Don't Put Your Faith in Appearances

Don’t Put Your Faith in Appearances!

About 27 years ago, I lived in NYC. I had a one-bedroom apartment in Midtown that I shared with my friend Gael. Even working two jobs, making the rent, taking dance class, acting class, and paying for food and subways was a struggle. At one point, I was down and out with my finances. I really didn’t think I was going to be able to eat that month. What I survived on then was .39 cans of tuna, .10 mac & cheese, .05 ramen noodles, and chicken thighs and legs, which were usually about .29 or .39 a pound. On a good week, I could eat for $10. You can tell how old I am by the cost of food. And that was in NYC.

I had my heart set on this acting class that a friend was giving that practically assured you some roles on “All My Children” if the teacher liked you, because she was the casting director. So, I bit the bullet and spent every cent I had saved and just prayed something more would come in to keep me afloat.

That week that I paid for the class, I got a call from a friend of a friend that Macy’s needed a guy to do some work for the Macy’s parade. From that interview, I ended up getting about $3000 worth of work in 3 months, which in those days was a lot of extra money. I led the world’s largest group of tap dancers as Bubbles the Tap Dancing Bumble Bee, then I was Tony Dorno’s Sporto the Duck for 3 months. I remember that this was the beginning of Spirit teaching me the lesson of moving forward with my heart and trusting in the abundance of God more than the appearances of what life looks like it may have to offer. And the even better news was, I ended up getting a couple bit roles on “All My Children,” which was the blast of my life at that point.

Now, that being said, I think there is a balance to be had here. I know some people who take absolutely no financial responsibility for their lives. They spend everything they make the moment they make it. I have never been that person. In fact, I save almost everything and I’m a penny pincher to put it lightly. My lessons were exactly opposite of this kind of person.

It has taken many of those “prosperous” kinds of moments for Spirit God to fortify me with the kind of faith that I have now. I believe that God works slowly to develop faith. You have small tests of faith. Then the tests get a little larger. Then soon you find that you are buying a house, when it doesn’t look like you really can afford it, which is exactly what I did.

I remember my tax guy looking at me and saying, “You bought a house that costs how much, making what you make? And not having a consistent steady income?”

I shrugged my shoulders. God moved my heart to do it. The bank approved my loan in exactly one hour. I had a plan. I turned the back of the house into an apartment and rented it out for $650 a month, which paid for about 1/3 of my mortgage. Once I did that, I ended up paying less for the house than I was paying for rent before I bought the house. And I had to put no money down.

When I got ready to refinance and the housing market looked like it took a terrible dive, everyone thought I wouldn’t be able to refinance. But I didn’t think twice about it. Even the loan officer said she didn’t think my house would appraise for the right amount. But it did, and I got the lower rate without having to get mortgage insurance.

I lead with my gut—where God is. That’s the difference in living by appearances and living by truth. Appearance is in the human realm of site and mind. God and unchangeable and unlimited truth is in the spirit world where everything is created. You must live from the latter world to accept the concept of Not Living By Appearances.

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Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at 615-400-2334 or www.bosebastian.com.

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