YOUR WORD IS GOLD
A Code of Honor

     Giving our word is a form of prayer. This is more powerful than wishing, which is what most people do when they talk to God. When we wish or hope, we hold 2 possibilities in mind: either our request will be granted or it won't. It is a relatively passive procedure.  

     When we pray, we communicate to God, the universe and our sub-conscious mind & soul, that we have made a choice, a decision to co-create that which we prayed for. The word decide means to "cut off from." Thus, we cut ourselves off from any other possibility. We hold only one potential outcome in mind. A congruent message is sent to the creative forces within and around us.

     It is universal law that the mind will take whatever possibility we envision and go about the process of completing that picture. When "hoping" or saying we'll "try", we give the mind 2 opposite visions to energize. This will invariable produce mixed results.

     When we pray we have, through the words of our heart & soul, made an agreement with ourselves and God to energize one outcome. By offering our words we begin to make real in the physical what we ask for in spirit ("In the beginning was the word...and the word was made flesh").
 
     Giving our word or making an agreement sends a message to our sub-conscious mind to begin manifesting our intention. The sub-conscious mind is a doorway to the soul which is a doorway to God and the intelligence of the Universe.

     Everything in existence is part of this universal intelligence or God. If before there was anything, there was only God (or conscious energy) and God created everything, then everything must be made of God.

     For instance, if you make an agreement with a friend, you have made an agreement with God and with yourself. If you want to see and talk with God, you need only look into your friend's eyes or your own heart.
 
     The challenging part is when we find it difficult to keep our agreements. It is at these times when our code of honor is called upon and our integrity is determined. Integrity is not defined by keeping our word when it's easy or convenient. The depth of our integrity springs forth when we honor our agreements after they have become a hardship and we no longer feel like doing so.

     When we break our promises we are teaching ourselves and the universe not to trust our word, that when we pray we may not really mean it. Each time we do this we take ourselves out of alignment with the natural creative forces. Then our prayers and desires are less and less likely to happen, due to our own pattern of behavior. Honoring our agreements at all costs teaches us that we can trust our own word.  

     We also learn to give our word with conscious understanding of the implications and expectations involved, rather than making empty promises because it's easier to do so than speak our whole truth or to say no. Being honest with another also begins with being true to ourselves. Perhaps we should imagine that the whole world is listening when we give our word.

     Our word is our most valuable creative tool. When we act as if our word is as good as gold, we create a high level of trust & integrity with others and with ourselves. Think of how differently you feel when someone tells you they'll "try" versus "You have my word - consider it done!" With that level of commitment to our word, even when we make a personal decision within our own heart we know we can trust ourselves to follow through.

     If we find we must break our word, then it is our responsibility to repair the situation.  Perhaps we approach our friend and ask if we can alter the agreement or fulfill it in another way. Perhaps we give even more than promised but in another form. It is up to us to honor the intention & value of our commitment & make it up to them in ways that are satisfactory to them, as well as us. We must do this, not hesitantly, but in the full spirit with which we entered into the agreement. Thus we take responsibility for restoring the emotional and heart space between us & our friend.

     Another relevant universal law is that we have free will and create our own reality. When we take responsibility for our lives and everything that shows up, we discover our personal power & gain control of our destiny. We no longer make people or situations wrong. Instead we appreciate everything as a mirror for what is inside us & how we need to grow.

     When most people break their word, they either ignore it or give an apology that resembles a self-proclaimed sanction to continue the similar behavior. If we have an upset with a friend, here's a good way to heal it: 1) Apologize humbly & tenderly for our part. 2) Assure our friend at a deep emotional level that we take responsibility for our actions. We do this by speaking compassionately, honestly & extensively about what we did & how we see it has hurt them. 3) We tell them how we will treat them more reverently in the future and ask them (& ourselves) for forgiveness. This is how we rebuild trust.

     Some helpful steps to proactively embracing personal responsibility for our experience are to: 1) Speak the Truth, 2) Keep Your Agreements, 3) Trust the Universe.

     Speaking your deepest truth is important because your word has massive creative power.  It's the crystallization step between our visions & thoughts and our physical creations.  Keeping our agreements allows the power & grace of creativity to continue flowing through us in an unbroken stream. Trusting the universe affirms our connection with universal laws, God & all life. It releases us to focus on the big picture, our dreams and visions, and let the universe take care of the details. We can surrender to our faith in God and to the wisdom of our own spirituality.

       Blessings...Jon Cotton