FEATURED ARTICLE

IS GOD TRYING TO GET YOUR ATTENTION?
by Betty J. Eadie

An ancient Chinese teacher, Lao-tzu, once said: "Have faith in the way things are." These profound words match very well what I know to be true: that our Heavenly Father uses our everyday lives to tell us what he wants us know.

Because we once lived with God, deep within each of our spirits is a longing for enlightenment and guidance from heaven. This longing is especially strong when we feel lost or alone or troubled by our circumstances. ("Why me?" "Why is this happening?" "What am I supposed to do, now ?" "Why am I unhappy?") But enlightenment and heavenly guidance are not things we need to search far and wide for. They are here, and they are now, if we have eyes to see them. Within "the way things are" we can find our answers and direction because God uses "what is" to help us along life's path. (He certainly can't use "what isn't," can he?) If we wish to change our lives for the better, fix a problem, overcome a mistake, be a stronger source of love and help to others, or find our "true" selves or our "true" path, we need only ask God to show us and then "Have faith in the way things are."

Often we ask for help and then wait for some big and obvious "sign," when actually God most often uses small ways to reach us, ways which may seem too obvious, too ordinary, too "everyday" to be God because they seem so common to us. Even when we don't ask for help, our Father tries to get our attention by placing answers sometimes right under our noses! (Or sometimes, he places questions there to get us thinking.) Then he waits for us to notice. If we don't, he tries another way and then another until we do notice, but he will never give up on us. To find enlightenment, it does not take research into mystical ways or our participation in exotic rituals. It simply takes opening our eyes to our daily reality and expecting God to be there. In fact, God is there. God is everywhere around us, pointing the way by our very circumstances to truth and fulfillment, and to greater peace, joy, and love in him. God, our Creator, is the most normal, the most natural, the most common element in our lives! There is no point in time or in space where he is not present. It if exists, it is God. It is really so simple.

To help you get started, I've made a list of some of the ways God may be trying to get your attention. I've used general terms so that you can think about them and discover for yourself how they may apply to you. If you notice these in your life, pay attention to them and ask in prayer for understanding.

• Circumstances or situations which repeat themselves noticeably in your life
• The feeling that something, defined or undefined, is not as it should be
• An idea seemingly from nowhere that returns later or makes you feel good or happy
• The feeling that you need to get away to a quiet place and think or pray
• People mention in passing the exact thing that has been on your mind lately
• You feel to be very cautious or alert about something
• You have a repeating dream or any dream which lingers in your thoughts
• An opportunity comes to you in an unexpected way
• A string of coincidental or related events which seem odd or unusual
• You read or hear someone say something which strikes you as meaningful
• You feel drawn to an object, an idea, an activity, or a person again and again
• An event from the past keeps coming to mind
• While praying you feel to pray about something or someone you had not planned to include in your prayer
• "Things" either seem to get in the way and slow you down or else seem to fall into place and help you along
• You find yourself giving advice to someone which suddenly makes sense for yourself as well
• You feel "alive" while involved in or just thinking about some activity or effort

I would be surprised if none of these has happened to you at sometime in your life. In fact, see if you can add to my list from your own experiences. I am sure you can! It may be important to mention that not every incident above indicates a major "earth-shaking" message from God. Instead, they are offered as "teachers," bringing to your awareness something that would be well to recognize, an insight, a solution, an answer, a signal pointing to helpful change of thinking, habits, or direction. Occasionally, they may indeed be God calling to you urgently, wanting you to perform some needed service or make a critical shift somewhere in your life. Once you adjust your perspective, you will see that God is involved actively in your life in ways you might never have imagined. Even when things are difficult and at their bleakest and you feel emptiness and separation from God, the emptiness is God. It is his clue that you need him, that life is no fun without him, that you would be wise to make different choices because the ones you are making now are taking you down a path he knows is not for you.

We have all seen those hidden-object puzzles where there is a picture and a caption that says, "Find 20 objects that begin with the letter B hiding in this picture." There may be a balloon, a beetle, a bottle, or a bat right there on that page in front of you. You don't need anything more to be able to see them. In fact, you are already looking right at them, you just don't recognize them at first for what they are. It's the same way with God and your day-to-day experiences. You are already looking directly at him, you just do not recognize him. Yet. At least not with your conscious awareness. Your inner spirit, however, does recognize the Father's influences, and responds with feelings of warmth or joy or sometimes with a little nudge like a spiritual poke that means, "Pay attention, this is important for you." These little signals become more noticeable when we are better in tune with our inner spirit.

