“Developing the ability to let go will accelerate your growth. Think of a time in your life when you let go of something, when you made a change and things were even better than before. One of the challenges of spiritual growth is learning to release those things that no longer serve you, bless them as they leave, and embrace the new as it comes.

Letting go is an important aspect of growing. To grow, you may want to let go of an attitude, such as anger or sadness. Sometimes you will need to let go of roles, such as pretending to be a victim or savior. Sometimes you will need to let go of a relationship, a job, or a way of life. Learn to open to the new and release the old when it no longer serves you. Everything comes into your life to teach you something.”

Sanaya Roman, in “Spiritual Growth”

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Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

“Reaction doesn’t solve anything. In fact, our true needs often go unmet because we’ve added such drama to the situation. When you react, many times you then have to go back and fix, mop up, and apologize for the damage you have done with your bad behavior. You probably did have a valid point, somewhere along the way, but the true message of hurt or fear or inadequacy gets overlooked when we erupt with a geyser of emotion.

When we respond, we are conscious. We slow down. Articulate our thoughts. Choose our behavior. You can still be mad, if it serves you. You can still express your hurt and choose an appropriate response instead of a fly-off-the-handle reaction. This gives you power. You will be heard. You can then create a better or more illuminating experience, and that’s the kind of atmosphere awesome thrives in.”

Polly Campbell, in “How to Live an Awesome Life”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

“If you feel you have to sit down and “work on” your relationships, particularly your marriage, on a regular basis, you may be participating in a more neurotic exercise than you think. Working on relationships often involves long conversations about things, trying to understand each other’s motivations, and vowing to be with each other emotionally all the time.

These things may be fine occasionally, but if they become a regular part of the relationship, they become straining, frustrating, and just plain tiresome. Who wants to go off to work all day, and then come home and work some more on a relationship?”

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, in “Pulling Your Own Strings”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

“We’ve created a God in our own image: angry and judgmental because we are. God Himself is merciful and all-loving, but we have projected onto Him our fear. This separates us from His love, from His healing, and from each other. When we change our perception from a God of wrath to a God of mercy, we will realize God is a divine physician. Our pain is the pain of hell, or separation from love. It isn’t God who sends us to hell for being bad, it’s God who delivers us from hell after the ego told us we are bad.

Hell is when you think you’re a terrible person and you never do anything right; God is the One who reminds you of the innocence in which you were created and to which He will help you return. Hell is when you feel you’re a complete and utter failure who will never succeed; God is the One who reminds you that He lives within you and that in Him all things are possible. Hell is when you think you can never escape your past mistakes; God is the One who makes all things new. It is the ego – not God – who casts us into the “fires of hell.” It is God who lifts us out of them.”

Marianne Williamson, in “The Gift of Change”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

“The devil is never anything other than one’s own devilish thoughts and feelings and these, no matter how devilish, can be changed. That is not to imply that it is always an easy task to do. While sometimes changes happen in the twinkling of an eye, more often they take months or even years of diligent attention.

Let’s face it, there can be plenty of dark thoughts and feelings. You’ve experienced them and so have we. Everyone has. To be rid of them, you have to deny that they have an existence of their own. They don’t exist on their own – they can’t. Acknowledge them as part of yourself. Once you’ve done this, you have begun the process of releasing them. You’ll be absolutely astonished at how the shadows scurry away when you turn on the light.”

Richard and Mary-Alice Jafolla, in “The Quest”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.