If you are a US citizen, what if the presidential candidate you vote for next week loses the election? Is all lost?
Nope. A power over the country much greater than any politician in office governs the land and ensures the advancement of every right idea.
Some voters get worried about the future of their cherished causes if the candidate they choose is not elected. Abortion, immigration reform, health care, tax strategies, and more are hot button issues that evoke heated emotions, at times, by thinkers deeply invested in debates on these topics.
In everyday terms, one doesn’t always get their way. The majority may not agree with his or her point of view. But that doesn’t imply all is lost.
A right idea survives and advances independent of majority endorsement.
All great causes started with a minority opinion. Jesus Christ was a minority. Martin Luther King was a minority. Mandela was a minority. The ideas they stood for were greater than the man that espoused them, and greater than the times they were in.
A right idea survives and thrives over time. It’s inevitable, for God is the power behind it. God’s influence and presence far outlasts and outdoes any politician or officer of the land.
So, if there is a great cause you believe in, and the candidate elected into office does not agree, take heart. A right idea that blesses all mankind is destined to bless all mankind. There is a power behind it greater than the president of the moment. That power will carry the righteous cause forward long after that individual leaves office.
And if the candidate wins who you voted for, well, I guess this discussion is moot!
The problem is, I find that no matter which candidate I vote for, there are perceived positives and negatives with all of them. If only I could pick and choose qualities from each, and blend them all together!
But until the electoral process figures out how to make that happen, I find hope in these words of Mary Baker Eddy about the longevity of the ideas Jesus Christ taught and preached which have waned and wavered in popular acceptance over the centuries…
“In no other one thing seemed Jesus of Nazareth more divine than in his faith in the immortality of his words. He said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away;" and they have not. The winds of time sweep clean the centuries, but they can never bear into oblivion his words. They still live, and tomorrow speak louder than today” Miscellaneous Writings, p. 99.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Be grateful
Are you grateful today? Have you counted your blessings? Are you conscious of the good things happening around you and in your life? For they are many….
With the media broadcasting pictures of lack and despondency by people struggling with their finances, it’s extra important to remember our blessings to keep our perspective from sinking unnecessarily. And one of the most effective ways to stay on top of discouragement, despair and hopelessness, is to be grateful!
God is always sending supply our way, but we must be receptive to receiving it. Gratitude keeps the mental doors open to the supply of wisdom, insight, foresight and spiritual sight that God provides to meet our human needs.
Ingratitude slams the mental door on this supply and causes one to believe they lack, when they don’t lack at all. If they lack, it’s not supply that's missing, but the right perspective that enables one to see supply.
Gratitude is an attitude. Carry it with you all day long! It will bless you and reveal bounty untold before your eyes that previously appeared elusive or nonexistent.
With the media broadcasting pictures of lack and despondency by people struggling with their finances, it’s extra important to remember our blessings to keep our perspective from sinking unnecessarily. And one of the most effective ways to stay on top of discouragement, despair and hopelessness, is to be grateful!
God is always sending supply our way, but we must be receptive to receiving it. Gratitude keeps the mental doors open to the supply of wisdom, insight, foresight and spiritual sight that God provides to meet our human needs.
Ingratitude slams the mental door on this supply and causes one to believe they lack, when they don’t lack at all. If they lack, it’s not supply that's missing, but the right perspective that enables one to see supply.
Gratitude is an attitude. Carry it with you all day long! It will bless you and reveal bounty untold before your eyes that previously appeared elusive or nonexistent.
Give thanks and you’ll find even more to be thankful for.
Mary Baker Eddy wisely asked, “Are we really grateful for the good already received?" And then added, "Then we shall avail ourselves of the blessings we have, and thus be fitted to receive more.”
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
You can be a healer
Last week, I lectured at a Christian Science Youth Summit in Chicago, Illinois, and had a wonderful time talking with dozens of teens and college age students.
My talk was recorded and has been posted on tmcyouth.com as a podcast.
The intro states:
Would you like to be able to heal people? Christian Science lecturer Evan Mehlenbacher shares some tried and true rules for healing that come from the most advanced form of healing there is today: Christian Science.
If you want to listen, click here, "You can be a healer."
My talk was recorded and has been posted on tmcyouth.com as a podcast.
The intro states:
Would you like to be able to heal people? Christian Science lecturer Evan Mehlenbacher shares some tried and true rules for healing that come from the most advanced form of healing there is today: Christian Science.
If you want to listen, click here, "You can be a healer."
Finding contentment
Have you ever been told to, “Be content with what you have”?
Grumblers might complain, “That’s easy for people who have plenty in the first place to say!”
Whether we agree or not, it is a wise adage and proven method for finding peace of mind in times of squeezed budgets. When the checking balance runs low and desired purchases must be delayed, it helps to step back from the “I want” or “I need” list and be grateful for what one has.
But there’s more to this wise adage than being grateful for immediate material possessions. Spiritually considered, the significance of the instruction extends far deeper than finding contentment with one’s material status quo.
It’s a call to be grateful for one’s spiritual assets and possessions.
“Be content with what you have,” to me, signifies a command to remember what I’ve been divinely endowed with and realize that those blessings from above are sufficient to meet human needs.
As Christian Science teaches, our substance is spiritual. It's not measured in dollars and by things bought at the store. It’s the wisdom, intelligence, creativity, sense of humor, joy, cheer, love and goodwill that are built into our being.
Each of us is richly endowed with spiritual qualities that meet human needs. These qualities, when recognized and actively expressed, translate into wise and inspired human action that leads to productive and profitable results. To express these qualities is to have everything we need to prosper and take care of our family.
