Someone asked me during a talk I gave this week, "You say we are the only world expert on ourselves but I am religious and I believe that God knows me best and knows what's best for me. How can these two ideas meet?"
We had just spent some time discussing how it feels when you listen to yourself in a choice and when you don't.
How when something is right for you and you choose it, it feels good. You feel lightness in your chest, your shoulders relax, you spontaneously take a deep breath or smile and feel hopeful and energised.
And how it feels when you are considering doing or saying something that is not the best option for you. How your shoulders tense, your jaw and chest tighten, you feel your energy drop and you feel stress or fear or resentment at the thought of doing it. And how you feel depressed or angry after you choose that option.
So I answered her, "How do you know when God is guiding you to something? What are the indicators for you?"
She thought for a bit and then she brought her hand to her chest and said, "I can feel it. I know I am being guided to do this. It feels good."
"How is that different from what we are talking about here today?" I asked.
This way of living isn't about whether you believe in a higher power or not. It is about living in a way that is listening to your inner guidance. If you have a deep relationship with God then that IS your inner guidance.
Some people call it gut instinct. Some call it rationale or common sense. Some people call it intuition, angels, the universe...
I don't know that it really matters how we define it. Everyone feels it differently and calls it by the name that makes most sense to them anyway.
What matters is that you listen to it. That you tune into it. That you take what you hear seriously when you ask, "If I loved myself, what would I choose to do now?"
You can change the wording of the Love Question to match your needs.
So for this bright young woman and everyone else who has God in their heart, I offer this version,
"If I knew without doubt that God loves me no matter what I do, what would I choose to do now?"
