Of Mountains and Molehills

Have you ever done this?

Last week, I had a very shocking tax bill.

And in these pages, I discussed my immediate reaction to it. I talked about how, despite all the time I spend in meditation and prayer, all the reading, the positive affirmations, the spiritual study, and all the rest of it, I was still pushed towards worry, anxiety, and stress.

I thought about what I could do to escape. I blamed myself for being so stupid.

Most of all I worried how upset my wife would be — to the point of delaying in telling her for two days. I told myself that it was because it was a bad time- with her work, and with vet appointments for our dogs.

Though, If I’m being truthful, It was because I feared what her reaction would be.

As it turned out, I was making something out of nothing.

She really wasn’t upset at all!

She was kind of expecting it since we made some extra money last year, and we haven’t updated our withholdings in a few years.

She also acknowledged how our child tax credits are going away, and we’ll have to re-examine our situation.

So basically, I was assuming the worst-case situation, and extrapolating from that.

I was making the proverbial mountain out of a molehill

The Ego’s Fantastic Skill

The ego is so good at this:

Catastrophizing

Making every little thing into an absolute catastrophe.

A complete nightmare.

It will take any situation — every situation — it is presented with and drag it out to the absolute worst-case scenario.

It will paint a picture so bleak, so devoid of life, that you will want to shut it away, ignore it, and take any steps necessary to move it from your consciousness.

At the top end, it will drive you to alcohol, drugs, gambling, and lust and offer damaging and addictive tendencies. And at the absolute worst, it will make you consider the ultimate escape…

death.

And I’m not ashamed to admit this very thought passed through my mind. Thankful it only passed — and did not stay and set up camp!

When I say this is the fantastic skill of the ego, I use the term fantastic quite literally. Because it is just that -

Fantasy.

In its catastrophization of everything, it creates a fantasy world.

It puts in front of you a vision of the future that is so far removed from reality that it would be laughable — If it wasn’t so hard to ignore, being so loud and overpowering and painful.

One tool

The ego has one aim.

To justify and maintain its existence

and it has one, and only one, tool at its disposal for achieving its aim…

Attack.

So it will do everything in its power to get you to make use of its tool. It will create enemies of people, of current situations, of future situations…

and even of you and of God Himself.

Once it gets you to acknowledge this reality and believe in it, It will unleash the full force of this” power”. Destroying you and everything around you in the process.

No Power

The good news is this ‘power’ that the ego values so greatly is no power at all!

It is illusion. And can only affect other illusions…

The false creations of anger, fear, worry, and hate that we have imagined in our own minds.

In the face of the Light of God, The paper tiger of the ego is nothing. Created by our imagining of ourselves as separate from our creator and dissolved just as readily.

Trust in God. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. to show you the truth. To reveal to you what you are.

Then you will walk in Light.

Then you will know there is nothing to fear.

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