I sought some spiritual perspective yesterday after hearing about the stock market free fall on Wall Street.
Daily, people are calling me with their financial fears. Retirees are watching their portfolio bleed day by day. Business men and women can’t get loans or find credit to keep their operations running. Homeowners are facing foreclosure. Moms can’t afford food. Dads are losing their jobs...
If one were to soak in all the negative news without an understanding of spiritual wealth and sustenance, one might start to feel depressed and worried.
But there is a spiritual perspective that brings hope and restores peace of mind. The Dow Jones average does not affect our ability to be supplied anymore than the size of the brain affects how intelligent we are.
I grew up on a family farm. You might say that we “saw everything,” over the years in terms of potential calamity. One year, our potato harvest for the season rotted in storage because of a weakness in the spuds. I’ve seen wind destroy fields of seedlings, rain destroy hundreds of tons of hay laying on the ground, frost wipe out whole orchards of fruit and kill trees. I’ve watched my parents lose nights of sleep worrying about how to pay several months of bills ahead of them until the next crop came in. There was a lot more you don’t need to hear about…
But above it all, my parents survived and thrived. The good years outweighed the bad years, and when dad retired, they had much to show for their faith, hard work and effort over the decades.
What got them through the tough times? It was faith and understanding that there was a higher power at work in this universe that would sustain them despite the disaster of the moment that threatened to deprive them.
This is the kind of perspective that can help now as divine Principle sorts out the issues on Wall Street and works to strengthen and increase the moral and spiritual integrity of our financial system and bless those who depend upon it.
The temporal storm on the surface appears fearsome, but there is an underlying force for good at work that will keep our ship afloat.
Our economy is bigger than Wall Street, mightier than the banks that have fallen, and stronger than any economic measurement coming out of Washington DC. We live in a divine economy where divine Mind meets all needs, present and future.
The substance that sustains us is spiritual. It is not in a 401K or a pension fund, a failed bank or other financial instrument. The love of divine Love gives us life and all the means to live it out fully.
Divine Love sustains us now and forever. Its blessings never dry up, shrivel away, decline into nothing, or disappear. They are spiritual, and built into our being for all of eternity. We never lose these assets—ever!
I saw this truth lived out in my parents farming experience. When times got tough, and I mean really tough, they went higher and reached deeper into the divine Love that was always present to sustain them, and found the faith, strength, confidence and encouragement they needed to keep on going and trust that the next day would be brighter. And eventually, it always was.
We live in a divine economy where infinite Love meets all needs. There is no lack in this economy, and there is no threat to the health and well being of the supply that sustains us. God is the source of that supply, and this source never goes into a free fall. It is ever growing and multiplying for those whom it is intended to bless—which is you!
Only God can bring us gladness,
Only God can give us peace;
Joys are vain that end in sadness,
Joy divine shall never cease.
Mid the shade of want and sorrow
Undisturbed, our hearts rejoice;
Patient, wait the brighter morrow;
Faithful, heed the Father's voice.
Christian Science Hymnal, 263
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Loss is gain
More than once I've had a conversation with people who were concerned about what constitutes success and failure in life. One woman I talked wtih had a yearning to spend more time in the practice of healing others through Christian Science, but was concerned that time spent in the practice would deprive her of opportunity to be successful in a secular career.
I knew the feeling well. I struggled with the same conflict after graduating from college many years ago.
I had been taught that success involved making lots of money, or gaining a name, or finding fame of some sort. I loved my spiritual studies and time spent with God, but I found the pursuit of spiritual education was at direct odds with seeking fame and fortune in the world. To seek material gain required me to forsake the pursuit of spiritual gain. I could not pursue the riches of Spirit with my whole heart at the same time that I pursued the riches of matter. They required opposite states of thought to seek. It was one or the other.
Finally, I settled on seeking the riches of Spirit, and happily let the matter-seeking go. It was one of the wisest decisions I ever made.
So, when my inquirer voiced concerned about being seen as a failure by peers if she put the study and practice of Christian Science first in her life, I blurted out, “Success in the world is failure with God.” And likewise, “Success with God is failure in the world.”
The two simply don’t mix.
To seek spiritual gain is to not seek material gain. Spirit and matter are exact opposites, like black and white. They do not mix or mingle.
We all have priorities, and they are either Spirit focused or matter focused. Success with God requires Spirit focus. And getting to know God is the greatest success one could ever have for it leads to eternal life. What else is there? Nothing! And that’s what matter is…nothing.
I was just reading the Sermon on the Mount in The Message, and the second beatitude which the King James version translates,
This is so true.
When we cling to things, worldly goals, persons or stuff, we set ourselves up for loss. These things all disappear someday and leave a void behind that has to be filled spiritually. Why not seek the real substance today and prevent the struggle with loss later?
When we cling to things and people, we don’t cling to God. When we cling to God, we find freedom from things and their surround.
This may be a lesson that is working out in the world economy today. Millions of people are losing financial wealth in the trillions of dollars. It is a hard lesson and a hard way to learn what constitutes true substance, but there is a spiritual treasure to be gained that far outweighs the temporal loss. It is the treasure of Truth.
