Can I be trusted to know what's in my best interest?

Consider yourselves forewarned...this concept is a hard one to grasp, but a good one.

I do not perceive my own best interests. - Marianna Williamson

I'll be honest, I had to listen to Marianne Williamson's March 3 "Miracle Thought for the Day" podcast three times before I truly understood what she was talking about. The concept of me not knowing what might be within my best interest seemed ludicrous, that is until I really got what she was saying.

Paraphrasing, Marianne says that all of what's happened to us in the past affects how we react and respond to the present. When we need to make a decision in the present, we bring all those thoughts and energies from our past to influence the behavior or actions that we deem appropriate to resolve or respond to the current issue(s) garnering our attention. If your past has been all peaches and roses, lucky you...proceed as is. If not, you've got some work to do.

If you have a past that's not so perfect, Marianne says that you need to check your thoughts at the door and enter the situation "empty." By doing this, she says you're admitting that you don't "know" how the story will end and that you're open for the miracles, big and small, that will come into your life, guiding you through that situation.

To those who are religious, they probably read the commentary above and say, "Of course, this is what God does." I'd agree. But I'd also go further to say that this is why it's important to surround yourself with people who've had varied experiences in life, as it's the counsel from all of these people collectively that will challenge you on what you "know" and encourage you to enter situations "empty" and open to the miracle of seeing and reacting to things differently than possibly your past might predict.

Bottom line
We can all overcome the unpleasantness of our past, but have to be open to the concepts of "forgiveness" and "forget."