all of life is intertwined, or we can divide life into hierarchies, friends and enemies. We can focus on our unique selfish needs, or we can focus on actions that bring the greatest good for all. We can live in a powerful evolving spiritual partnership, or we can live in a futile competitive race, based on craving what cannot be possessed.
Instead of chasing after false gods and running away from life, we can stand completely still in the fullness of truth right now. We can surrender stress and fill our hearts with love. We can accept the amazing and mysterious interweaving of earthly lessons and heavenly grace, and evolve from all that we and life create. When we release our need to acquire, change or control anyone or anything, we can stand in awe and wonder and feel the fullness of our holy hearts joined in loving unity with all.
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Mary Cook is the author of “Grace Lost and Found: From Addictions and Compulsions to Satisfaction and Serenity”, available from Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, etc. She has over 35 years of clinical practice and 29 years of university teaching experience. Mary is a national speaker and has a private practice in San Pedro, CA. She is available for telephone and office counseling, guided meditation, speaking engagements and in-service training. Contact her at MaryCookMA@att.net and see her website for further information.