When we have Truth, we have it all, and our human needs are met too.
Loss is gain, Jesus taught in many different ways.
Loss of material hopes and affections leads to gain of spiritual love and understanding.
How can this be? Because trials send us to God, and there we find Her care.
True wealth is spiritual, and it is freely given to each of us. It comes through the gateway of understanding and by the grace of divine Love. As we put selfish interests aside and faithfully follow Christ down the pathway to Truth, we find spiritual riches, and they take care of us along the way, just as they did our Master.
It’s not what we lose on earth that matters much, but what we gain in heaven. To actively practice Christian Science, the laws of God, and continue to gain in spiritual understanding day by day, is the most rewarding occupation I can imagine ever engaging. To get to know God amounts to grand success, and there is no temporal gain that comes even close in value.
Success with God amounts to failure in the world for what the materially minded person considers to be success is the opposite of what the spiritually minded person seeks. And success in the world leads to failure with God, because the pursuit of material goals, ambition and desire requires one to put material aims first and God second.
Which shall be our choice? And when will we make it?
I knew the feeling well. I struggled with the same conflict after graduating from college many years ago.
I had been taught that success involved making lots of money, or gaining a name, or finding fame of some sort. I loved my spiritual studies and time spent with God, but I found the pursuit of spiritual education was at direct odds with seeking fame and fortune in the world. To seek material gain required me to forsake the pursuit of spiritual gain. I could not pursue the riches of Spirit with my whole heart at the same time that I pursued the riches of matter. They required opposite states of thought to seek. It was one or the other.
Finally, I settled on seeking the riches of Spirit, and happily let the matter-seeking go. It was one of the wisest decisions I ever made.
So, when my inquirer voiced concerned about being seen as a failure by peers if she put the study and practice of Christian Science first in her life, I blurted out, “Success in the world is failure with God.” And likewise, “Success with God is failure in the world.”
The two simply don’t mix.
To seek spiritual gain is to not seek material gain. Spirit and matter are exact opposites, like black and white. They do not mix or mingle.
We all have priorities, and they are either Spirit focused or matter focused. Success with God requires Spirit focus. And getting to know God is the greatest success one could ever have for it leads to eternal life. What else is there? Nothing! And that’s what matter is…nothing.
I was just reading the Sermon on the Mount in The Message, and the second beatitude which the King James version translates,
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted,reads in The Message,
You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
This is so true.
When we cling to things, worldly goals, persons or stuff, we set ourselves up for loss. These things all disappear someday and leave a void behind that has to be filled spiritually. Why not seek the real substance today and prevent the struggle with loss later?
When we cling to things and people, we don’t cling to God. When we cling to God, we find freedom from things and their surround.
This may be a lesson that is working out in the world economy today. Millions of people are losing financial wealth in the trillions of dollars. It is a hard lesson and a hard way to learn what constitutes true substance, but there is a spiritual treasure to be gained that far outweighs the temporal loss. It is the treasure of Truth.
When we have Truth, we have it all, and our human needs are met too.
Loss is gain, Jesus taught in many different ways.
Loss of material hopes and affections leads to gain of spiritual love and understanding.
Trials are proofs of God’s care,Mary Baker Eddy wrote.
How can this be? Because trials send us to God, and there we find Her care.
True wealth is spiritual, and it is freely given to each of us. It comes through the gateway of understanding and by the grace of divine Love. As we put selfish interests aside and faithfully follow Christ down the pathway to Truth, we find spiritual riches, and they take care of us along the way, just as they did our Master.
It’s not what we lose on earth that matters much, but what we gain in heaven. To actively practice Christian Science, the laws of God, and continue to gain in spiritual understanding day by day, is the most rewarding occupation I can imagine ever engaging. To get to know God amounts to grand success, and there is no temporal gain that comes even close in value.
Success with God amounts to failure in the world for what the materially minded person considers to be success is the opposite of what the spiritually minded person seeks. And success in the world leads to failure with God, because the pursuit of material goals, ambition and desire requires one to put material aims first and God second.
Which shall be our choice? And when will we make it?
Friday, September 26, 2008
Financial meltdown or prayer build-up?
It occurred to me this morning that the most important activity happening in the financial sector of our country right now is not the meltdown on Wall Street so many investors fear. It’s the prayers of the spiritually minded at work dissolving those fears and restoring peace of mind about the future of our economy.
When crisis hits, it’s tempting to get caught up into the disaster of the moment. Even this morning, the front page of my local newspaper headlined the downfall of WaMu. We have money in that bank. So, I ask, what is most helpful? To panic, worry and fret? Or to pray for calm and peace of mind that enables me and others to make sound wise financial decisions? I believe the latter.
The more all of us buckle down in prayer and refuse to go hysterical over the calamity facing the markets, the sooner sanity and wisdom will take over and redirect the economy of our world in a progressive direction that better serves humanity.
No doubt, many mistakes have been made. Gross sins need to be recognized that got us into this mess. But the path to a sound economy is not the route of red-hot anger, self-righteous finger-pointing, futility, or resignation to defeat. The road to reliable prosperity is the path of increased wisdom, morality, sound reasoning and spiritual mindedness. These virtues lived and practiced, lead to healing, and they come to us in the quietness of prayer.
