Heaven says.... Just be Yourself.

I recently recorded and watched one of those yearly PBS specials with Wayne Dyer.  (A"must record" so you can fast forward through the every 10 min. sales pitches)  There was a moment for me, as there is every time I watch him, where I was struck by the message I needed to hear.

This program, Wishes Fulfilled, featured Wayne talking again about the fundamentals of creating what you want in life (nothing new for me there so........... fast forward) and he spoke about a woman named Anita who had a powerful near death experience and had come to share the wisdom she had gained from it.

Hold on a minute- PUT DOWN THE REMOTE!  Bells ringing, alert mind and spine tingling, I began to concentrate on the words she spoke.  Here is what she said that literally sent me into tears.

Anita, had multi-system organ failure and was dying in a coma (why I don't know, as my ears weren't paying full attention just yet, oops).  While she was in this coma, she was able to hear and see everything that was going on around her in the room. There was a pull to comfort those who were grieving at her bedside and there was an even stronger pull of love that was drawing her towards the next realm of existence for her so she followed it.  When she arrived she saw her father and her best friend, both of whom had recently passed and both of whom she missed very much.

The love she felt in this place was like nothing she had ever encountered before- it was complete and unconditional.  Which made her NOT want to go back to her sick body, even though her husband was her soul mate and even though her mother was desperately grieving for her.  This matched what those spirits who speak to me say as well-  Not to grieve for them because for them it's the greatest love they have ever known and it's almost impossible to want to leave it.

She seemed to know that she had to return though- encouraged by her father and her best friend to take this love she now KNEW as reality with her.  She also seemed to know that she still had things she wanted to accomplish here in her body- things that mattered to her even though she couldn't recall what they were.  Most of all she KNEW that she didn't need to know what that purpose was- that JUST BY BEING HERSELF she would reveal and live out that purpose.

Wayne at this point asked some question about being "kind" to others as important. And this is where her words hit me hard!  She said it wasn't so much about being kind, because before she had died she had spent her life pleasing people.  She never wanted anyone to feel uncomfortable around her and so she was "always nice" and "always accommodating" to everyone around her.  She mentions that while in heaven the unconditional Love she felt gave her a renewed courage and bravery- to JUST BE HERSELF.  She said it told her more than kindness it was important to be authentic, to be as you were created to be.

At this point, tears were falling down my cheeks and knowing the power of truth I let go and cried.  I cried because I remembered.  I cried because I knew that I too was given that lesson before I came and I wanted to bring that lesson to others as my gift to the world.

Many years ago, when I was doing my ministerial training I was asked to go off and meditate on my purpose as a minister- To ask God why the purpose of Ordination had chosen me.  The simplest answer was revealed to me, "let them know they are loved".  After getting over the fact that doves did not light upon my head, and angels did not break out in song and glorious streams of light- I sat with the simple truth and,  yep you guessed it, I cried.  I knew it was true.  I knew it was all that mattered to me- to know that I am loved unconditionally and to help others to know that as well.

So, thank you Anita, for reminding me of how important that Love is.  It is everything.  And for reminding me that it is more important to be who you were born to be- TO JUST BE YOURSELF than it is to seem nice and polite and kind.  I personally believe those qualities come with just being yourself but that they are not a permanent fixture of authenticity- because sometimes being authentic means you have to say "no" to what someone else wants from you or you have to tell someone to "stop" treating you the way they are, etc.

Personally, for me it means I live what is in my own heart and not the heart of the world's idea of who I should be.  What do you think it means for you?