When substance is measured spiritually, and correctly appreciated and valued, it’s very easy to “Be content with what you have,” because, honestly, you have everything you need. You do not lack. The wisdom and intelligence coming from above is sufficient to meet the demand of the moment.
“Godliness with contentment is great gain," Paul taught.
In light of this truth, you can now let go of all fears and worries about what you don't have, and rejoice in what you do have. It's enough!
Grumblers might complain, “That’s easy for people who have plenty in the first place to say!”
Whether we agree or not, it is a wise adage and proven method for finding peace of mind in times of squeezed budgets. When the checking balance runs low and desired purchases must be delayed, it helps to step back from the “I want” or “I need” list and be grateful for what one has.
But there’s more to this wise adage than being grateful for immediate material possessions. Spiritually considered, the significance of the instruction extends far deeper than finding contentment with one’s material status quo.
It’s a call to be grateful for one’s spiritual assets and possessions.
“Be content with what you have,” to me, signifies a command to remember what I’ve been divinely endowed with and realize that those blessings from above are sufficient to meet human needs.
As Christian Science teaches, our substance is spiritual. It's not measured in dollars and by things bought at the store. It’s the wisdom, intelligence, creativity, sense of humor, joy, cheer, love and goodwill that are built into our being.
Each of us is richly endowed with spiritual qualities that meet human needs. These qualities, when recognized and actively expressed, translate into wise and inspired human action that leads to productive and profitable results. To express these qualities is to have everything we need to prosper and take care of our family.
When substance is measured spiritually, and correctly appreciated and valued, it’s very easy to “Be content with what you have,” because, honestly, you have everything you need. You do not lack. The wisdom and intelligence coming from above is sufficient to meet the demand of the moment.
“Godliness with contentment is great gain," Paul taught.
In light of this truth, you can now let go of all fears and worries about what you don't have, and rejoice in what you do have. It's enough!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Gratitude
“Two kinds of gratitude:
The sudden kind we feel for what we take;
the larger kind we feel for what we give.”
The sudden kind we feel for what we take;
the larger kind we feel for what we give.”
~ Edwin Arlington Robinson
Monday, October 27, 2008
Did God tell you to do it?
This weekend, a man was arrested in my town for walking through an apartment complex in his underwear reading the Bible. When asked for an explanation by the police, he said, “God told me to do it.”
Hmmm…did God tell him to walk through a public place inhabited by children, mothers and fathers who deserve a semblance of decency and respect shown in their common environment?
It is sobering to think about how often questionable acts have been justified by the worn-out phrase of, “God told me to do it.”
It’s a tough call for many to make, deciding whether the impulse they feel to act is divinely inspired or humanly motivated. How do we tell the difference?
Certain deeds like walking naked through a public gathering place have guidelines laid out in the law that give clear direction. Other decisions, though, are not so easy to sort out.
What about career paths, partner choices, spending options, or what to tell the boss? How does one know if the choice made is divinely inspired or selfishly motivated?
To answer the question, “Did God tell me to do it?” it helps to elevate the question.
Ask, “Is this choice in harmony with the nature of God?”
For example, with tight budgets and shrinking income, many people are currently struggling with spending decisions. They get confused about what to do when asking, “Does God want me to make a particular purchase?”
It helps to remember that God is Spirit, and Spirit aides us spiritually, not materially.
The material picture is always a limited view of the ultimate spiritual reality which needs to be understood better. If we try to pull God down into the limited mortal view, and ask, “Would God do this?” our reasoning might get complex, confused and feel uncertain. God is infinite. He does not see limited prospects and narrow options. Humans do.
It’s better to go up to God’s point of view, and reason out in terms of spiritual qualities the divine nature expresses. The more we reflect divine qualities in our human actions, the closer to God’s way of doing things our actions will be.
For example, we know that God is an all-knowing Mind that makes wise decisions that lead to positive outcomes. This is a model to hold in thought.
We can ask questions like, “Will our decision lead to a favorable outcome that manifests God’s qualities which include strength, balance, discipline, economy and wisdom? Is it morally sound? Is it going to leave us in a better place?”
Selfish decisions lead to bad outcomes. They put us into more debt, cause strain and stress, worry, doubt and fear. These distressed states of mortal mind are automatic signs that something is wrong in the decision-making. Selfish interest is getting in the way of sound logic and grounded principles.
“Did God tell you to do it?” is answered by, “Is my decision manifesting God-qualities?”
And we have to be honest about what we conclude and not overlook glaring errors. For instance, we might feel justified in buying a new car because it manifests reliability, but if the decision puts us into deeper debt that causes further strain on the budget, and we later complain about the stress, as if we couldn’t help it, we were not honest in our original decision to buy the car. We selectively chose what factors to consider.
Impatience, anger, frustration, discouragement, selfishness, and their kin also get in the way and result in poor decision-making. They are the agents of error, and lead to poor results.
What one purchases or does humanly is not so much the issue compared to the qualities of God being lived. As we demonstrate, “Thy will be done,” by being content with what we have, exercising discipline, dwelling in peace of mind, possessing gratitude, joy, cheer, and patience, we will act in harmony with what God would have us do. Wise choices will be made, and we won’t find ourselves “wandering around naked” in places we ought not to be.
Hmmm…did God tell him to walk through a public place inhabited by children, mothers and fathers who deserve a semblance of decency and respect shown in their common environment?
It is sobering to think about how often questionable acts have been justified by the worn-out phrase of, “God told me to do it.”
It’s a tough call for many to make, deciding whether the impulse they feel to act is divinely inspired or humanly motivated. How do we tell the difference?
Certain deeds like walking naked through a public gathering place have guidelines laid out in the law that give clear direction. Other decisions, though, are not so easy to sort out.