Will you join me in a few quiet moments of prayer today for the integrity of our economy?
When crisis hits, it’s tempting to get caught up into the disaster of the moment. Even this morning, the front page of my local newspaper headlined the downfall of WaMu. We have money in that bank. So, I ask, what is most helpful? To panic, worry and fret? Or to pray for calm and peace of mind that enables me and others to make sound wise financial decisions? I believe the latter.
The more all of us buckle down in prayer and refuse to go hysterical over the calamity facing the markets, the sooner sanity and wisdom will take over and redirect the economy of our world in a progressive direction that better serves humanity.
No doubt, many mistakes have been made. Gross sins need to be recognized that got us into this mess. But the path to a sound economy is not the route of red-hot anger, self-righteous finger-pointing, futility, or resignation to defeat. The road to reliable prosperity is the path of increased wisdom, morality, sound reasoning and spiritual mindedness. These virtues lived and practiced, lead to healing, and they come to us in the quietness of prayer.
Will you join me in a few quiet moments of prayer today for the integrity of our economy?
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Psalms
Thursday, September 25, 2008
What happens after death
A reader just sent me a link to a thought provoking article on the distinction to be made between mind and brain.
Reports of Near Death Experiences have been around for decades, but medical scientists have yet to come to terms with what they mean. Dr. Sam Parnia is one scientist who wants to understand and has been conducting extensive studies on the subject.
“What happens when we die?” posted on Yahoo News, tells about some of his discoveries and thoughts about NDEs.
I’ve had patients over the years tell me about their NDE’s. They were genuine and sincere in their stories. They had no reason to make them up. Typically, they keep their experiences very private for fear of what other people think if they were to talk about them. But the evidence is so compelling that life continues after death, and that the mind is separate from the brain, that scientists will inevitably have to deal with this question and resolve the questions it provokes. This appears to be happening with Parnia’s studies.
I especially like Parnia’s observation at the end of the article where he describes how a new science is needed to explain how the mind works independent of the brain.
Could that needed science be divine Science? I think maybe so...
Reports of Near Death Experiences have been around for decades, but medical scientists have yet to come to terms with what they mean. Dr. Sam Parnia is one scientist who wants to understand and has been conducting extensive studies on the subject.
“What happens when we die?” posted on Yahoo News, tells about some of his discoveries and thoughts about NDEs.
I’ve had patients over the years tell me about their NDE’s. They were genuine and sincere in their stories. They had no reason to make them up. Typically, they keep their experiences very private for fear of what other people think if they were to talk about them. But the evidence is so compelling that life continues after death, and that the mind is separate from the brain, that scientists will inevitably have to deal with this question and resolve the questions it provokes. This appears to be happening with Parnia’s studies.
I especially like Parnia’s observation at the end of the article where he describes how a new science is needed to explain how the mind works independent of the brain.
Could that needed science be divine Science? I think maybe so...
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Psalm 23
A reader sent in a much loved classic which was printed in Reader's Digest in 1950, and in many other places since.
If you love the 23rd Psalm, you'll love the treasures of insight found in this piece. Some of its explanations may be familiar, but much, especially near the end, will likely be new.
Click on the below title...
The Basque Sheepherder and the Shepherd Psalm
By James K. Wallace
If you love the 23rd Psalm, you'll love the treasures of insight found in this piece. Some of its explanations may be familiar, but much, especially near the end, will likely be new.
Click on the below title...
The Basque Sheepherder and the Shepherd Psalm
By James K. Wallace
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Rebuilding from a scrap heap
A reader sent in the below sequence of pictures and attached explanation. I was especially moved by the story for it illustrates that no matter how destroyed, bombed out, or terrorized we feel, we can always come back with a remedial response. Even when our life looks like a dump, a scrap pile of waste, a hopeless mess, there are still the resources and means about us to build things back up again and come back.
I was at the World Trade Center site last May. I stood on the edge of a huge pit, busy with new construction, envisioning what that huge pile of concrete and steel must have looked like after the Trade Towers fell in a burning crumbling heap. What a huge emotional, physical and economical mess to repair, I contemplated. But the people targeted by the terrorists did not throw up their hands in despair and give up. They did not wave a white flag. The did not bury themselves in self-pity. They came back and are coming back. The story is not finished...
I was at the World Trade Center site last May. I stood on the edge of a huge pit, busy with new construction, envisioning what that huge pile of concrete and steel must have looked like after the Trade Towers fell in a burning crumbling heap. What a huge emotional, physical and economical mess to repair, I contemplated. But the people targeted by the terrorists did not throw up their hands in despair and give up. They did not wave a white flag. The did not bury themselves in self-pity. They came back and are coming back. The story is not finished...
Here She is, the USS New York, made from the World Trade Center.
USS New York: It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center.
It is the fifth in a new class of warship - designed for missions that include special operations against terrorists. It will carry a crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines to be delivered ashore by helicopters and assault craft.
