I rule my mind, which I alone must rule.
I watched a great movie last night called The Hurricane, with Denzel Washington.
It goes along perfectly with today’s lesson – I rule my mind, which I alone must rule – and it also reminded me of the great necessity to not just accept your lot in life and think that something by way of a miracle is just going to drop out of the sky and save you. Your release is not going to be handed to you on a silver platter while you drone out in front of the television, eating chips out of the bag. You are going to have to FIGHT for your freedom. You’re going to have to fight for justice. You’re going to have to stand up for your innocence, and for all the things you believe in. You’re imprisoned for life and if you want to be released, then you are going to have to fight for it
You’re going to have to put your whole life, mind and body into it.
IF THAT’S WHAT YOU WANT. Some people are perfectly content to let the hours roll into days into weeks into years. That’s fine.
But if you’re looking for release from time & space, you can’t just sit around in your prison cell, praying for a miracle, hoping your circumstances will change. They won’t.
You are going to have to stand up and fight for what you know is true: your innocence, truth and your release.
Denzel Washington plays Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a man who in the prime of his boxing career is falsely accused and convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. In prison, he refused to conform to the rules. He rose above the hell that was his physical world of his jail cell and he ruled his mind, which he alone must rule. While in prison he wrote a memoir The Sixteenth Round, and a young teenager who was inspired by the book along with 3 Canadian activists who dedicated their lives to standing up for truth, decided to prove Carter’s innocence.
It’s an extraordinary story. Carter spent 20 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and when he is finally released he says “Hate got me into this place, love got me out.”
Here’s from today’s lesson:
I have a kingdom I must rule. At times it does not seem I am its king at all. It seems to triumph over me, and tell me what to think, and what to do and feel.
See that? You think your life is ruling you. You think circumstances are ruling you. You think someone else determines the outcome of your life. But it’s not true. You rule your mind. You have the ability to rise above all circumstances. You have the power to fight the good fight.
Not all fighting is bad. Sometimes you gotta stand up for what you believe in, even when no one else believes in you, even when the whole system is fighting against you.
You may think to yourself: “I can’t fight against the system. It’s too huge, it’s too corrupt, and I’m too small. I can’t possibly make a difference. I’m no one.”
And then you give up before you even begin! This the main difficulty every encounters! The think of the magnitude of a project or task before they even begin, and then they see themselves as a failure without even trying, and then they give up.
And the corruption continues.
But usually when you’ve got nothing else to lose and when your whole life depends on it, you will find an energy source capable of going the distance and not wavering … until you are free.
If you are still in prison, bound by rules and limitation, please don’t give up. Please don’t ever accept your circumstances as “just the way it is”. THAT’S NOT THE WAY IT IS.
Until you walk out of those prison doors into the sunlight, do not give up. Do not let yourself become defeated. Keep in mind that the system is designed to beat you down.
I’ve gone years where I thought “this is not working.” I’ve given up on many occasions. I’ve thought “this is a waste of time.”
But if Carter Rubin can sit in a jail cell for 20 years, then I can keep going.
I can tell you from personal experience the journey is humbling … and at times: exhausting. You think you’re alone. You think you’ve been abandoned. You believe there is no God. Years go by and nothing happens. I’ve had moments when I think “this has all been a waste of time. Nothing is happening”
And then comes the most terrifying thought of all: “What is nothing ever happens? What if I’ve been wrong and this is all a huge waste of time? What if this is as good as it gets? What if I die in this cell?”
Then I die in this cell, fighting till the end.
I don’t have a choice in the matter. I’ve been set upon a path and there’s no turning back. I’ve got nowhere else to go. There’s nothing else for me. I’ve got nothing else to do.
This path has been magnificent and I cannot imagine any greater privilege than to stand up for Jesus and glorify my Father.
My mind can only serve. Today I give its service to the Holy Spirit to employ as He sees fit. I thus direct my mind, which I alone can rule. And thus I set it free to do the Will of God.