What about career paths, partner choices, spending options, or what to tell the boss? How does one know if the choice made is divinely inspired or selfishly motivated?
To answer the question, “Did God tell me to do it?” it helps to elevate the question.
Ask, “Is this choice in harmony with the nature of God?”
For example, with tight budgets and shrinking income, many people are currently struggling with spending decisions. They get confused about what to do when asking, “Does God want me to make a particular purchase?”
It helps to remember that God is Spirit, and Spirit aides us spiritually, not materially.
The material picture is always a limited view of the ultimate spiritual reality which needs to be understood better. If we try to pull God down into the limited mortal view, and ask, “Would God do this?” our reasoning might get complex, confused and feel uncertain. God is infinite. He does not see limited prospects and narrow options. Humans do.
It’s better to go up to God’s point of view, and reason out in terms of spiritual qualities the divine nature expresses. The more we reflect divine qualities in our human actions, the closer to God’s way of doing things our actions will be.
For example, we know that God is an all-knowing Mind that makes wise decisions that lead to positive outcomes. This is a model to hold in thought.
We can ask questions like, “Will our decision lead to a favorable outcome that manifests God’s qualities which include strength, balance, discipline, economy and wisdom? Is it morally sound? Is it going to leave us in a better place?”
Selfish decisions lead to bad outcomes. They put us into more debt, cause strain and stress, worry, doubt and fear. These distressed states of mortal mind are automatic signs that something is wrong in the decision-making. Selfish interest is getting in the way of sound logic and grounded principles.
“Did God tell you to do it?” is answered by, “Is my decision manifesting God-qualities?”
And we have to be honest about what we conclude and not overlook glaring errors. For instance, we might feel justified in buying a new car because it manifests reliability, but if the decision puts us into deeper debt that causes further strain on the budget, and we later complain about the stress, as if we couldn’t help it, we were not honest in our original decision to buy the car. We selectively chose what factors to consider.
Impatience, anger, frustration, discouragement, selfishness, and their kin also get in the way and result in poor decision-making. They are the agents of error, and lead to poor results.
What one purchases or does humanly is not so much the issue compared to the qualities of God being lived. As we demonstrate, “Thy will be done,” by being content with what we have, exercising discipline, dwelling in peace of mind, possessing gratitude, joy, cheer, and patience, we will act in harmony with what God would have us do. Wise choices will be made, and we won’t find ourselves “wandering around naked” in places we ought not to be.
“When the human element in him struggled with the divine, our great Teacher said: ‘Not my will, but Thine, be done!’—that is, Let not the flesh, but the Spirit, be represented in me.” Mary Baker Eddy
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Conquering self and suicide
A reader sent the below in which is a reputed letter from Mary Baker Eddy to James Neal, one of her star students.
[ON NOVEMBER 18, 2008, IT WAS CONFIRMED BY THE MARY BAKER EDDY LIBRARY THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY PROOF THAT THIS LETTER WAS WRITTEN BY EDDY. SEE COMMENT BELOW.]
[A SUPPOSED] LETTER FROM MRS. EDDY TO JAMES NEAL
It is necessary to keep your eye single to light. Refuse to look at the darkness, and your whole experience will be full of light. Do not look at self; look at Soul. Be not self-willed. Think your own thoughts straight from God; refuse to think the notions of mortal mind. It is quite as erroneous to be governed by the mistakes and misconceptions of others as it is to be self-willed, for there is only one common foe, one self-will, not a human will in you and one in me and one in another, but one common self-will as opposed to the Spiritual will, which is the persistent keeping the eye (discernment) aware of Truth instead of error.
Hold on to Life. Nothing can rob you. Rise--not by will power, but by exaltation. God loves you. He will not let you fall. And if you appear to have fallen, this is error, and the Truth will heal you of that belief.
You are right in the heart of Divine Love, no matter what the circumstances seem to be. You throb with Love, life, never disturbed, never suffering, pulsating in eternal harmony. Hold onto these facts, no matter what the evidence to the contrary.
The fearing times are only chemicalization, like a high storm, which gathers and breaks, only to have the atmosphere clear. Worry does not demonstrate. The mental energy one expends in worry should be better spent in faith. Just sing a hymn when you do not know how to think. Pray any simple truth until worry goes.
Nothing happens out of the order of development for you. You prayed to learn. Then why be regretful when the page turns over and a hard lesson comes next? Let resentment go, and just roll up your mental sleeves, so to speak, and declare you are going to squeeze all the benefit you can out of this experience. It will help you to some day help others.
Just learn to impersonalize error. Never personalize evil. Impersonalize it. Do not think of it as your error, your evil, as person, place, power or thing. Take it away from you, in your handling of it as nothing.
Do you spend much time and thought concerning yourself? That is self-murder. One's whole salvation lies in seeing God first and then ourselves as His spiritual likeness. Too much thought on self and the problem (In supposition only, because God's man is never truly engaged with problems) is suicide. Stop it, and think of others and the expression of Soul, in the forms of music, art, and the like. Do not look inward to the problem; look out to Truth and to God.
Are you beginning to grieve over yourself? If so, refuse to look at it, as you would a cut finger you wanted to heal. Never grieve over yourself; you can stop it if you truly want to be healed. Doubts and fears are not your thoughts, but the mental opposition of the world's thought. To such whisperings, say. "I don't believe you. You are a liar and the father of it." Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. Love will lift you above it all. Love, love, love. Let nothing crush you. Rise. Love has no poison to impart. The only Mind is Love, and Love is purity, and love is all that you have or are. You are in the sanctum of my fold. God is blessing you. Wake to that fact.