Steel from the World Trade Center was melted down in a foundry in Amite, LA, to cast the ship's bow section. When it was poured into the molds on Sept 9, 2003, 'those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence,' recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there.' It was a spiritual moment for everybody there.'
Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the 'hair on my neck stood up.' 'It had a big meaning to it for all of us,' he said. 'They knocked us down. They can't keep us down. We're going to be back.'
The ship's motto? 'Never Forget.'
I'm not an advocate of torpedoes and bombs to establish world peace, but I also understand that world thought has much spiritual growth to obtain before all conflicts are going to be solved without occasional armed intervention. The less the better, but until then, there is a hope and spirit in this story that gives one much food for thought.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Identity theft?
A reader sent in the below photos. I couldn't help but chuckle when I glanced through them for you get surprised when you look closely. They are not what they first appear.
Beware of identity theft!! The header blared.
I thought about meeting new people and occasionally drawing the wrong conclusion about them from initial impressions. The surface evaluation may be totally wrong.
It's important not to jump to conclusions!
Look a little closer and we see qualities and charactertistics that weren't initially apparent.
Enjoy...
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Downside of lottery mentality
I caught a vivid glimpse during a tennis match this weekend into why holding what I call a “lottery mentality,” can be detrimental to health, success and progress.
For years, I’ve believed that buying lottery tickets and gambling as a routine habit is harmful to one’s well being. Aside from the obvious impact of giving away all your money, with little or no return, there is the element of cultivating faith in chance that has a dark downside. But I’ve often been short on examples to prove this.
This weekend, though, while serving in a tie-break for a match, I was taught exactly why strong faith in chance can be dangerous.
My partner and I had split sets with our opponents, and we had gone into a 10 by 2 tie-break for the entire match. The scores were very close the third set, and every point counted.
On a crucial serve, I doubled faulted. If you know tennis, you DO NOT double fault on a crucial serve. You use a second serve that you are confident will absolutely go in.
After I mentally hit myself over the head for making such a dumb mistake, a little voice echoed, “Well, you took a chance and lost.”
“I took a chance!” That was exactly right. I used a serve that might have been a winner if it had gone in, but if I would have stopped long enough to think about it, I knew there was a 20% chance it would go out. I didn’t know that serve to perfection!
"I took a chance. And I lost."
These words boomed in my metaphysical echo chamber. I searched for the spiritual lesson I needed to learn, and I quickly got it.
You do not take chances on important things in life, especially if you can eliminate the risk and guarantee the outcome.
I took a chance, and failed, and I didn’t have to. I could have acted more intelligently, eliminated the chance, and got my serve in if I had thought more clearly about my actions ahead of time.
Yes, yes, I know many people would argue they “took a chance,” and obtained their goal. I’ve done that too. But I know of a whole lot more that “took a chance,” and failed.
(I learn more about life than I do about tennis during these matches. Perhaps, that’s why I keep playing…)
Why had I taken a chance when I didn’t have too? I quizzed.
I decided it was because my thinking was prone to taking chances to some degree, and that tendency surfaced when I chose my serve. The tendency to “take a chance,” overrode a more sensible decision.
The voice within boomed, “This is why you don’t play the lottery!!!”
“What?” I asked back!
And the voice continued… To play the lottery is to put great faith in chance. A player knows the odds of winning are stacked against him immensely, but he keeps putting out more and more money because he has hope in chance. His faith in chance is greater than his faith in sound intelligent reasoning. And yes, the news media will headline the occasional winner…but it also fails to report the millions and millions of losers.
To cultivate faith in chance can’t help but cultivate faith in chance with all decision-making in one’s life.
For example, the person who has faith in chance might be a good driver for the most part on the highway, taking chances now and then, and surviving. But then he takes the one chance that turns fatal.
And what about prayer? The person who has faith in chance may have a problem and think, “I could pray about this and see what might happen.” It’s probable that his faith in chance would dilute the effectiveness of his prayer. Chance implies risk, success and/or failure. The prayer influenced by faith in chance will be a weak prayer. It will not be an absolute faith in God.
You might have your own examples that illustrate the downside of believing in chance. I’d love to read about them. I’m sure there are hundreds.
Eliminating any acts of chance from one’s life is a long run project. There are probably countless “little chances” we take everyday without even noticing. So, its’ getting a handle on the big stuff that should most concern us. The little stuff will fade along with it.
Life is not a chance. Good is not a chance. Health is not a chance. God is an absolute entity, power and source of supply. The more we build faith in the absolute goodness and nearness of God, the less faith we have in chance. Health will not feel susceptible to loss, and supply will not feel vulnerable to economic swings. God gives us what we need, direct from a spiritual source, and there is no material factor that can aid us or deprive us. Understanding this to be true eliminates suggestions to “take a chance,” when we don't need to. Understanding the truth about God assures us that we already have whatever chance promises to provide. It comes from God, and it is freely given.
And this includes the intelligence and sound reasoning to choose the correct serve in a crucial tie-break!
I hope this view of Truth helps my tennis game...I'm sure it will...
Smiles…
For years, I’ve believed that buying lottery tickets and gambling as a routine habit is harmful to one’s well being. Aside from the obvious impact of giving away all your money, with little or no return, there is the element of cultivating faith in chance that has a dark downside. But I’ve often been short on examples to prove this.
