Our incredible power

Today I picked up a little book I've had for a long time. It is Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr. I have always loved the title. In fact, I've had a particular interest for many years in titles that so capture the author's meaning or main point that you almost don't have to read the book! This is one of them. Just contemplate that statement, "Everything belongs". Try using it as a mantra and see what happens. It's very powerful.

But I am going to offer you a passage here. It's from the chapter entitled, "Cleansing the Lens":

As we observe our mental and emotional flow over a period of disciplined time, we recognize that we largely create our own experiences. I know this is embarrassing and some of us deny it, but it's true. We have the power to decide what the moment means and how we will respond to it. We have power when we know we have the ability to respond freely. We can decide if we're going to respond to something hatefully or lovingly. We can decide to attack or ask for the gift of forgiveness, or at least the gift of understanding.

This free decision is a real source of power and self-esteem that nobody can take from us. It's not dependent on having a beautiful body and being young. In fact, our inner power increases as we get older. When we go down to that place of pure intentionality where we are still free, no jail can imprison us...