Category: Words To Live By

There are several people I know who really struggle to connect with my personal beliefs with God, especially when it comes to prayer, faith, and signs of God’s presence. How do I know this? Because a good number of my blog articles that have dealt with this subject have challenged their own set of beliefs enough to leave me comments that often felt as if my own set of beliefs were under attack. And frankly, it is this very thing that I judge is at the core of why our planet is filled with so much darkness, hate, and negativity right now.

I have said this before and will probably continue to say this over and over again for years to come and that’s my belief that every single individual on this planet is on their own uniquely-tailored spiritual journey. Unfortunately, religion has gotten in the way of that and caused far too many divisions, factions, and separations between people who otherwise might love each other unconditionally.

I often wonder if people forget that it’s human beings who made religion. Take Christ for example. He did everything he could to show how all the religions during his time were filled with a bunch of rules and people who weren’t even following them. He tried to show how none of that mattered and that what truly mattered was just to love and accept each other unconditionally. But one thing he never did say is “Hey, I’m Christ and let’s create a religion called Christianity and once you do, then you can all follow me through another set of rules that will put the rest of the world’s religions and beliefs down as being wrong!”

Just like I’m quite sure Muhammad didn’t say “Hey, let’s create the Muslim religion and tell the rest of the world it’s the only correct one and oh, let’s also kill a bunch of people in my name while we’re at it to cleanse and rid the planet of the people who don’t believe in me!”

And well, I’m also pretty positive that the same is true with Abraham and Moses when it comes to the Jewish religion that was created long after they lived on the earth, or Siddhartha, when it comes to the Buddhist religion that was formed years after he had lived on our planet as well.

Each of these blessed men walked their own uniquely-tailored spiritual journey and did their best to share what they learned on them with others, all in the hopes of just bringing a little enlightenment to the bountiful suffering on this planet. Yet, it’s man who took their testimonies and made them into something else, leading to the creation of one religion after another where division became more the norm than unity on this planet.

Sadly, this still continues to this day…and is precisely what I believe leads one person after another to attack others for their spiritual beliefs, when they’re different from their own.

I wholeheartedly believe that Christ’s, Muhammad’s, Siddhartha’s, Moses’s, Abraham’s, and many other spiritually-enlightened men’s words throughout our planet’s history have been totally warped and taken far out of context from their original intent. And because of it, has led so many to attack each other, rather than just accept that maybe it’s ok to have whatever our spiritual beliefs are.

Look, I have plenty of friends who believe quite the opposite of what I do, from people who practice Wicca in nature, to those who regularly chant the Gohonzon in Nichiren Buddhism, yet I accept them all and see the beauty in it all too.

But, there was a time when I didn’t, where I personally attacked anyone who had a different set of beliefs than I. And why I did this was simply out of fear. Fear of something I didn’t understand. Fear that maybe I didn’t have all the answers. Because isn’t that ultimately man’s greatest weakness, the fear of the unknown?

The fact is, none of us truly know what’s beyond here without a shadow of doubt. And as we suffer in our pains of life, we cling to some sort of dogma in the hopes it helps to overcome that fear of the unknown. And it usually does, that is until someone comes along and proposes something that sheds a new light, one that’s different from our own.

But, the next time this happens, YOU DO HAVE A CHOICE.

You can keep doing what you’re currently doing. Keep attacking each of those new lights that come your way. Keep making every attempt to snuff them out, and know in doing so, it’s coming solely from fear. And also know in doing so, your very actions are only going to engulf our planet in more darkness, hate, and negativity.

OR…

You can embrace each of those new lights that come your way and see if it’s meant to be a part of your own uniquely-tailored spiritual journey. If it is, incorporate it into your life, but if it’s not, simply bless it for others to connect with, and remain open to the next one that comes along. And know in doing so, you’ll be increasing our level of unconditional love and acceptance of each other on this planet.

I truly pray you’ll choose the latter…

Peace, love,light, and joy
Andrew Arthur Dawson

I’ve spoken before about how I believe that God winks at us from time to time with special blessings that tend to come when we most need them and usually aren’t easily explained when they happen either, which is precisely what occurred for me a few weeks ago with something related to my vehicle.

I drive a 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid that I bought brand new back in December of 2006 straight off a small Toyota dealership that for the most part was in the middle of nowhere. It has been with me through three states of living including Virginia, Massachusetts, and now Ohio. It’s also been good to me, as much as I’ve been good to it, even in light of it enduring a number of minor accidents over the years where all but one was out of my control. I’ve always kept up with my maintenance and vowed I would hold onto this car for as long as it was still drivable because I’ve come to appreciate holding on to things that still function for their intended purpose, rather than always having to buy something new and junk the old.

My Hybrid has 230,000 miles on it now and up until just recently, I really have never had any serious maintenance issues throughout its entire life, other than the things that have arisen from normal wear and tear. Much of that of course is due to the special care I have always given it and so when I walked out of my house one day to head to a meeting and noticed a small black spot on my driveway, I made the assumption it was probably coming from my partner’s car and not my own and quickly forgot about it.