This weekend, though, while serving in a tie-break for a match, I was taught exactly why strong faith in chance can be dangerous.
My partner and I had split sets with our opponents, and we had gone into a 10 by 2 tie-break for the entire match. The scores were very close the third set, and every point counted.
On a crucial serve, I doubled faulted. If you know tennis, you DO NOT double fault on a crucial serve. You use a second serve that you are confident will absolutely go in.
After I mentally hit myself over the head for making such a dumb mistake, a little voice echoed, “Well, you took a chance and lost.”
“I took a chance!” That was exactly right. I used a serve that might have been a winner if it had gone in, but if I would have stopped long enough to think about it, I knew there was a 20% chance it would go out. I didn’t know that serve to perfection!
"I took a chance. And I lost."
These words boomed in my metaphysical echo chamber. I searched for the spiritual lesson I needed to learn, and I quickly got it.
You do not take chances on important things in life, especially if you can eliminate the risk and guarantee the outcome.
I took a chance, and failed, and I didn’t have to. I could have acted more intelligently, eliminated the chance, and got my serve in if I had thought more clearly about my actions ahead of time.
Yes, yes, I know many people would argue they “took a chance,” and obtained their goal. I’ve done that too. But I know of a whole lot more that “took a chance,” and failed.
(I learn more about life than I do about tennis during these matches. Perhaps, that’s why I keep playing…)
Why had I taken a chance when I didn’t have too? I quizzed.
I decided it was because my thinking was prone to taking chances to some degree, and that tendency surfaced when I chose my serve. The tendency to “take a chance,” overrode a more sensible decision.
The voice within boomed, “This is why you don’t play the lottery!!!”
“What?” I asked back!
And the voice continued… To play the lottery is to put great faith in chance. A player knows the odds of winning are stacked against him immensely, but he keeps putting out more and more money because he has hope in chance. His faith in chance is greater than his faith in sound intelligent reasoning. And yes, the news media will headline the occasional winner…but it also fails to report the millions and millions of losers.
To cultivate faith in chance can’t help but cultivate faith in chance with all decision-making in one’s life.
For example, the person who has faith in chance might be a good driver for the most part on the highway, taking chances now and then, and surviving. But then he takes the one chance that turns fatal.
And what about prayer? The person who has faith in chance may have a problem and think, “I could pray about this and see what might happen.” It’s probable that his faith in chance would dilute the effectiveness of his prayer. Chance implies risk, success and/or failure. The prayer influenced by faith in chance will be a weak prayer. It will not be an absolute faith in God.
You might have your own examples that illustrate the downside of believing in chance. I’d love to read about them. I’m sure there are hundreds.
Eliminating any acts of chance from one’s life is a long run project. There are probably countless “little chances” we take everyday without even noticing. So, its’ getting a handle on the big stuff that should most concern us. The little stuff will fade along with it.
Life is not a chance. Good is not a chance. Health is not a chance. God is an absolute entity, power and source of supply. The more we build faith in the absolute goodness and nearness of God, the less faith we have in chance. Health will not feel susceptible to loss, and supply will not feel vulnerable to economic swings. God gives us what we need, direct from a spiritual source, and there is no material factor that can aid us or deprive us. Understanding this to be true eliminates suggestions to “take a chance,” when we don't need to. Understanding the truth about God assures us that we already have whatever chance promises to provide. It comes from God, and it is freely given.
And this includes the intelligence and sound reasoning to choose the correct serve in a crucial tie-break!
I hope this view of Truth helps my tennis game...I'm sure it will...
Smiles…
Saturday, September 20, 2008
The best protection from enemies
Thanks to a reader...
When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.”
~ African Proverb
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Wealth is wisdom
With a hurricane of turbulence on Wall Street this week, many people have been concerned about the safety of their investments. I too, have spent time in prayer over this issue, listening for God’s guidance on any changes my family should make to protect ourselves from potential loss. We own some stocks, and any time the Dow falls mortal mind whispers, or hollers, “You’ve lost some wealth!”
Honestly, though, a falling Dow doesn’t worry me much. Experienced experts, including Warren Buffet, counsel over and over that if you make sound investments for the long run, you don’t have to worry about short term aberrations. The integrity of your investment will prevail and reward you for sticking with it. I know this to be true and I’ve seen it many times.
But I have many clients who do worry about their investments and financial future, so I’m always listening for ideas and spiritual truths that dissolve their fears and bring calm. And the fear has been severe for some recently.
As I listened for inspiration this morning, I had a great Aha! moment.
“Wealth is wisdom!” an inner voice proclaimed.
Honestly, though, a falling Dow doesn’t worry me much. Experienced experts, including Warren Buffet, counsel over and over that if you make sound investments for the long run, you don’t have to worry about short term aberrations. The integrity of your investment will prevail and reward you for sticking with it. I know this to be true and I’ve seen it many times.
But I have many clients who do worry about their investments and financial future, so I’m always listening for ideas and spiritual truths that dissolve their fears and bring calm. And the fear has been severe for some recently.
