Lesson 194 I place the future in the Hands of God.

Today’s idea takes another step toward quick salvation, and a giant stride it is indeed! So great the distance is that it encompasses, it sets you down just short of Heaven, with the goal in sight and obstacles behind. Your foot has reached the lawns that welcome you to Heaven’s gate; the quiet place of peace, where you await with certainty the final step of God. How far are we progressing now from earth! How close are we approaching to our goal! How short the journey still to be pursued!

Accept today’s idea, and you have passed all anxiety, all pits of hell, all blackness of depression, thoughts of sin, and devastation brought about by guilt. Accept today’s idea, and you have released the world from all imprisonment by loosening the heavy chains that locked the door to freedom on it. You are saved, and your salvation thus becomes the gift you give the world, because you have received.

In no one instant is depression felt, or pain experienced or loss perceived. In no one instant sorrow can be set upon a throne, and worshipped faithfully. In no one instant can one even die. And so each instant given unto God in passing, with the next one given Him already, is a time of your release from sadness, pain and even death itself.

God holds your future as He holds your past and present. They are one to Him, and so they should be one to you. Yet in this world, the temporal progression still seems real. And so you are not asked to understand the lack of sequence really found in time. You are but asked to let the future go, and place it in God’s Hands. And you will see by your experience that you have laid the past and present in His Hands as well, because the past will punish you no more, and future dread will now be meaningless.

Release the future. For the past is gone, and what is present, freed from its bequest of grief and misery, of pain and loss, becomes the instant in which time escapes the bondage of illusions where it runs its pitiless, inevitable course. Then is each instant which was slave to time transformed into a holy instant, when the light that was kept hidden in God’s Son is freed to bless the world. Now is he free, and all his glory shines upon a world made free with him, to share his holiness.

If you can see the lesson for today as the deliverance it really is, you will not hesitate to give as much consistent effort as you can, to make it be a part of you. As it becomes a thought that rules your mind, a habit in your problem-solving repertoire, a way of quick reaction to temptation, you extend your learning to the world. And as you learn to see salvation in all things, so will the world perceive that it is saved.

What worry can beset the one who gives his future to the loving Hands of God? What can he suffer? What can cause him pain, or bring experience of loss to him? What can he fear? And what can he regard except with love? For he who has escaped all fear of future pain has found his way to present peace, and certainty of care the world can never threaten. He is sure that his perception may be faulty, but will never lack correction. He is free to choose again when he has been deceived; to change his mind when he has made mistakes.

Place, then, your future in the Hands of God. For thus you call the memory of Him to come again, replacing all your thoughts of sin and evil with the truth of love. Think you the world could fail to gain thereby, and every living creature not respond with healed perception? Who entrusts himself to God has also placed the world within the Hands to which he has himself appealed for comfort and security. He lays aside the sick illusions of the world along with his, and offers peace to both.

Now are we saved indeed. For in God’s Hands we rest untroubled, sure that only good can come to us. If we forget, we will be gently reassured. If we accept an unforgiving thought, it will be soon replaced by love’s reflection. And if we are tempted to attack, we will appeal to Him Who guards our rest to make the choice for us that leaves temptation far behind. No longer is the world our enemy, for we have chosen that we be its friend.

wisdomoftheworld Welcome to WisdomFilms, a new genre in contemplative, life-enhancing media. We offer these short films as a way to stop, take a breath, and come home to yourself, restoring balance to your mind, heart, and soul. By featuring spoken wisdom from today’s most acclaimed voices in self-help and spirituality, these films can help to create sacred space within and without, providing personal sanctuaries of profound beauty and peace. Each WisdomFilm starts with inspiring messages provided by the leading Thought Leaders of our time. With original music scored by Emmy award-winning composer Gary Malkin, these music-infused messages are set to the breathtaking time-lapse cinematography of award-winning cinematographer, David Fortney, providing short but potent opportunities to de-stress, recharge, and remember what matters most. During these busy times, when many people are feeling overwhelmed, it is our hope that these “media-tations” will deepen your access to a deep gratitude for the very preciousness of life. For a DVD of your own, go to www.wisdomfilms.com. THE VENERABLE THICH NHAT HANH is a Buddhist monk, poet, Nobel nominee, and the author of Being Peace, The Miracle of Mindfulness, and many other books. www.parallax.org GARY MALKIN Founder and Creative Director of Wisdom of the World, is a multiple Emmy and ASCAPaward-winning composer and visionary media producer dedicated to making a difference in the worldby creating transÂ-formational media that inspires the heart, bridges cross-cultural differences, and catalyzessocietal and individual healing. www.garymalkin.com and www.wisdomoftheworld.com DAVID FORTNEY internationally acclaimed director, cinematographer and editor, is famous for his state-of-the-art nature photography that is breathtakingly spectacular and exemplifies a sheer cinematic genius.  www.davidfortney.com

Alex Shultz, SFGATE Jan. 30, 2022 (SFGate.com)

Deebo Samuel was by far the most valuable member of the San Francisco 49ers this season. He was an elite wide receiver and, somehow, an elite running back, too. He dealt with grueling injuries, took brutal hits and was limping around throughout the playoffs. 

And then, Samuel was then consoled by none other than his opponent, Odell Beckham Jr., who made time to speak to a Niners player when he could’ve instead been celebrating with his teammates. 

This is awesome pic.twitter.com/A3DmTldMPg

— CJ Fogler AKA Perc70 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) January 31, 2022

The interaction between the two receivers is equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming. There was lots of talk before the NFC title game about the coaching rivalry between Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, plus the built-in antagonism between San Francisco and Los Angeles sports fans, but in the end, players on opposing teams were able to share a genuine moment.

Samuel remained on the sideline well after the game ended, and his own teammates will have to cheer him up in the days to come. But Beckham deserves props for putting everything else aside when he saw someone in need of support.

Written by Alex Shultz

Alex Shultz is the sports editor for SFGATE. You can reach him at alex.shultz@sfgate.com

The Ace of Disks

The Ace of Disks marks, on the everyday level, the start of a new project, which is likely to be successful. So it will come up to show a new job, or a new business venture. Usually this will be the sort of project that seems to continuously keep on growing, with each level of attainment producing – almost of itself – the next step in the journey.

Sometimes the Ace will come up to indicate a sudden change of material fortune, or a windfall – though either of these would have to be quite substantial to invoke the Ace. Aces are always big influences, marking the beginning of something new and important. So if we see the card coming up to represent a sudden input of funds, expect this to cause major changes in the querent’s life.

On a more spiritual level, this card relates to the Earth, and to the appreciation of Nature. It might mark a period where we draw closer to environmental issues, or where we engage in a period of study, contemplation and alignment with Earth forces.

One thing that we often miss, when considering spiritual development, is the way that each development grows out of the last. Anyone who has been involved in the search for spiritual truth will already have experienced the weirdly coincidental manner in which spiritual opportunities and teachers present themselves at the relevant stage in our growth.

There’s a saying – ‘The right teacher only appears when the student is ready’. It is as though we grow spiritually from the inside, the same way that trees do. And in so doing, maybe we develop inner rings – just like a tree’s trunk. The outer ring, just under the bark could not exist without all of the others it encircles.

We’re basically the same. The topic that we are exploring today has grown from all of the earlier topics we have looked into. Our experience is formed in layers, each of which is inter-dependent with the earlier ones. The Ace of Disks relates very closely with this method of human development – it shows us the way we grow. And warns us against trying to skip any of the stages!

(via angelpaths.com and Alan Blackman)