Elizabeth Hutchinson - God, Are You Listening?: Free Yourself from What is Holding You Back

God, Are You Listening?

Free Yourself from
What Is Holding You Back

ELIZABETH HUTCHINSON

First published in 2012 by Turning Stone Press, an imprint of

Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

With offices at:

665 Third Street, Suite 400

San Francisco, CA 94107

www.redwheelweiser.com

Copyright 2012 by Elizabeth Hutchinson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages.

ISBN (paperback): 978-1-61852-004-3

ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-61852-003-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request

Cover design by Jim Warner

Printed in the United States of America

IBT

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Gratitude

All glory for this book must be given to God. These are his teachings and I was fortunate enough be used as the transcriber.

I have had my prayers answered in so many ways. I have received assistance, support, and guidance from numerous individuals who have been instrumental in my growth and the creation of this book.

I must acknowledge the following individuals. My husband Bill provided much love and support during this entire writing process. My friends Jenny and Chantal gave feedback and encouragement. Delores provided a peaceful writing space on her property and I was able to be near nature every day. My nieces Kaitlyn and Megan and my nephew Joey provided insightful and thought-provoking questions as I shared my writing with them. My mother, Myrtle, gave her support and enthusiasm for this endeavor. Numerous family members, friends, and clients shared their experiences with me throughout the years, which provided the many examples used for the book and allowed me to experience incredible learning and love.

Although every effort has been made to ensure this book is free from errors, this publication is sold with the understanding that the author is not responsible for the results or any action taken on the basis of information in this work, nor for the errors or omissions. The author expressly disclaims any and all liability to any person, whether a purchaser of this publication or not, in respect of anything and of the consequences of anything done or omitted to be done by any such person in reliance, whether whole or partial, upon the whole or any part of the contents of this publication. If expert advice is required, services of a competent professional person should be sought.

Author's Note

This is a nondenominational spiritual self-help book. It is intended for people of all faiths, religions, and belief systems, as well as nonbelievers. God, Are You Listening? is not about religion, although much of the content is phrased in religious terms. This book is about finding your spirit and maintaining the wondrous creation of you.

When I use the word God and the pronouns He, His, and Him, this does not mean that I see God as a man. Please feel free to change the word God to Buddha, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Creator, Mohammed, Jehovah, Beloved, Divine, Universe, Mother Earth, or whatever belief you have. I use the word God and the masculine pronouns throughout the book because I was raised with this terminology and find it comforting.

All the stories in the book are true, but the names and identifying information have been changed to protect privacy. Many of the stories are from women because the majority of my career was spent specializing in women's programs, but when working with men, the issues, thoughts, and feelings were similar. Often men find it discouraging when they can find stories about only women. The techniques in this book are suitable for everyone.

I used stories from my own life to describe my journey and the stories of others. The stories are my recollection and are recorded to the best of my ability. The techniques used in the book can be considered as a tool-box to address different aspects of the human state. For some the need is balance, for others the need may be freedom or forgiveness and/or acceptance; choose whatever technique you need. Each story and technique is a part of the journey to a deepening and transforming relationship with God. Mind-body-spirit connection helps to lead you to God with God. You are accepted wherever you are on our journey, and the process may take years. I used these techniques to help myself and others, and I hope that you will find comfort and support when you explore the material. The process is itself a journey. I encourage you to take the first step to deepening your relationship with Godyou will not be disappointed.

Preface

Ahhmy beautiful bed. As I lie on the bed I start to feel the tension leave my body. I pray to God that I can have a full night's sleep. I cannot remember the last time I slept through the night. Another busy workday in the Victim Service office. I was in court with clients for a sexual-assault trial resulting in yet another acquittal. I returned to the office at five thirty p.m. to retrieve messages and return urgent calls. It was seven p.m. when I started to clean off my desk and a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) member stopped to ask about a case. By the time we wrapped up it is pushing eight p.m.

I drag my tired body to the car for the short journey home. As I come through the door of my home I smell the aroma of food. As I round the corner into the kitchen I notice the single plate at the table and I realize I have missed yet another meal. My husband enters the kitchen and offers to heat my dinner; I let out a sigh and tell him, I am too tired to eat. I enter the living room and sit in the big comfortable chair in front of the television, watching but not really seeing or hearing what is playing. It is a comedy, but I have no energy to laugh. Finally, I decide that I should eat and I make my way to the kitchen, I open the fridge and stare inside. I close the fridge empty-handed and decide to look in the pantry, but all the food looks like it needs preparation. I settle on toast because I think my empty stomach can handle itafter all, I have not eaten or had anything to drink all day. After more of my blankly staring at the television screen and sitting in a comatose state, my husband helps me out of the chair and guides me down the hallway to bed. I look at the clock and it brightly displays eleven p.m. Maybe tonight I will sleep uninterrupted.

I can hear a noise; is it a dream? No, it is coming from my bedside. Is it the alarm? I hit the alarm clock. It is 12:10 a.m., but it does not stop. My mind finally registers that it is the telephone. I quickly grab the telephone because I do not want my husband to wake up. I groggily say, Hello. I hear a female voice informing me it is RCMP Dispatch and there was a motor-vehicle fatality and the RCMP requests my presence on scene. I struggle to wake and I silently slip out of bed to write the location of the incident and gather all pertinent information. I quickly splash some water on my face, run a brush through my hair, and get dressed. As I head out the door, I grab my Victim Service bag with all my essential resources.

As I approach the car I notice a light frost has begun to settle. I turn on the car and I let it warm up a bit before leaving. As I head out the driveway, I stop to ensure that I have my pants on because I cannot remember getting dressedthankfully I do. I give my face a slap to wake up.