As I listened for inspiration this morning, I had a great Aha! moment.
“Wealth is wisdom!” an inner voice proclaimed.
I thought it through...
People fear for their wealth when they believe their riches are material. And this would be naturally so, because anything material is not reliable or dependable. It can disappear, be stolen, eroded, or gone in a puff of smoke as we seen recently with major financial houses toppling into bankruptcy in a matter of days. Material so-called wealth is not reliable at all. What is reliable is wisdom.
Wisdom comes from God, the all-knowing, all-wise Mind that has a solution for every problem we ever face. The exercise of wisdom builds portfolios and protects them. A lack of wisdom loses control and leads to diminution and decline.
Its wisdom that protects assets, preserves portfolios, stays out of dangerous debt, and prepares for tomorrow. Without wisdom, investors can be given large sums of money and lose it quickly because of poor decision-making. We've seen too much evidence of that. With wisdom, investors can make sound decisions and avoid the pitfalls of ignorance, greed and short-sighted goals.
The substance of true wealth is wisdom, and it should be the first item we seek when striving to demonstrate financial solvency and supply.
A lot of poor decisions have led to the banking crisis our economy faces today. These strenuous times are healing times really. An adjustment in course was needed. It’s a time for honest self-examination and a re-ordering of priorities from the crass and mindless pursuit of profit to constructing an economy that is guided by sound moral and spiritual principles.
“Be wiser than serpents,” Jesus Christ instructed. The serpent of greed and lust has taken a big bite out of our economy of recent. But we can be wiser. We can be wiser than the serpent. Through compassion, patience, understanding, unselfed love and wisdom, the economy will be rectified, and everyone will come out stronger and better for it.
Wisdom is wealth. When you have wisdom, you have the greatest riches of all, and human needs will be met through putting that wisdom into practice. There's enough of it to go around for everyone, and we all can be enriched by it.
II Chron 1
7 In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.
8 And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead.
9 Now, O Lord God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.
10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?
11 And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:
12 Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
What image do you portray?
Have you ever noticed that some people suffering hardship attract all kinds of support, love and attention, and others don’t? Could it be the attitude of the sufferer that makes the difference?
A reader forwarded the below link to a video that is profoundly thought-provoking on the subject of self-pity, charity and seeing the good even when that good is not so obvious.
It’s about 5 minutes long, and you have to watch the whole clip to get the message.
The Story of a Sign
A reader forwarded the below link to a video that is profoundly thought-provoking on the subject of self-pity, charity and seeing the good even when that good is not so obvious.
It’s about 5 minutes long, and you have to watch the whole clip to get the message.
The Story of a Sign
Friday, September 12, 2008
The illusion of debt
While studying the story of the widow woman and her pot of oil in the Christian Science Bible lesson this week, a new insight into the unreality of debt grabbed my attention.
In the story, a woman’s husband dies leaving behind a huge debt for his wife. She has no money to pay. The creditors are ready to seize her two sons as bondmen. She appeals to the prophet Elisha for help, and per Elisha’s instructions, she pays off the debt in what appeared a miraculous way—her small pot of oil multiplying into many large pots of oil.
I asked myself, “What did Elisha see spiritually that enabled him to see the unreality of that debt?”
Just like a spiritual healer does not see disease as a reality, a prophet would not see debt as a reality either. “How is this?” I pondered.
And I got my answer. If I may ramble a bit…
Debt is not real, because everything a person thinks he gets from debt is not real either. It’s temporal.
My definition of “real,” is that which lasts forever. Only the spiritual lasts forever. Love, wisdom, genuine family ties, home, peace of mind, health, reliable supply, support, joy, and their kin, are spiritual. They come from divine Mind and last forever in divine Mind.
Debt comes from telling someone you’ll pay them money later if they give you something today.
What does debt purchase? Not anything real. It purchases things, stuff, matter-items, human services, and conditions of the temporal world. It does not purchase anything that comes from God.
The supply of God is freely bestowed. It comes in a spiritual form, and is a gift to all of us. We don’t need money to have love, home, peace of mind, health, and so on. These are all gifts of God and found in Mind, not in matter.
Back to the widow woman…
So, I thought, when the widow woman told Elisha she had no money, or in essence, she had no supply, Elisha knew her statement was wrong. Elisha knew the woman was entertaining an illusion about her supply condition. She really did have supply, because God was the source of her supply, and God supplies each of us abundantly, so her supply was present in her home. Elisha knew this. She just didn't see it.
It seemed to me that the woman was entertaining her dead husband’s illusion that he had to go into debt to have supply for his family. And he went into debt because he had not grown to a very wealthy understanding of supply yet. He saw his supply as being material, and turned to material providers for it, thus strapping his family with a limited sense of supply.
Elisha knew better. Elisha knew that no real supply comes from worldly creditors. It comes from God in a spiritual form, and he knew that this woman’s family had always been supplied by God. The family had never been truly supplied by the things purchased with debt. Any effect from increased things is temporal, and leaves one feeling empty-handed eventually, which is what happened to the widow.
The love, joy, health, nourishment, sustenance, freedom and life of that family were spiritual and always had been. They were coming from God and hadn’t gone anywhere.