Lisa, i saw that movie. It and your post are great. I’m not exactly sure when, but you ascended to a higher place recently. You are absolutely out of this world. Please write another book to share yourself with others who don’t know you yet. You rock. You are truth and love and the light. God has chosen you. I thank god i found you. Your message is perfect. Wow. I love you!!!
( sorry for beating around the bush! )
Not all fighting is bad. Sometimes you gotta stand up for what you believe in, even when no one else believes in you, even when the whole system is fighting against you.
WOW…Jesus shows us this! Your message is “right on” Lisa, I love how your
viewing the movie fits in so perfectly with todays lesson, then of course, everything
will, when you see the Truth! I will get that movie for sure….sounds inspiring to
say the least! xoxo debi
Lisa,
I just had the most beautiful insight. I know how you write, because i now write like that. Inspired by your post, i wanted to say something to you and could hardly wait to see what it was going to be. Am i getting warm?
I have to admit, I get confused about fighting and letting go, about “I need do nothing” and do what I can, about the quote in the Course that says: “Your problems have already been solved.” and the fact of what is in front of my eyes, and is scaring me.
Not long ago, I spoke to a minister. She is a wonderful lady, full of faith. She is also a published book author, which I very much want to be.
We were talking about the balance between doing and stepping back and receiving God and Pam said something to me that makes a lot of sense. She said:
“Make the best decision you can for Good and go for that. Go for the Good with all your might, knowing God is behind you.”
So if you want an A in an exam, pray for help — and then study like there is no tomorrow.
Or in my case, if I want to see my book or my columns published, then pray to be led in my writing and in my submissions — and then hit the ground running.
I know a very famous author who did that and was told “No thank you — we can not see enough of an audience for this book.” She had done everything right, asked God for help, even went on welfare and wrote in her basement to write her book to help people.
And then no one seemed to want it.
So she did something really hard — she gave it to God again and went back to her $10 an hour job.
Six months later a publisher called. and said, well, maybe we can try it now.
Six months after that she was on the Oprah show.
For some reason this has been very difficult for me to get — this balance of let go, work, step back, give to God, let go, work….
But this morning when I read your post, Lisa, it started to make more sense. Once again, thank you for being there with me.
Lori
Lori, I read your comment yesterday and you had me in tears by the end of it.. wowowowow. thankyou for such a great gift.. and today is the same.. what a great message that comes thru your honesty and your willing ness to tell the truth.. thankyou.
Lisa, wow and today? Baby what have you done to me? just when I think I can breathe again, I read your post and zooom i am gone again…
I did not see the words today, a dear one phoned me and read them to me.. I cried with the passion, that is God using you to heal me.. Passion, i have always been afraid of it… I remember The Master Teacher saying ‘you will know that you are in passion because you are going to be out of control, stay there…’ wow there you are and I am reignited for lift-off hearing / feeling your words..
At this moment, I could not tell you what you said but I CAN FEEL WHAT YOU DIDN’T..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You have given me the same permission to be so in the moment of unlimited passion, and i am experiencing the same thing as in the moment you, in G4G said to me..IN THE ACCEPTANCE TO GO OUT AND MAKE AS MANY MISTAKES AS POSSIBLE LIES FREEDOM..I used that today, reading out loud at a meeting, I am just grooving along.. then wappo, I cannot string 2 words together, adding words that are not there.. I am a mess.. and the healing of a life ravaged by the humilitation of dyslexia, came in an instant when part way thru I said to the group.. i am not up to my quota of mistakes today so i am just going to keep going here… wow I am free.!!!!!!!!!
NO residue of shame, guilt, fear, humilitation… wow stand in the fear until i cannot stand it and stand a little longer, and LOVE arrives to reveal something new and bright that has always been there… owowow.
I love you, you make my heart sing, and everything is
GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOVEY… JAYME
Sounds like a good movie. Haven’t ever seen it.
I might need to rent it.
Blessings,
Lance
http://www.lancessoulsearching.com