We all need a little more "faith in the way things are." Since faith is a gift from heaven, perhaps we can start by asking God to bless us with more of it. And then we can try to be more open and observant, looking for enlightenment where perhaps we have not thought to look before: in nearby and familiar things. It does take practice. It takes courage, too, and thoughtful prayer and pondering and the willingness to learn from our mistakes. (Keeping a journal is also very helpful.) It is a process that requires our strong desire and our best efforts but that also brings marvelous and joyful rewards. For I know, as surely as I know anything, that God is with us in every moment. That we are his children and that he is our Creator and Loving Father in Heaven who merely wants our attention so he can show us the way back Home. So my prayer is this: that God bless us all with eyes to see him more clearly, ears to hear him more surely, hearts more willing to follow where he leads, and minds more curious about his ways.

God bless you as you open your heart to these truths. May they enhance your life through your expression of them and then ripple out to include those you love.

NEWS AND UPDATES

~*~My fourth book: Embraced By The Light: Prayers & Devotions for Daily Living will be available soon for purchase online and in bookstores everywhere. You can read more about this book on my website, including a newly added Author's Note. This book will be a wonderful tool and daily reminder to connect with God and to ponder the wonderful ways he manifests himself in our lives.

~*~I am also very happy to announce a new book coming soon from my publishing company, Onjinjinkta Publishing: The Betty J. Eadie Press. The title is Maniilaq, Prophet From The Edge Of Nowhere. It tells of the life, prophecies, and disappearance into the North Arctic of the Native Inupiaq Prophet, Maniilaq. It is a fascinating book which furthers my efforts to bring Native spirituality into the greater awareness of the general public. Maniilaq's visionary prophecies are being fulfilled so clearly today, showing that God does reveal himself to all his children, even those in far corners of our world. I'm very excited to be publishing this authentic Inupiaq record! You'll want to read more about it at my website. And now the first chapter is there to make you more anxious to read this engaging book!

~*~By the way, if you would like to subscribe to the "Onjinjinkta Newsletter" separately, send your name and street address to tonilake@onjinjinkta.com with a request to receive the newsletter. Your first quarterly issue will arrive at your home with a bill for the yearly subscription rate of $10. More info is available at the website.

~*~Our annual event, "The Harvest" will take place this year in Salt Lake City on August 15 in the South Towne Expo Center. I am unable to be there in person but will make a special video appearance. Speakers include Roy Mills (The Soul's Remembrance), Steve Terry and Jill Anderson (Maniilaq) and Karol Truman (Healing Feelings from Your Heart). The event is free to the public. Call Toni or Jay at 800 433-8978 or check my media calendar for more information about this special evening.

~*~The "Heavenly Encounters" area of my website continues to be one of the most popular. Here are the beginnings of the newest stories posted there:

My Son Saw The Light
On October 17, my 15-year-old niece, Megan, was killed in a four-wheeler accident. It was a tragic accident which left our family in despair. Especially my 5-year-old son, Aaron, who was very close to Megan. He was very upset when he learned of her death. The night before her wake, I was trying to explain exactly what a wake was and what he would see. Aaron just cried and was very stern about not wanting to go to the wake. (continued...)

My Memories of Heaven
My first memories of heaven came to me when I was about 10 years old. I was not sure at first what I was remembering or why I was having this kind of memory. I remembered only bits and pieces at first, and I was confused, so I asked my mother what they were. She just giggled and said I must have had a good dream. My older sisters and brothers said it was my wild imagination. (continued...)

~*~Ripple News A mother who lost a son to "copy-cat" violence has founded an effort to help build more positive lives for kids.

~*~Mother's Prayers A mother's prayers keep a son safe from a would-be abductor.

~*~God's Tiny Miracles A young woman is saved from harm during a car crash by a heavenly bubble of protection.

~*~Our email list has switched to a new, upgraded service. You need not take any action, but new links to unsubscribe and to manage your subscription are included here.

~*~I appologize for my website being down for several days during the first week of August. The company which hosts our site experienced troubles due to the Code Red worm. However, as a result, the site is now better protected than before, so you see, everything negative brings something positive. Lessons for life come from many directions, don't they?

I thank you for your continued support and love!
- Betty J. Eadie

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The Betty J. Eadie Email Newsletter, issue 7, August 2001
copyright © 2001 by Onjinjinkta Enterprises
and Gleska Enterprises, Inc.
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