The husband’s passing did not take the family's supply away from them. God was supplying that family with love, health, freedom, support, and protection after the husband’s passing just as much as before. Nothing had changed between them and God. The widow needed to drop her husband’s limited sense of supply in order to see the unreality of the debt.
Whoa…I was getting quite psyched to consider the implications of this insight…
So, that means right where the woman saw debt, Elisha saw supply. He did not believe the woman when she said she couldn’t pay her debt. He reasoned spiritually that her belief of debt was impossible. She was not in debt to the world for her supply. She was in debt to God, and God was supplying her as always.
Her belief of a matter-debt to the world for the supply-needs of her family was pure illusion. She never was in debt to the world and never could be for the real needs of her family were spiritual, and supplied only by God. She had been hypnotized by a false belief concerning supply. She was not in material debt at all to the world because the world could not give her anything that God was not already giving her, and it never had. In reality, she was swimming in supply. And Elisha knew it.
Elisha asked the woman, “What do you have in your house?” As if he knew she had to have evidence of supply in her life. And she replied that she had nothing in the house except a pot of oil.
You probably know the rest of the story. She poured the little pot out into several large pots, and oil kept flowing and flowing and flowing until there was more than enough oil to sell and pay all her bills, with funds left over.
The debt was illusion. What appeared to exist from a limited material sense, did not exist at all from a spiritually enlightened point of view. Supply was the reality, and Elisha scientifically proved it.
We can prove it too.
None of us are in debt to the world for the real supply-items of Life. God is the supplier, and it doesn't cost a single dollar to have what the divine Provider gives. And that is enough.
In the story, a woman’s husband dies leaving behind a huge debt for his wife. She has no money to pay. The creditors are ready to seize her two sons as bondmen. She appeals to the prophet Elisha for help, and per Elisha’s instructions, she pays off the debt in what appeared a miraculous way—her small pot of oil multiplying into many large pots of oil.
I asked myself, “What did Elisha see spiritually that enabled him to see the unreality of that debt?”
Just like a spiritual healer does not see disease as a reality, a prophet would not see debt as a reality either. “How is this?” I pondered.
And I got my answer. If I may ramble a bit…
Debt is not real, because everything a person thinks he gets from debt is not real either. It’s temporal.
My definition of “real,” is that which lasts forever. Only the spiritual lasts forever. Love, wisdom, genuine family ties, home, peace of mind, health, reliable supply, support, joy, and their kin, are spiritual. They come from divine Mind and last forever in divine Mind.
Debt comes from telling someone you’ll pay them money later if they give you something today.
What does debt purchase? Not anything real. It purchases things, stuff, matter-items, human services, and conditions of the temporal world. It does not purchase anything that comes from God.
The supply of God is freely bestowed. It comes in a spiritual form, and is a gift to all of us. We don’t need money to have love, home, peace of mind, health, and so on. These are all gifts of God and found in Mind, not in matter.
Back to the widow woman…
So, I thought, when the widow woman told Elisha she had no money, or in essence, she had no supply, Elisha knew her statement was wrong. Elisha knew the woman was entertaining an illusion about her supply condition. She really did have supply, because God was the source of her supply, and God supplies each of us abundantly, so her supply was present in her home. Elisha knew this. She just didn't see it.
It seemed to me that the woman was entertaining her dead husband’s illusion that he had to go into debt to have supply for his family. And he went into debt because he had not grown to a very wealthy understanding of supply yet. He saw his supply as being material, and turned to material providers for it, thus strapping his family with a limited sense of supply.
Elisha knew better. Elisha knew that no real supply comes from worldly creditors. It comes from God in a spiritual form, and he knew that this woman’s family had always been supplied by God. The family had never been truly supplied by the things purchased with debt. Any effect from increased things is temporal, and leaves one feeling empty-handed eventually, which is what happened to the widow.
The love, joy, health, nourishment, sustenance, freedom and life of that family were spiritual and always had been. They were coming from God and hadn’t gone anywhere.
The husband’s passing did not take the family's supply away from them. God was supplying that family with love, health, freedom, support, and protection after the husband’s passing just as much as before. Nothing had changed between them and God. The widow needed to drop her husband’s limited sense of supply in order to see the unreality of the debt.
Whoa…I was getting quite psyched to consider the implications of this insight…
So, that means right where the woman saw debt, Elisha saw supply. He did not believe the woman when she said she couldn’t pay her debt. He reasoned spiritually that her belief of debt was impossible. She was not in debt to the world for her supply. She was in debt to God, and God was supplying her as always.
Her belief of a matter-debt to the world for the supply-needs of her family was pure illusion. She never was in debt to the world and never could be for the real needs of her family were spiritual, and supplied only by God. She had been hypnotized by a false belief concerning supply. She was not in material debt at all to the world because the world could not give her anything that God was not already giving her, and it never had. In reality, she was swimming in supply. And Elisha knew it.
Elisha asked the woman, “What do you have in your house?” As if he knew she had to have evidence of supply in her life. And she replied that she had nothing in the house except a pot of oil.
