See What Happens When You Change Your Program

I have to share this delightful story. Most of us are programmed from a very early age to think in a certain way. We hang on to that opinion until we make a conscious decision to change it. When I was about 3 or 4 my mom wanted to make donuts and didn’t have a donut maker, so she borrowed one from our neighbour. She was busy cutting the dough when the donut maker broke. She not only had to cut the rest of them by hand, but she had to go buy 2 donut makers – one to replace the one she had broken and another one so she’d never have to borrow again. She repeated that lesson to me over and over and do you think I can borrow to this day? I can, but I always remember my mom’s lesson, and always think twice about how important borrowing that item is to me.

Here’s a story about changing your thoughts to improve your life By Alan Cohen:

“One Thanksgiving I hosted a gathering at my home. A friend baked a large turkey, but since most of my guests were vegetarians, most of the turkey was left over. The real beneficiary of the day turned out to be my dog Munchie, who was perhaps the most thankful of everyone there! I sliced up the turkey, packed it in little freezer bags, and gave Munchie a few pieces every day for a month.

When the supply of turkey finally ran out, Munchie refused to go back to eating his former diet of dry dog food. (Once you’ve tasted the big turkey, the little pellets just don’t cut it anymore.) Then it dawned on me that I would have to get Munchie some more turkey. Being a vegetarian, however, I was not thrilled about walking into Safeway and buying a turkey.

Around this time, I was driving along a local highway one day when I noticed a police car behind me. Immediately I began to feel nervous (a genetic carryover from the ‘60s). Although I had not broken any laws, I did not like the idea of being followed by a cop. Suddenly I realized I must have been harboring some subconscious program about police, so I decided to reprogram it. I mentally affirmed: The police are my friends; they love me and want to help me. That sure felt a lot better. I relaxed and let the fear go.

A few nights later, around Christmas, I was driving home when I encountered a police roadblock and I was pulled over. A policeman approached me and told me: “I am Officer K. of the Maui Police Department, and we are checking for drunk drivers. May I please see your license and documents?”

Sure, no problem. I gave the officer my papers; he looked them over and handed them back to me.

“Hey, Joe,” he called out. “Come on over here.”

Why does he need Joe? I wondered. And who is Joe, anyway?

Then Officer K. leaned back into my window, looked me in the eye, and asked me in a serious voice, “Would you like a turkey?”

“Excuse me?”

“We are giving away turkeys. Would you like one?”

“Is this some kind of joke?”

“No. You are not drunk, and your papers are in order. As a reward, we would like to give you a turkey.”

Well, bless my giblets. As the old saying goes, never look a gift turkey in the mouth—especially when it comes from a police officer.

Before I could say, “Gobble, gobble;” Lieutenant Joe was standing at my window, his hands outstretched with a huge, frozen Butterball turkey.

I must be on Candid Camera, I thought. Oh well, I can go along with this. I thanked the officers, hauled in the bird, and started to drive away.

“Wait a minute!” Lieutenant Joe called out. “We have to get your picture.”

I am not making this up.

Officer K. got out his camera and tried to find the best position to take the photo. He kept stepping back until he almost fell into the stream of passing cars weaving in and out of lanes by drunk drivers. But the important thing is, he was getting a good picture for the Maui News.

There I sat, under the floodlights of the Maui Police Holiday Roadblock on Route 31, posing with a dazed smile as Lieutenant Joe handed me, your model safe driver, and Munchie (in absentia), your model dog, a frozen Butterball turkey.

Finally, the officers sent me off, and I laughed nearly all the way home. When I arrived, Munchie met me at the door with his customary enthusiasm, barking joyfully, as if to share my holiday glee. I held the turkey up in front of Munchie and told him, “You are one heckuva manifester, mister. You got the cops to give you a turkey!” He just smiled.

This incident, unbelievable as it sounds, left me with a wealth of spiritual lessons. First, my affirmation to upgrade my relationship with the police worked. The moment I decided I didn’t want to go through life getting nervous every time I saw a police car, something shifted within me. It’s really not so different from Munchie refusing to go back to dry pellets after he tasted the turkey. Once you have tasted inner peace, living in fear just doesn’t cut it anymore. There is only motion forward.”

Second, my love for my dog (and his love for turkey) set in motion a powerful intention to keep that big smile on his face. When you hold an intention born of true caring, life rushes to support you in amazing ways; when love starts to move, there is no stopping it.

Finally, the Universe took care of the details. My requests were answered almost immediately, without my having to struggle or strain to figure out how they could come about. I placed the order, and the production department did its part. Pizza Hut may deliver to your house, but when God delivers, you won’t even have to get out of your car!”

Wasn’t that a great story? Is there something that you’re hanging on to that you could change simply by reprogramming those thoughts?

Tagged as: A Story, Changing Your Program, Reprogramming your thoughts, spiritual lesson, Spirituality