A couple of days ago, one of my morning devotional readings centered around Emmett Fox’s “The Golden Key”. The devotional challenged me to practice saying “All is going to be well”. The reading explained that this is a repetitive affirmation of God’s Power and Grace. This hit me hard and reminded me of home. Back home, my AA home group (shout out to the Couch Group) is fond of saying “It’s either going to be ok, or it’s going to be ok!” I think this and the reading are saying the exact same thing. If I truly surrender to the God of my understanding, then everything will work out.
I am really coming to appreciate these types of repetitive practices. One of the gifts of this time in Prison has been the time I have had to slow down and notice some things. I have noticed the continuous nature of my pain and suffering. This is not to say that I am continuously in a state of debilitating struggle, but that it seems to come and go in a continuous manner. That’s where these types of practices come in. I find that saying, “all is going to be well” or “Everything is going to be ok” is often the reset I need to get God back to the front of mind and carry on my day. I have yet to find a one and done solution to fear, anxiety and worry. Instead, I have found ways to trust in God and carry on despite these feelings.
These affirmations are not a blind hope that things will improve, they are a whispered prayer to God and a trust that all will truly be well if I surrender. Here in Prison, this means coming back to the moment and letting go of the obsessive thought that is tearing me a part. Most times this thought is centered around things I can not control such as my family’s well being and my release date. Some days I can watch this process unfold between my ears with amusement and let it go easily, and on other days the emotional pain is so heavy that I feel sick. On the bad days, I have noticed that the fear will reproduce itself and grow into other areas. All of a sudden I have many things going wrong in the future, at least until I can center myself and come back to “The Golden Key”.
The truth is this, All is already well. When I seek a spiritual solution, I get what I need. This has been proven time and time again. Please remind me of this when I freak out later…I will forget…I always do.