When I awoke the next morning though and noticed another darkened spot below where I had parked the previous night, my stomach churned uncomfortably. I immediately attempted to identify what the dark substance was and where it was coming from, but wasn’t able to, so I abruptly changed my plans for the day and drove it over to AAA where I asked them to inspect it. They identified the leak was transmission fluid but said they couldn’t look into it any further that day due to a lack of mechanics on site. That’s when I decided to head to another local repair chain called Tireman where there I sat waiting in fear of how bad this issue might be. A few hours later, I was informed the leak was coming from something called a CV seal and that replacing it would cost me around $200. I breathed a sigh of relief and waited patiently for the fix to be completed, yet I’d soon learn the repair didn’t resolve the issue. Over the course of the next few days, Tireman would attempt to use several other replacement seals and change out another part as well, all to no avail. I was told I was going to have to take it to a transmission shop, but that it would have to wait on them getting another seal, as the others were now unusable.

So, while my car sat at Tireman for a few more days waiting on that part to be delivered, I discovered from Toyota the transmission on my Hybrid was designed in such a way that it couldn’t be rebuilt and my only option was to buy a used one or a new one, which would range between $2500 and $5000. Upon learning that, I began to cry profusely.

I know that some of you may be thinking right now while you read this, that this doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, but, maybe if you were enduring chronic pain day after day, unable to hold a job and relying on others to help you get by and experiencing one setback after another on a regular basis, facing something like this would be a big deal. The fact is, life hasn’t been easy on any level for me for a good long while and this car issue simply threw me over the edge.

That’s why I resorted to the only solution I saw as the tears were flowing from my eyes, which was to pray to God for help. I know many might think that God doesn’t care about things like this, things that are easily labeled as trivial, but it says in the Bible itself that God knows and cares about the very number of hairs on our head. Thus, if indeed God knows and cares about something that insignificant, then why wouldn’t God care about something like my car repair woes as well?

So, I prayed.

I prayed for God to fix my vehicle’s leak, but that if that wasn’t God’s will and that if God had another solution, I’d accept it.

Forty-eight hours later, I received a call from Tireman, expecting them to tell me my vehicle was finally back together, but still leaking and ready for me to come pick it up and take it to a place that works on transmissions. Except, that wasn’t what they told me…

“Your transmission is no longer leaking Mr. Dawson…”

 I couldn’t believe my ears and asked them to repeat that again.

“Mr. Dawson, after we put your car back together, the transmission was no longer leaking. And honestly, none of us here have any idea why?”

It wasn’t too longer after, that I was able to confirm this with my very own eyes and even then, because of my utter disbelief that something actually went my way for once in life, I took it to a Toyota dealership to have them run a full diagnostic. And there, they’d find nothing wrong with my vehicle either, other than seeing the usual wear and tear.

So, I leave this with you to decide. Was this one of those God winks where God simply wanted me to know in a very direct and unique way that God had heard my prayers? I think that’s ultimately left for each of us to decide, but with a car that’s working again, leak free, and no explanation why, I’m choosing to believe that God indeed did wink at me and provide a miracle when I most needed one. Thank you, God.

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

Is it just me or does everyone seem to be on edge these days? It’s almost as if we’re all waiting for the next tragic thing to unfold and because of it, it honestly feels like each and every one of us is on an extremely short fuse right now, one that doesn’t take much for us to ignite into something far worse. And frankly, I’m so tired of feeling this way and anything that only adds to this feeling.

Things like all the constant fighting and divisions between Republicans and Democrats and everyone in between. Things like all the never-ending gun violence and nothing seemingly being done about it. Things like all the racial battles still waging on many decades later from whence they first began. Things like all the religious divisions that exist where each faction feels as if they are the only valid path to God. Things like all the judgments that keep being placed against anyone who labels themselves under the LGBTQ category. Things like the many men who think they are still superior to women and have the right to treat them as anything less than equal. Things like all arguments between those who are pro-Trump and those who are anti-Trump. Things like all the friends and loved ones who keep dying from drug addiction. And things like all the beautiful souls who keep committing suicide.

It’s all these things that often tempt me to act out in some addiction to escape the constant tension. Yet I continue to resist any of those carnal urges because I know that each of them will only lead to more tension and even more fatigue.

One of the solutions I’ve found to rise above this is to keep to myself, as I don’t want to add to the tension by reacting in unhealthy ways. That’s why there are days when I stay off the television, social media, and even avoid talking to anyone on the phone because I don’t want to say or do something I’m going to regret and can’t take back.

Nevertheless, I find the state of our nation and the world for that matter very depressing right now and I really just want to start hearing some positive news for once. We all need more hope right now instead of judgments and negativity. We all need more love right now, instead of acts of hatred. And we all need more peace right now, rather than wars that begin with our ego’s bashing each other over differences of opinion.

Ultimately, if begins by simply holding our tongues, even when we feel the need to spew off something in anger. If we could just channel our frustrations when they arise into something healthier, such as a hobby, we might find ourselves feeling less on edge.

The healing and tension-reducing truly starts with us doing the work, instead of waiting for laws to pass or someone else to make the change. These changes must come within and as soon as each one of us realizes this, we’ll find ourselves sheathing our swords and putting down our shields, and then coming at each other with open arms and hearts, rather than weapons drawn for battle. That’s how life will improve on this planet and how the tension will reduce, by accepting the reality that the healing begins with you and me…

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson