The Stories We Tell
by Jackie Woods
We have a story around everything we believe. It’s like we have a library stored in our mind. And not only do we have many story “books,” but we usually have reference “books” to support us in the belief that our truth is the only truth.
Before you give up on this rather complicated concept and stop reading, let me give an example. My brother had a story to tell around divorce. His reference book was the bible that states, “What God has joined together let no man put asunder.” My story around divorce was very different even though I used the same reference book. I finally realized my marriage was not joined by God but by my belief that I was supposed to get married. So, I got a divorce. His story and my story were so far apart that he refused to speak to me for years.
Just as an author’s writing may change through the years, our stories usually do also. We either come across a new reference that tweaks the old story, or a new reference is found that sheds enough light on the original to change it. For instance, the new reference for my brother around his story of divorce was seeing what his daughter went through in a very bad marriage. This one story also changed his picture about who I am.
Hopefully, we are learning new stories and revising the old ones on an ongoing basis. It is by staying open to change that we make room for the wisdom of our higher mind to infiltrate our lower programmed mind. To refuse to upgrade your stories means you are refusing to listen to your spirit’s voice, which is constantly offering new truths.
To be receptive to your spirit’s voice, you must be willing to open yourself to new thinking. And while that sounds easy, it can be hard to do. Mainly because we come to think of our stories as describing who we are. And maybe that is true as we write our book. But once it is written, you will start adding footnotes to make it applicable to your life. And then, as you grow in wisdom, you will find that the story doesn’t stand on its own as well as it did at first.
So start looking at the stories you tell and see if they still fit you. If not, be open to your spirit’s wisdom that is stored in your higher mind and compare it to your latest edition around that topic. This will not only expand your awareness of who you are now, but it will expand who you can become in the future.