By Rev. Dr. Heather Clark
Is there something you’ve been avoiding—something that might bring joy, satisfaction, and a deeper sense of connection?
Yesterday at the Centre for Spiritual Living in Calgary, Rev. Lesley McNamara spoke on this very topic. I realized she was speaking to me as much as to everyone in the room and online.
I’ve been procrastinating on writing this essay. Once I finish it and send it to Dr. Alice for review, I’ll feel more connected to you and to our community. So why do I procrastinate?
Excuses arise: maybe the idea isn’t compelling, no one will care, or I’ll feel too vulnerable telling the truth. (Would I like a little cheese with that “whine”?)
During Rev. Lesley’s message, I saw the perfect subject here: our human tendency to doubt our worthiness. Imagine God declaring, “I am the creator of heaven and earth, but I might not be capable of writing something universally relevant.” Nonsense.
What’s true?
As human beings, we’re subject to all the human conditions—even the nonsensical ones. Our culture often reinforces false ideas, and we let them into our awareness.
As a mature spiritual being having a human experience—just like everyone else—I can make mistakes. In fact, my mistakes may be my greatest teachers, showing me how painful it is when I’m not true to myself.
As Polonius counseled his son Laertes in Hamlet: “This above all: to thine own self be true; And it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
Be true to yourself.
To be true to yourself, you must know who you really are.
In many foundational classes we ask, “Who are you?” The question can be exasperating—especially when it’s asked again and again—but the repetition deepens the answer.
It might sound like this: I am a seventy-eight-year-old woman moving into the next phase of my life with grace and joy, contributing to the greater good through my participation. Ultimately, it comes down to the qualities of Divine Mind: I am Love, Light, Peace, Power, Wholeness, and Joy. I am an expression of God, a divine power overflowing with the gifts of the goddess.
The truth will set you free, but first it may upset you. (What is a nice girl like me doing in a place like this?)
How did I allow false beliefs into my consciousness?
As William Wordsworth wrote: “The world is too much with us; late and soon, getting and spending, we lay waste our powers. Little we see in Nature that is ours.”
When did I let fear replace faith? I’m certain it’s only a momentary condition—and conditions change.
I’m rising to awaken to my magnificence.
God is. I am.
I’ll close with a song. Before I ever met her, I fell in love with the work of Louise Hay. Years before I became a minister, I found her book You Can Heal Your Life. Her signature song, written by Jai Josephs, says:
“I love myself the way I am, there’s nothing I need to change,
I’ll always be the perfect me, nothing to rearrange,
I’m beautiful and capable of being the best me I am,
And I love myself just the way I am.
I love you just the way you are, there’s nothing you need to do,
If I feel the love inside myself, it’s easy to love you,
Behind your fears, your rage and tears, I see your shining star,
And I love you just the way you are.
I love the world the way it is, ‘cause I can clearly see
That all the things I judge are done by people just like me,
So tell the world of peace on earth that only love can bring
And I’ll help it grow by loving everything.
I love myself the way I am and still I want to grow,
The change outside can only come when deep inside I know
I’m beautiful and capable of being the best me I am
And I love myself just the way I am, oo-oo-oh, I love myself just the way I am.”