[ON NOVEMBER 18, 2008, IT WAS CONFIRMED BY THE MARY BAKER EDDY LIBRARY THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY PROOF THAT THIS LETTER WAS WRITTEN BY EDDY. SEE COMMENT BELOW.]
[A SUPPOSED] LETTER FROM MRS. EDDY TO JAMES NEAL
It is necessary to keep your eye single to light. Refuse to look at the darkness, and your whole experience will be full of light. Do not look at self; look at Soul. Be not self-willed. Think your own thoughts straight from God; refuse to think the notions of mortal mind. It is quite as erroneous to be governed by the mistakes and misconceptions of others as it is to be self-willed, for there is only one common foe, one self-will, not a human will in you and one in me and one in another, but one common self-will as opposed to the Spiritual will, which is the persistent keeping the eye (discernment) aware of Truth instead of error.
Hold on to Life. Nothing can rob you. Rise--not by will power, but by exaltation. God loves you. He will not let you fall. And if you appear to have fallen, this is error, and the Truth will heal you of that belief.
You are right in the heart of Divine Love, no matter what the circumstances seem to be. You throb with Love, life, never disturbed, never suffering, pulsating in eternal harmony. Hold onto these facts, no matter what the evidence to the contrary.
The fearing times are only chemicalization, like a high storm, which gathers and breaks, only to have the atmosphere clear. Worry does not demonstrate. The mental energy one expends in worry should be better spent in faith. Just sing a hymn when you do not know how to think. Pray any simple truth until worry goes.
Nothing happens out of the order of development for you. You prayed to learn. Then why be regretful when the page turns over and a hard lesson comes next? Let resentment go, and just roll up your mental sleeves, so to speak, and declare you are going to squeeze all the benefit you can out of this experience. It will help you to some day help others.
Just learn to impersonalize error. Never personalize evil. Impersonalize it. Do not think of it as your error, your evil, as person, place, power or thing. Take it away from you, in your handling of it as nothing.
Do you spend much time and thought concerning yourself? That is self-murder. One's whole salvation lies in seeing God first and then ourselves as His spiritual likeness. Too much thought on self and the problem (In supposition only, because God's man is never truly engaged with problems) is suicide. Stop it, and think of others and the expression of Soul, in the forms of music, art, and the like. Do not look inward to the problem; look out to Truth and to God.
Are you beginning to grieve over yourself? If so, refuse to look at it, as you would a cut finger you wanted to heal. Never grieve over yourself; you can stop it if you truly want to be healed. Doubts and fears are not your thoughts, but the mental opposition of the world's thought. To such whisperings, say. "I don't believe you. You are a liar and the father of it." Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. Love will lift you above it all. Love, love, love. Let nothing crush you. Rise. Love has no poison to impart. The only Mind is Love, and Love is purity, and love is all that you have or are. You are in the sanctum of my fold. God is blessing you. Wake to that fact.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
A beautiful face
To a true artist only that face is beautiful which,
quite apart from its exterior,
shines with the truth within the soul.
quite apart from its exterior,
shines with the truth within the soul.
~ Mahatma Gandhi
Friday, October 24, 2008
Defend yourself from depression
I’ve noticed a large number of people combating severe states of depression in the last couple of weeks. In most cases, the victims believe their lack of inspiration to be a personal issue attributable to their own state of thought. I’d like to contend that the issue may not be personal at all.
Christian Science teaches that we must defend our thinking from outside mental influence in order to maintain sanity, health and well being. We cannot ignore the effect that other people’s negative views can have on our view if we do not properly defend our mental home from would-be evil intruders.
In fact, Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist, was so convinced of the need for mental protective work that she instructed every member of her church to daily defend their thinking from what she called, “aggressive mental suggestion.”
Aggressive mental suggestion is any impression upon thought that is trying to convince us that evil is real in some way, shape or form.
The global mental climate is overflowing with aggressive mental suggestion today in regard to the economy. The media hourly pours fears, worries, doubts and concerns over the airwaves into millions of people’s homes. On some days, it is nonstop panic and terror broadcast through paper, radio, TV, and Internet sources.
Some people turn off the TV and refuse to listen. That can be helpful. But it is not enough. We have to mentally treat the barrage of evil implication with prayer to be thoroughly protected. Just because we do not hear it with the ear, doesn’t mean we aren’t still feeling impressions in thought.
Have you ever been in a good mood, and walked into a room with one or more people who were in a really sour mood? What did you feel when you walked into the room? Did you notice that the atmosphere in the room felt “heavy?” If so, it’s because you felt the impression of their beliefs.
Well, in the larger picture of global activity, humans live in a global realm of thought. It’s like we’re all in one room, so-to-speak. If a large part of society is caught up into doom and gloom, other parts of society are likely to feel the downside of that thinking, unless a mental defense is taken up.
And this is the case with the financial meltdown encircling the globe. It has amounted to a mental meltdown, with rampant talk of recession, and some talk about possible depression. This is all very aggressive mental suggestion at work. And we must defend ourselves from it in order to not be pulled down the same depressing path.
Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science, was keenly aware of the downside of aggressive mental influence. She wrote in Science and Health
“The mild forms of animal magnetism are disappearing, and its aggressive features are coming to the front. The looms of crime, hidden in the dark recesses of mortal thought, are every hour weaving webs more complicated and subtle. So secret are the present methods of animal magnetism that they ensnare the age into indolence, and produce the very apathy on the subject which the criminal desires.”
