“Another tree is almost down??!! What am I going to do this time?” Although it had been nearly three years ago, it seemed as if just yesterday, a massive tree had fallen down in my backyard nearly demolishing the corner of my quaint home in my peaceful neighborhood. I remembered that cold December afternoon when I discovered I had no internet connection and no phone service. Eek!
As I was running around the house, frantically playing “CSI,” I finally gave in to the urge to look out of my back window. I scooped back the vertical blinds, and gasped as I witnessed Behemoth herself lying on the ground with the snapped phone line in her grasp. First, I remembered how thankful I was she missed falling on my house. But I also recalled the horror of witnessing what I believed was the equivalent of a giant monster with legs crossed napping in my backyard! This sight was so incredible, one neighbor mailed me a sympathy card… yep, she was that massive! It took several months to completely remove Behemoth and her debris. Her stump still remains, bringing back memories of that cold December afternoon whenever I look out of my back window.
So, here we go again. I’m standing in the same spot, vertical blinds in hand, peering out of my back window in angst. Although this tree is not as massive as Behemoth, it’s still pretty massive. It’s sloped at a 45-degree angle ready to drop into the street any day now. A good, strong wind could easily topple the tree, making it a roadblock for my neighbors. And if this happens, I’ll surely be dubbed Ms. Popularity on Parkside Drive… just the title I’ve been dreaming of. I envisioned myself wearing a sash made of pine needles and a revocation notice of my pass to the annual neighborhood barbecue. Determined not to let this be my fate, I decided to ask for some help from “on high.”
I remembered the power of the “now” moment or the “Holy Instant”. The Holy Spirit reminded me that for the “now” to work, I would have to forget about the past and relinquish the future. In other words, forget about Behemoth AND stop envisioning myself wearing a pine needle sash while being ejected from the neighborhood barbeque. The fact is one of those events happened in the past, and the other has not happened at all. By relinquishing the idea of past and future, I make room to receive the perfect solution NOW to this dilemma. I sat down, determined I would be still and know that He is God.
The Holy Spirit reminded me that in order for the Holy Instant to be effective, I would need to release my idea of what the solution should be. Through my obsessive attachment to those images from the past and future, I had allowed my ego to play God and given it authority to predict my outcome. To me, the memory of Behemoth and the possibility of inconveniencing my neighbors were both scary scenarios to contemplate! But allowing the ego to ponder outcomes SHOULD be scary, for the ego only provides fear-based solutions! A lesson from one of my favorite books, A Course in Miracles, states: “Whenever you think you know, peace will depart from you, because you have abandoned the Teacher of peace. Whenever you fully realize that you know not, peace will return, for you will have invited Him to do so by abandoning the ego on behalf of Him.” Through the act of dropping my attachment to the past/future – or surrendering, I had made room for the Holy Spirit to provide a miracle for me right now. So, I did. And the solution came to me...the Holy Spirit said, “Call the city.”
I would have NEVER in two million years thought of this solution. However, the point is to relinquish the “I” and let the One who knows control. The essential thing is learning that we do not know. So, in obedience, I called the city’s information hotline. The operator informed me that indeed a tree in the location I had described is their responsibility and that someone would investigate the matter in the morning. I hung up the phone stunned. “Well, hallelujah then!”, I said as I skipped around the house. I decided this “Holy Instant” thing was fun.
The next morning, the city inspector looked at the tree and determined it was on private property and therefore, my problem…just as I suspected. My smile started to fade. However, I remembered my commitment to stay in the Holy Instant. I reminded myself: I am entitled to miracles and I am staying in a position to receive one. I don’t know the solution to this dilemma, but I’m not supposed to know. I’m going to keep smiling. The inspector said that although he believed the tree was on private property, he would double check with his boss and call me within the hour. The inspector called back to inform me the tree was deemed not to be the responsibility of the city, but that the electric company would be coming to look at it. He said the tree was in a critical position where it would interrupt the flow of electricity to all my neighbors’ homes if it fell; a fact I had not even realized. Shortly thereafter, the electric company came out and removed the tree.
My dilemma was solved quickly, easily, and with no expense to me. With only a willingness to surrender, the Holy Spirit was able to provide me with a shift in my perception, which brought a solution I had not even fathomed…and that is a miracle. With this newfound knowledge, Behemoth is now looked upon as a learning experience and my pine needle sash, an illusion. Hey, maybe this year, I’ll host the neighborhood barbeque.
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by Dawn Mitchell
*As published in the July 2009 edition of The Holy Encounter, Anaheim, CA
Creator, Become Light!
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