The Bible tells the story of Daniel, who was cast into a lion's den with three ferocious lions, yet came out without a scratch. Sometimes it feels like we are in the midst of a lion's den in our everyday life: In a business meeting where everyone seems anxious and ready to attack; at a political gathering where the two sides are in deep disagreement and tempers are frayed; even at home, where a teenager is abusively rebelling against his parents. How do we maintain our peace in the midst of these situations, and, even more, how do we come through unscathed?

I have found 3 things that work for me that I would like to share: They are: SURRENDER, SURRENDER, and SURRENDER!

1. First, surrender what we see as the problem.

To find inner peace, we must be willing to surrender our story. We humans make up stories about everything. As a matter of fact, the very world we perceive is made up!

Lucille Goodyear from Jackson, Mississippi reports all kinds of trouble driving to and from work. She says it used to be easy……no traffic problems…..no mad rat race…But now, WOW, cars coming from all directions.

She says it's been that way ever since she got her new glasses.

We do the same thing all the time. We would swear things were one way, when, suddenly, new information comes to light and we find that our perception was not true at all. But we get invested in our stories and then solidify it into positionality - I'm right and you're wrong.

There are those that would, I'm sure, be happy to tell you about my political positionality in the not too distant past. I could read anything political and create a story about it - take a position. Thank God, I have learned - and am still learning - to surrender my positionality to God, to let go of my story and see things from a new perspective. It is really interesting to me now to read the newspaper - particularly the letters to the editor - and see how everyone takes a position on any topic, when, truly, all our opinions are of the ego and are based on ignorance. All of our information is only partial. Only Spirit knows all. So when I am reminded of this, it becomes easy to surrender my story to God and see it from a spiritual perspective - the perspective of One.

A Course in Miracles says, "When any situation arises which tempts you to become disturbed, say: "There is another way of looking at this." And there is - always - another way of looking at this. Whatever comes to us, we make the choice of how we perceive it - we can choose to be right…..or we can choose peace.

2. Next, surrender where we see the problem.

Does it seem like, sometimes, we are "inside" the problem - that the problem is all around us and is much too big for us to handle? This is true when we are looking at the problem from the viewpoint of our ego. Our ego wants to be in control and solve the problem, but our ego is limited - and full of fear.

When we can step outside the problem and become the witness, we can see it from a whole different perspective. We can see it from a place of non-attachment. This is like seeing it from our Higher Selves, from a spiritual viewpoint called Awareness.

Wayne Dyer says, "True awareness is a state of pure witnessing, without any attempt to fix or change that which is being witnessed. It is a kind of non-judgmental love that, by itself, is healing. Becoming the witness is an act of love. The ordinary way of attachment and suffering can be changed when you learn to access and cultivate the witness attitude of detachment and observation."

One can best learn to be a witness through meditation. We sit in the silence and watch our thoughts as they pass through our minds, we begin to understand that there is something outside of what we think of as ourselves that is doing the observing. Then, with some practice, we can watch ourselves watching our thoughts. This practice helps us become non-attached, because we realize that we are bigger than any problem that comes our way.

3. Lastly, surrender how we see the problem.

In response to the question as to how he dealt with problems, Nisargadatta Maharaj said, "In my world, nothing ever goes wrong."

The interviewer insisted that Nisargadatta must have problems like every other human being, but Nisargadatta said, "You do not have any problems, only your body has problems…. in your world, nothing stays - in mine, nothing changes." He was speaking of the eternal, changeless dimension of our higher spiritual selves.

We simply accept WHAT IS without feeling the need to change anything! When we can simply accept what is without having to change it, then we can begin living in the NOW, for in the NOW, there is no problem. Even the very worst situation, we can transcend it.

Think about someone about to be hanged. They come and get him from his cell - well, he's okay in that moment. They walk him through the corridor - well, he's okay in that moment. They walk him up the steps to the platform - well, he's okay in that moment. They put the noose around his neck - well, he's okay in that moment. Then they release the trap door, and he instantly passes to the other side of life - well, he's certainly okay in that moment.

