In the New Testament of the Bible, Jesus tells us to “love thine enemies and be good to those who would hurt you.” I always inferred this to be about mean people and folks who weren’t nice to others. You know, turn the other cheek and all that… But recently, I realized that there was a much broader meaning to those words.

            Most of us have areas of struggle somewhere in our lives. For some people it is finances, for others, it has to do with relationships. How many of us are dissatisfied with our weight? Too much? Too little? And how do we deal with this areas of discontent? Generally we try harder to change them. Work more, get therapy, diet and exercise, and it goes on and on.

            What if we are missing the point in Jesus’ message? No doubt there is validity in the people aspect of this teaching, but what if there is more? If we begin to look at how we have been dealing with the parts of ourselves and our lives as our “enemies”, we open the door for new ways of creating shifts. Carl Jung said, “What we resist persists.” And have you ever noticed that the harder you try to change some aspects of your life the worse it gets? I have to believe that Jung was on the right track.

            When we fight with the things we perceive are hurting us, we are putting more energy into that area, and according to the Universal Laws, where we focus our energy is what we manifest, so it becomes a self-defeating work. Even Mother Theresa said that she would never fight or protest for peace, rather she would live peace.

            Here are some ideas to assist each of us in releasing struggle and attaining our goals. Start with blessing the area of your life where you desire a change. Bless and love your body exactly as it is and allow it to support you as you find ways to move into better health. Bless and honor each of your bills as you write the check to pay them—honoring the fact that you have money to pay toward the debt. Give thanks for the blessings you have received. As for relationships, call up one or two of your friends and tell them how honored you are to have them in your life. Even better, actually write them a note or send a card! Too few people use the mail anymore—we get by with email, and it brings such joy to receive a personal note in your mailbox, doesn’t it? If you want to attract love into your life, you must give love. Find a way to give some love to someone today! Maybe just a kind word to a stranger, but even better if you can go out of your way to do something nice. Perhaps visit an older person who might be lonely, or maybe offer to assist one of your co-workers with a project they have been working too hard on.

            We have many tools already to help is to create what we want in our lives. Most of them tell us that we should give thanks that we already have the things we desire to create. I propose that your manifestations will come even more rapidly if you also “love your enemy” and honor your life as it is today as well.