Animal magnetism is a phrase she uses to define evil effect. One of the “looms of crime” presently being weaved is the argument that we all have to suffer lack and loss because of the meltdown. This is not true. Our supply comes from God. We can flourish independent of what happens on Wall Street. But if we agree that lack and loss are inevitable, even if we are not personally experiencing financial lack, we’ve just consented to some form of lack and loss in our individual experience. It may appear in the form of feeling mental lack, or emotional lack, or who knows… The lesson being, “Don’t Consent!”
A friend at church last Wednesday told me of a friend of hers who woke up in the middle of the night feeling overwhelmed by a death sensation, as if his life was about to end. He was a practicing Christian Scientist, and to his credit, he immediately identified the aggressive suggestion, not as his own, but as an evil belief someone else was fighting. He did not know who. But he prayed for the salvation of whoever it was. The sensation lifted.
With the growing furor about the economy, we can apply the same lesson. If we feel even a hint of depression over the economy, or anything else, we can treat it as a belief humanity in general is fighting at the moment. We must not take it personally or own it. It’s not our thought or creation. It’s aggressive suggestion at large.
God is the supply of all resources, assets, wherewithal, and substance. Our connection to God is just as solid today as 10 years ago, or at any other time. Our supply does not come from Wall Street or Washington DC. It comes direct from God, and is constantly arriving. We have free and abundant access to infinite divine resources, as always, and this is a truth, which when understood and accepted, brings great joy, buoyancy and gratitude.
There is no need for depression! Don’t consent to it, and live free.
Christian Science teaches that we must defend our thinking from outside mental influence in order to maintain sanity, health and well being. We cannot ignore the effect that other people’s negative views can have on our view if we do not properly defend our mental home from would-be evil intruders.
In fact, Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist, was so convinced of the need for mental protective work that she instructed every member of her church to daily defend their thinking from what she called, “aggressive mental suggestion.”
Aggressive mental suggestion is any impression upon thought that is trying to convince us that evil is real in some way, shape or form.
The global mental climate is overflowing with aggressive mental suggestion today in regard to the economy. The media hourly pours fears, worries, doubts and concerns over the airwaves into millions of people’s homes. On some days, it is nonstop panic and terror broadcast through paper, radio, TV, and Internet sources.
Some people turn off the TV and refuse to listen. That can be helpful. But it is not enough. We have to mentally treat the barrage of evil implication with prayer to be thoroughly protected. Just because we do not hear it with the ear, doesn’t mean we aren’t still feeling impressions in thought.
Have you ever been in a good mood, and walked into a room with one or more people who were in a really sour mood? What did you feel when you walked into the room? Did you notice that the atmosphere in the room felt “heavy?” If so, it’s because you felt the impression of their beliefs.
Well, in the larger picture of global activity, humans live in a global realm of thought. It’s like we’re all in one room, so-to-speak. If a large part of society is caught up into doom and gloom, other parts of society are likely to feel the downside of that thinking, unless a mental defense is taken up.
And this is the case with the financial meltdown encircling the globe. It has amounted to a mental meltdown, with rampant talk of recession, and some talk about possible depression. This is all very aggressive mental suggestion at work. And we must defend ourselves from it in order to not be pulled down the same depressing path.
Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science, was keenly aware of the downside of aggressive mental influence. She wrote in Science and Health
“The mild forms of animal magnetism are disappearing, and its aggressive features are coming to the front. The looms of crime, hidden in the dark recesses of mortal thought, are every hour weaving webs more complicated and subtle. So secret are the present methods of animal magnetism that they ensnare the age into indolence, and produce the very apathy on the subject which the criminal desires.”
Animal magnetism is a phrase she uses to define evil effect. One of the “looms of crime” presently being weaved is the argument that we all have to suffer lack and loss because of the meltdown. This is not true. Our supply comes from God. We can flourish independent of what happens on Wall Street. But if we agree that lack and loss are inevitable, even if we are not personally experiencing financial lack, we’ve just consented to some form of lack and loss in our individual experience. It may appear in the form of feeling mental lack, or emotional lack, or who knows… The lesson being, “Don’t Consent!”
A friend at church last Wednesday told me of a friend of hers who woke up in the middle of the night feeling overwhelmed by a death sensation, as if his life was about to end. He was a practicing Christian Scientist, and to his credit, he immediately identified the aggressive suggestion, not as his own, but as an evil belief someone else was fighting. He did not know who. But he prayed for the salvation of whoever it was. The sensation lifted.
With the growing furor about the economy, we can apply the same lesson. If we feel even a hint of depression over the economy, or anything else, we can treat it as a belief humanity in general is fighting at the moment. We must not take it personally or own it. It’s not our thought or creation. It’s aggressive suggestion at large.
God is the supply of all resources, assets, wherewithal, and substance. Our connection to God is just as solid today as 10 years ago, or at any other time. Our supply does not come from Wall Street or Washington DC. It comes direct from God, and is constantly arriving. We have free and abundant access to infinite divine resources, as always, and this is a truth, which when understood and accepted, brings great joy, buoyancy and gratitude.
There is no need for depression! Don’t consent to it, and live free.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Be flexible
The banking crisis around the world and the consequent strains on the economy are requiring people to be more flexible.
I work with many businessmen and women in my practice, and over the last couple of months, they have had traditional sources of income and financing dry up, overnight. To survive, they’ve had to think out of the box, look for new and creative ways to finance their operations and carry on business. They’ve had to be flexible.
One has to keep a spiritual perspective to survive times like we’re in right now. A saving truth is that God provides, always. There is always enough supply to meet needs. But the human source we’re accustomed to providing that need may change with time and circumstances. And this is where we have to be flexible.
I know on the family farm I was raised on, when times got tough dad changed plans. He grew different crops, searched out more productive seeds and higher yielding tree stock. He changed his practices to adjust to the need of the moment. He was flexible. And in the long run, he prospered. Farmers that were not willing to change and be flexible frequently lost their land.