You probably know the rest of the story. She poured the little pot out into several large pots, and oil kept flowing and flowing and flowing until there was more than enough oil to sell and pay all her bills, with funds left over.
The debt was illusion. What appeared to exist from a limited material sense, did not exist at all from a spiritually enlightened point of view. Supply was the reality, and Elisha scientifically proved it.
We can prove it too.
None of us are in debt to the world for the real supply-items of Life. God is the supplier, and it doesn't cost a single dollar to have what the divine Provider gives. And that is enough.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Live unselfishly
"It is all right your saying you do not need other people, but there are a lot of people who need you."
~ Sherwood Anderson
Monday, September 8, 2008
Hypnotism not so funny
A week ago, a new acquaintance was telling me about a friend of his who was showing off his “hypnotic powers.”
He said that his friend was waiting for a woman to deliver a product and decided to use her as a subject for his mind-control methods. He was going to have the woman dress in blue, he said.
The new acquaintance of mine was quite impressed with his friend’s powers and wondered what my opinion was of his deeds.
He continued his story….
After a while, the woman arrived in a blue dress.
“Wow! Can you believe that?” He asked
He went on…
After the woman arrived, the two men told her about the mental signal they had sent her way, to have her come dressed in blue. The woman laughed and said, “That is quite interesting. I did not dress in blue this morning, but as I was driving to meet you, I spilled coffee on my dress and went back home to change. That’s when I put on the blue dress.”
Of course, this confirmed the hypnotist’s powers even more for the guy telling me the story.
He asked me if I believed mental manipulation like that was possible.
I told him I believed his story. And I used the story to bring out a spiritual lesson.
I said, “This kind of story is the very reason you want to defend your thinking everyday from outside mental influence. Your friend messed with this woman’s thinking, and she didn’t know it. Lots of people are trying to influence other people’s thinking everyday, maybe not consciously all the time, but it’s the same idea. You have to defend yourself from it.”
In Christian Science, this kind of mental manipulation is called mental malpractice.
I went onto explain that suppose the hypnotist had a turn of bad will and decided to influence another’s thinking into doing something detrimental, like hurt someone, or get ill, or make a mistake on an important project?
He got the point. He had been so enamored by his friends’ ability to control another’s thought that he didn’t think about the potential downside.
There are many hypnotists who perform on stage and advertise professional services such as to help people stop smoking or lose weight. And many people are attracted to this type of activity. On the surface, their acts appear innocent and even beneficial. But there is a major downside to be understood.
If we yield our thought to a hypnotist in one instance, we are liable to yield in another, and maybe without realizing it. It’s better to stay in control of one’s thoughts and yield only to the divine Mind influence. Then we’re always safe whether consciously aware of another’s mal-intent or not.
Hypnotism is not funny, really. It can be dangerous if actively or passively entertained as having real power.
In Science, hypnotism has no power at all, for there is one Mind governing all and no counter human mind to mess with the divine order. But this truth needs to be understood and lived to be demonstrated. Let’s do it!
He said that his friend was waiting for a woman to deliver a product and decided to use her as a subject for his mind-control methods. He was going to have the woman dress in blue, he said.
The new acquaintance of mine was quite impressed with his friend’s powers and wondered what my opinion was of his deeds.
He continued his story….
After a while, the woman arrived in a blue dress.
“Wow! Can you believe that?” He asked
He went on…
After the woman arrived, the two men told her about the mental signal they had sent her way, to have her come dressed in blue. The woman laughed and said, “That is quite interesting. I did not dress in blue this morning, but as I was driving to meet you, I spilled coffee on my dress and went back home to change. That’s when I put on the blue dress.”
Of course, this confirmed the hypnotist’s powers even more for the guy telling me the story.
He asked me if I believed mental manipulation like that was possible.
I told him I believed his story. And I used the story to bring out a spiritual lesson.
I said, “This kind of story is the very reason you want to defend your thinking everyday from outside mental influence. Your friend messed with this woman’s thinking, and she didn’t know it. Lots of people are trying to influence other people’s thinking everyday, maybe not consciously all the time, but it’s the same idea. You have to defend yourself from it.”
In Christian Science, this kind of mental manipulation is called mental malpractice.
I went onto explain that suppose the hypnotist had a turn of bad will and decided to influence another’s thinking into doing something detrimental, like hurt someone, or get ill, or make a mistake on an important project?
He got the point. He had been so enamored by his friends’ ability to control another’s thought that he didn’t think about the potential downside.
There are many hypnotists who perform on stage and advertise professional services such as to help people stop smoking or lose weight. And many people are attracted to this type of activity. On the surface, their acts appear innocent and even beneficial. But there is a major downside to be understood.
If we yield our thought to a hypnotist in one instance, we are liable to yield in another, and maybe without realizing it. It’s better to stay in control of one’s thoughts and yield only to the divine Mind influence. Then we’re always safe whether consciously aware of another’s mal-intent or not.
Hypnotism is not funny, really. It can be dangerous if actively or passively entertained as having real power.
In Science, hypnotism has no power at all, for there is one Mind governing all and no counter human mind to mess with the divine order. But this truth needs to be understood and lived to be demonstrated. Let’s do it!