A Zen monk was being chased by two tigers and came to the edge of a cliff. He looked back - the tigers were almost upon him. Noticing a vine leading over a cliff, he quickly crawled over the edge and began to let himself down by the vine. When he checked below, he saw two tigers waiting for him at the bottom of the cliff.

He looked up and observed that 2 mice were chewing on his vine. Just then he saw a beautiful strawberry within arm's reach. He picked the strawberry and enjoyed the best strawberry in his whole life.

So, in the midst of the lions, how can we find inner peace, how do we come through unscathed?

Surrender what we see as the problem - we can always see it a different way.

Surrender where we see the problem - see the problem from our Higher Selves and know that we are bigger than the problem.

And Surrender how we see the problem - let go of all resistance and simply be in the flow.

God bless you as you go forth in perfect peace.

We are continually creating our own"truth" with our thoughts. And then these "truths", or beliefs, run our lives. We give things power - or take power away with our thoughts.

Dr. David Hawkins, the author of Power vs. Force, said that if we were to put out a false article on the ineffectiveness of penicillin, and enough people began buying into that belief, then penicillin would no longer cure pneumonia. That is how powerful our beliefs are!

If I hold the belief that a substance is harmful to my body, then it is. I saw that demonstrated in a very real way with my husband's allergies. Through identifying his allergies with kinesiology, or muscle testing, and then releasing them through prayer, he has been healed of over 80 allergies. What we were releasing in prayer was his belief in the allergy, or belief that a substance could be harmful to his body. Once the belief was released, the allergy no longer existed.

We create new diseases all the time. My favorite recent one is black mold, or toxic mold. I first heard of toxic mold 2 years ago, when my sister told me about all the problems they were having in Texas with lawsuits over toxic mold, to the point that insurance companies were refusing to offer any more new policies in the state. And then it began cropping up in Missouri. Seminars were held for architects and engineers to educate them on identifying toxic mold and what to do about it.

Seminars were also being held for attorneys on how to identify victims of toxic mold and how and who to sue. But you know what was amazing about this? Apparently, toxic mold was rampant in Texas and Missouri, but somehow skipped Oklahoma! There was no toxic mod in Oklahoma. Somehow, the toxic mold respected arbitrary state borders - even though they were invisible! The power of the mind.

How do we change our thoughts? Following is a process I have found very effective in releasing unwanted thoughts:

1. Notice your thoughts without judging them.

Accept them completely. Many times they will simply disappear once we accept them.

2. Release the thought.

There are many methods to help you do this - prayer, the Sedona method, the Yuen method - find what works for you.

3. Ask for a miracle, ask to see the Truth.

4. Surrender all to God - and let it go!

The most powerful thing we can do to change our thoughts and beliefs is to surrender them to God! Why is this so powerful?

Who we really are is several layers removed from the physical body. We have the physical body, and beyond that, the mind, and beyond that, consciousness, and beyond that, awareness. Everything is experienced by that which is greater, and everything is influenced by that which is greater. So the body is experienced by the mind, the mind by consciousness, and consciousness by awareness. The physical - the body and the world we see around us - are directed by something much greater. The body, the physical, is only the effect - cause is of the mind.

When we surrender each thought to God, we are surrendering to the highest Power. We are putting ourselves in God's hands. What better, safer, more blissful place can there be but in the hands of God?

Eventually, we will evolve to the point that we dwell at the highest levels, the levels of enlightenment. Then, we won't worry about illness or lack. That's when we will realize there is no such thing - illness and lack are simply an illusion - they were never real. Illnesses begin to heal spontaneously, whatever we need just appears. Need some money to pay the mortgage? An envelope arrives with the exact amount needed! When we truly know our oneness with God, life becomes a transcendently beautiful experience.

Our thoughts are creating our world - moment by moment. We cannot let any negative thought go through our minds unchallenged. A Course in Miracles says, "We are only subject to what we hold in mind."

I bless you today with thoughts of peace, unconditional love and never-ending joy. Dwell there this week and see what happens to your life.

God bless you!