This rule of being flexible to adjust to changing times applies to all forms of employment.
I think of employment as serving others. People’s needs create demand for services and products, and workers who are responsive to that demand are rewarded.
Many people are suffering right now from the financial calamity encircling the globe. Needs are great. Workers who respond to those needs and provide solutions are going to be rewarded.
People get hung up on job titles, and the effect can be one of limitation. For example, if a computer programmer works on a certain type of software for years, and suddenly that software is phased out, to stay employed, he has to adapt. He has to learn how to work with currently operating programs.
Right now, many traditional sources of income are drying up for many workers. Times are changing. But the supply that meets their need is still pouring forth. And that supply, is wisdom, intelligence, ability and capacity to perform well coming from God.
The supply coming from God is adaptable to any changing human circumstance. If we lose our job, we do not lose our supply. The wisdom and ability of God is still coming our way, and we can rely upon it to find a new and better job, if necessary. We can be flexible.
Flexibility is a quality of God.
God is infinitely flexible, never stiff, rigid, stubborn, bound up in pride, or close-minded. God sees all the options, provides all the opportunities, and ensures each of us has the talents, skills and abilities we need to benefit from divine Mind’s infinite blessings. We have to be flexible at times to continue participating in the bounty, but that’s okay, because being flexible keeps us permanently and fully employed. And that’s a good thing.
I work with many businessmen and women in my practice, and over the last couple of months, they have had traditional sources of income and financing dry up, overnight. To survive, they’ve had to think out of the box, look for new and creative ways to finance their operations and carry on business. They’ve had to be flexible.
One has to keep a spiritual perspective to survive times like we’re in right now. A saving truth is that God provides, always. There is always enough supply to meet needs. But the human source we’re accustomed to providing that need may change with time and circumstances. And this is where we have to be flexible.
I know on the family farm I was raised on, when times got tough dad changed plans. He grew different crops, searched out more productive seeds and higher yielding tree stock. He changed his practices to adjust to the need of the moment. He was flexible. And in the long run, he prospered. Farmers that were not willing to change and be flexible frequently lost their land.
This rule of being flexible to adjust to changing times applies to all forms of employment.
I think of employment as serving others. People’s needs create demand for services and products, and workers who are responsive to that demand are rewarded.
Many people are suffering right now from the financial calamity encircling the globe. Needs are great. Workers who respond to those needs and provide solutions are going to be rewarded.
People get hung up on job titles, and the effect can be one of limitation. For example, if a computer programmer works on a certain type of software for years, and suddenly that software is phased out, to stay employed, he has to adapt. He has to learn how to work with currently operating programs.
Right now, many traditional sources of income are drying up for many workers. Times are changing. But the supply that meets their need is still pouring forth. And that supply, is wisdom, intelligence, ability and capacity to perform well coming from God.
The supply coming from God is adaptable to any changing human circumstance. If we lose our job, we do not lose our supply. The wisdom and ability of God is still coming our way, and we can rely upon it to find a new and better job, if necessary. We can be flexible.
Flexibility is a quality of God.
God is infinitely flexible, never stiff, rigid, stubborn, bound up in pride, or close-minded. God sees all the options, provides all the opportunities, and ensures each of us has the talents, skills and abilities we need to benefit from divine Mind’s infinite blessings. We have to be flexible at times to continue participating in the bounty, but that’s okay, because being flexible keeps us permanently and fully employed. And that’s a good thing.
To choose or to decide
A reader who is a dad with a son in Iraq, has been blogging about his son’s time away from home.
Yesterday, he wrote a fascinating piece on the difference between choosing and deciding when it comes to selecting a candidate to vote for in the upcoming presidential elections. I’ll think you’ll enjoy his revelations. There is a big difference between choosing and deciding, as he points out.
Click here to link, “To choose or decide.”
The "choose or decide" content starts with the second paragraph.
Yesterday, he wrote a fascinating piece on the difference between choosing and deciding when it comes to selecting a candidate to vote for in the upcoming presidential elections. I’ll think you’ll enjoy his revelations. There is a big difference between choosing and deciding, as he points out.
Click here to link, “To choose or decide.”
The "choose or decide" content starts with the second paragraph.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Ride the waves
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by bad things happening?
Perhaps you’re struggling with too many bills to pay, can’t find a job, agonize over a spouse’s angry attitude or have a boss who doesn’t care. Maybe you’re fighting a health problem?
Troubles seem to come in waves at times, wanting to flood out all sense of hope and expectancy of good from our outlook.
But don’t let despondency set in!
Rather than letting difficulty swamp your perspective with despair, ride over the waves of trouble like a surfer glides over the waves of churning twisting seething water in the ocean with his surfboard.
After the tsunami hit Asia a few years ago, I read a story about an orphanage director who saw a giant wave coming toward his orphanage on the shore of his land. Acting quickly, he got his 20 or so orphans into a little boat and as the water flooded inland the boat was lifted by the water and they rode over the top of the wave. They were all saved.
We each have a boat to jump into when waves of trouble come pounding our way. We don't have to suffer. We have a choice to make.
We can either stand on shore, watch the trouble sweep in, believe we are helpless, and then drown in the trouble. Or we can act and save ourselves from suffering. We can get into our boat, into a consciousness of Truth and Love, and be spared.
Evil is as real as we make it, or allow it to become in our thought. “The devil is a liar,” Jesus Christ taught, meaning that all of the claims of evil are lies. They are not real. To the one who believes they are real the trouble appears certain, and they suffer from their conviction until that belief is mastered.
