Aug 115 min read

GUIDE MY FEET

A lone runner on a bridge — Guide my Feet while I run this Race

The title comes from the beginning of a song we sing at my Unity Church in Albany:

Guide my feet, while I run this race. A spiritual that comes out of the African American tradition, it often comes to mind for me when I am in moments of stress or indecision.

But who or what am I asking to “guide my feet” specifically?

God of course. Call it by any name you like: God, the Universe, Spirit, Source, Mystery, Great Spirit, Allah, Krishna, Buddha, Higher Power, Supreme Being, Divine Mind, the Light, Yahweh or Jehovah, The Force, Good Orderly Direction or Great Out Doors.

My favorite is I AM from the Old Testament passage where Moses asks God directly, what’s Your name?

But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them,

‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you’,

and they ask me,

‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”

God said, “Tell the Israelites,

I AM Who I AM

Tell them I AM sent me to you.

(Exodus 3:13-15)

It’s my favorite because whenever I say I AM, I am saying the name of God. I am invoking the power that creates worlds. Anything I say after I AM declares to the Universe exactly what I think, what I believe, what I expect.

Those words set up a vibration in physical, mental, emotional, psychic, spiritual and quantum space that resonates in frequency, either in harmony or in dissonance to the All-Goodness of the Universe.

We have to watch what we say after, I AM. If I say I am sick and tired, discouraged, fed up, etc. the Universe says, “Yes you are, and here’s some more to prove it!” Of course, I (and we all) feel these things and everyone is allowed a short pity-party, but then it is time to affirm the Truth, that we are fabulous, blessed, fortunate, abundant, loved and protected.

But back to the names, the many names, that people around the world use to indicate their religious or spiritual deity, does it matter what we call that entity?

Juliet says, in Romeo and Juliet:

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet.

True enough on the level of the mundane. But at higher levels of consciousness, a name is a very important, a very powerful incantation of belief and faith, of understanding.

A Course in Miracles address this issue directly, talking about the oft-used idea in some spiritual communities that we can demand or command things, “In Jesus name.”

In The Manuel for Teachers, the Course Says:

The Bible says, “Ask in the name of Jesus Christ.” Is this merely an appeal to magic? A name does not heal, nor does an invocation call forth any special power. What does it mean to call on Jesus Christ? What does calling on his name confer? Why is the appeal to him part of healing?

(ACIM, M-23.1:3-9)

A little later in the same section it says:

What does this mean for you?

It means that in remembering Jesus you are remembering God.

Would the greatest teacher be unavailable to those who follow him?

The name of Jesus Christ as such is but a symbol. But it stands for love that is not of this world. It is a symbol that is safely used as a replacement for the many names of all the gods to which you pray. It becomes the shining symbol for the Word of God, so close to what it stands for that the little space between the two is lost, the moment that the name is called to mind. Remembering the name of Jesus Christ is to give thanks for all the gifts that God has given you.

(ACIM, M-23.3:1–4:5)

I believe in, and I try to teach, a practical program that works in our everyday lives, one that can be used and useful to people wherever they are on their spiritual journey, ones who are just starting to explore the larger questions of life and love, to those who have been doing this schtick for a long time…. and yet there is always still more to think about, to learn, to practice and to grow.

A “practical program” is what 12-step recovery groups call their program of recovery. Unity calls itself, “practical Christianity.”

In other words, the spiritual is not some navel-gazing exercise that gets you ready for something wonderful, something “better” when you croak! It is a method for living a full life, an abundant life, a life beyond your wildest dreams!! And to have it all, NOW!

Yes, we all must earn a living somehow. Yes, we have difficulties with family and friends. Yes, we often manifest problems, health issues, accidents, encounter obstacles and pitfalls. Yes, we live life on the physical plane, navigating our daily quotidian existence as best we can.

Yet, as Peggy Lee asked, “Is that all there is?”

No! Certainly not!

Of course, Peggy’s answer was to break out some booze and keep dancing, avoiding the problems – and the solutions – that a practical program of spirituality offers us.

When I’m in doubt, struggling, unsure, afraid – which happens more than I care to admit – lonely, confused, or bored with the whole thing, I can turn my attention to a power greater than myself and ask for help.

“Guide my feet, while I run this race.”

Help me to keep them moving, putting one foot in front of the other, until I get out of this situation, out of the dark corridor, the “valley of the shadow.”

Help me when I stumble.

Help me when I don’t know which fork in the road to take.

Help me when I’ve lost the trail.

Help me when the path is crowded with boulders.

Help me when I haven’t seen a soul for days.

Direct my steps.

Be my navigator.

God is my co-pilot.

Whatever I call the Force that keeps the stars in alignment, keeps the molecules spinning in their orbit, keeps the seasons turning and the ocean tides ebbing and flowing, it is in charge of it all – on the macro-level, on the micro-level and on the personal level.

I can call on it, and it will respond, not based on just my words alone, but based on my deepest beliefs, my deepest level of consciousness.

I am so happy and grateful now that…. Is one way that I declare what my highest understanding is for good in my life.

I am so happy and grateful for you, my readers. I appreciate the likes and comments. I learn something every time I write, something I didn’t know I knew, and I hope that you do too.

Happy Sunday,

Johnny

I am available to do private tours of Paris, based on my book, Paris Histories and Mysteries.

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