Believing evil is real, is like standing on shore, petrified, and allowing the tsunami waves of error to sweep over one and drown all hope. It is not necessary. We are spiritual beings who can act with decisive authority to overcome evil and prove its nothingness.
But we must act. We must do something. We have to get into our boat—into a consciousness of Truth and Love—and let the boat float us over the waves of error to safety.
Don’t unnecessarily drown in the waves of error today. Step into your sanctuary of Truth and Love, and ride the storm out. It will pass. It always does.
Like a surfer gliding over the waves in joy and delight, you too, can ride over your fear of the moment and put it behind you.
God is good, and you live in the omnipresence of this goodness. A consciousness of this truth protects you and preserves you from all harm. You will survive!
Perhaps you’re struggling with too many bills to pay, can’t find a job, agonize over a spouse’s angry attitude or have a boss who doesn’t care. Maybe you’re fighting a health problem?
Troubles seem to come in waves at times, wanting to flood out all sense of hope and expectancy of good from our outlook.
But don’t let despondency set in!
Rather than letting difficulty swamp your perspective with despair, ride over the waves of trouble like a surfer glides over the waves of churning twisting seething water in the ocean with his surfboard.
After the tsunami hit Asia a few years ago, I read a story about an orphanage director who saw a giant wave coming toward his orphanage on the shore of his land. Acting quickly, he got his 20 or so orphans into a little boat and as the water flooded inland the boat was lifted by the water and they rode over the top of the wave. They were all saved.
We each have a boat to jump into when waves of trouble come pounding our way. We don't have to suffer. We have a choice to make.
We can either stand on shore, watch the trouble sweep in, believe we are helpless, and then drown in the trouble. Or we can act and save ourselves from suffering. We can get into our boat, into a consciousness of Truth and Love, and be spared.
Evil is as real as we make it, or allow it to become in our thought. “The devil is a liar,” Jesus Christ taught, meaning that all of the claims of evil are lies. They are not real. To the one who believes they are real the trouble appears certain, and they suffer from their conviction until that belief is mastered.
Believing evil is real, is like standing on shore, petrified, and allowing the tsunami waves of error to sweep over one and drown all hope. It is not necessary. We are spiritual beings who can act with decisive authority to overcome evil and prove its nothingness.
But we must act. We must do something. We have to get into our boat—into a consciousness of Truth and Love—and let the boat float us over the waves of error to safety.
Don’t unnecessarily drown in the waves of error today. Step into your sanctuary of Truth and Love, and ride the storm out. It will pass. It always does.
Like a surfer gliding over the waves in joy and delight, you too, can ride over your fear of the moment and put it behind you.
God is good, and you live in the omnipresence of this goodness. A consciousness of this truth protects you and preserves you from all harm. You will survive!
Monday, October 20, 2008
The love that unites
When I think of Jesus Christ, I think of a man who taught his followers to love unselfishly and unconditionally.
"Love your enemies," he instructed.
Now, if we'd only do it...
The following story was sent in by a reader this morning. It gave me something to think about...
UNITED STATES MAP
A father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by His little girl, Shelby. She wanted to know what the United States looked like. Finally, he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed the map of the country. Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to Shelby and said, 'Go into the other room and see if you can put this together. This will show you our whole country today.'
After a few minutes, Shelby returned and handed him the map, correctly fitted and taped together. The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly.
'Oh,' she said, 'on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got all of Jesus back where He belonged, then our country came together.'
"Love your enemies," he instructed.
Now, if we'd only do it...
The following story was sent in by a reader this morning. It gave me something to think about...
UNITED STATES MAP
A father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by His little girl, Shelby. She wanted to know what the United States looked like. Finally, he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed the map of the country. Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to Shelby and said, 'Go into the other room and see if you can put this together. This will show you our whole country today.'
After a few minutes, Shelby returned and handed him the map, correctly fitted and taped together. The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly.
'Oh,' she said, 'on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got all of Jesus back where He belonged, then our country came together.'
Friday, October 17, 2008
Feeling close to God
A friend recently relayed to me how she was praying to feel closer to God.
At first, she blamed God for the feeling of separation, but then realized she was pointing the finger of blame in the wrong direction.
She repeated the familiar adage she had picked up somewhere...
"If you're ever feeling separated from God, it's never a question of who moved."
So true. God never leaves us. Humans leave God by seeking help, support, and consolation in places that are not spiritual--in matter or in mortals.
God is Spirit, and it's in Spirit that we feel God's closeness.
God never moves. Divine Love is always the same.
Like coming home and finding peace, we need to "stay home" with God, and we'll never feel separated from the divine care and provision.
At first, she blamed God for the feeling of separation, but then realized she was pointing the finger of blame in the wrong direction.
She repeated the familiar adage she had picked up somewhere...
"If you're ever feeling separated from God, it's never a question of who moved."
So true. God never leaves us. Humans leave God by seeking help, support, and consolation in places that are not spiritual--in matter or in mortals.
God is Spirit, and it's in Spirit that we feel God's closeness.
God never moves. Divine Love is always the same.
Like coming home and finding peace, we need to "stay home" with God, and we'll never feel separated from the divine care and provision.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Elections are upon us...
With elections for a president fast approaching in the United States, there is much discussion and concern about which candidate should be elected into office. McCain or Obama? And opinions fly in all directions about who is most qualified and worthy of the position.
I like to keep a spiritual perspective during elections. Politicians come and go, but the government keeps on ticking. Like the revolutions of the earth, day and night switch off and on, mornings come and evenings go, people go to work and come home, and the earth keeps on turning. There is a higher order at work that prevails regardless of daily details that occur in between.
There is a higher order over the government of our land, also, that prevails regardless of who temporarily occupies the political offices of our land. As we, the people, understand this higher order and live it out as citizens, politicians are required to live by it.
I think of the rules of my home. Many people come and go from our house as guests, workers, family and friends. Each person has a particular code for life they live by, and I don’t agree with all of them, but when they are in our home, they respect certain rules we’ve laid down.
For example, there is no smoking in our house. Smokers can leave and puff elsewhere, but not in our home. Also, we don’t slander each other or speak evil of one another. Anyone in violation can go elsewhere. Our home environment is the effect of how we live our lives in our house and expect others who come in to abide by as well.
Likewise, in the thought environment of our country, the citizenry lays down rules and expectations for conduct that all citizens are governed by, including politicians. The more we as citizens expect nothing less than integrity, honesty and principle to rule our daily lives, politicians will conform to those expectations. Morality will be the rule of the house, rather than immorality. If officials do not uphold the expectations of "our house," they will be asked to go elsewhere, or essentially, elected out of office. And the more clear voters are about acceptable moral and spiritual guidelines, the sooner candidates that uphold those virtues will be elected in the first place.
So, in many ways, the outcome of the election has already been determined by the present collective thinking of our country. We will elect whoever reflects the majority opinion of how our government should operate.
We may not agree with the majority opinion, but that is not license to get angry and upset with the outcome, and become distressed and discouraged. It’s a call to pray more and leaven communal thought with the spiritual principles and understanding that serve the higher order of God in control where love and truth prevail no matter who is elected into office. It’s a call to go above person to Principle.
No human is going to be the perfect candidate. Humans are not perfect. But God’s guidance is perfect.
I pray that we all continue to grow in our understanding of how to live moral and spiritual lives and I rest assured that the collective growth we experience will be reflected in political officers who reflect those improving ideals.
This may be a work of time and eternity… :-)
I like to keep a spiritual perspective during elections. Politicians come and go, but the government keeps on ticking. Like the revolutions of the earth, day and night switch off and on, mornings come and evenings go, people go to work and come home, and the earth keeps on turning. There is a higher order at work that prevails regardless of daily details that occur in between.
There is a higher order over the government of our land, also, that prevails regardless of who temporarily occupies the political offices of our land. As we, the people, understand this higher order and live it out as citizens, politicians are required to live by it.
I think of the rules of my home. Many people come and go from our house as guests, workers, family and friends. Each person has a particular code for life they live by, and I don’t agree with all of them, but when they are in our home, they respect certain rules we’ve laid down.
For example, there is no smoking in our house. Smokers can leave and puff elsewhere, but not in our home. Also, we don’t slander each other or speak evil of one another. Anyone in violation can go elsewhere. Our home environment is the effect of how we live our lives in our house and expect others who come in to abide by as well.
Likewise, in the thought environment of our country, the citizenry lays down rules and expectations for conduct that all citizens are governed by, including politicians. The more we as citizens expect nothing less than integrity, honesty and principle to rule our daily lives, politicians will conform to those expectations. Morality will be the rule of the house, rather than immorality. If officials do not uphold the expectations of "our house," they will be asked to go elsewhere, or essentially, elected out of office. And the more clear voters are about acceptable moral and spiritual guidelines, the sooner candidates that uphold those virtues will be elected in the first place.
So, in many ways, the outcome of the election has already been determined by the present collective thinking of our country. We will elect whoever reflects the majority opinion of how our government should operate.
We may not agree with the majority opinion, but that is not license to get angry and upset with the outcome, and become distressed and discouraged. It’s a call to pray more and leaven communal thought with the spiritual principles and understanding that serve the higher order of God in control where love and truth prevail no matter who is elected into office. It’s a call to go above person to Principle.
No human is going to be the perfect candidate. Humans are not perfect. But God’s guidance is perfect.
I pray that we all continue to grow in our understanding of how to live moral and spiritual lives and I rest assured that the collective growth we experience will be reflected in political officers who reflect those improving ideals.
This may be a work of time and eternity… :-)
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The vandals didn't notice
Monday at noon I left my office to take a walk in the beautiful warm sun and snappy fall weather. As I strolled down the corridor in front of my office, a neighbor caught my attention and pointed out graffiti that had been etched into her storefront windows over the weekend. Someone with no respect for other people’s property had sketched words and logos into the glass and ruined the panes. She noted that every store on the courtyard, and some around the corner had been etched—except for mine.
As I looked around, she was right. My windows were the only ones untouched. I was silent, not sure what to say, a bit awestruck as to why I as spared. The windows cost around $2000 to replace.
I certainly didn’t gloat about my exemption from the vandalism, or feel tempted to even think that way. I was sobered. I wanted to learn a spiritual lesson.
I thought about Jesus walking harmlessly through the mob who wanted to throw him over the cliff and kill him. The angry group was so caught up into their evil way of thinking that they never noticed Jesus walk through their midst, and stroll out and away from their gathering until he was completely out of their reach, and safe.
I wondered if perhaps my office space emitted those kinds of qualities Jesus manifested that day, qualities of love and peace that the angry thought does not take note of and thus overlooks.
Or maybe they did notice my windows, but decided that it was a space to respect and honor, and thus leave alone. I do not know.
I’m still thinking on this.
The presumed guilty party rode by our office spaces on a skateboard Monday afternoon showing his art work off to a friend who wanted to see what had been done. My neighbor ran to get her camera, but was too late. He was gone by then.
I continue to pray for the peace and safety of my neighborhood. I’ve never worried in the past, and do not worry today. But there is a lesson to be learned here, and I’m still listening.
It is not a lesson that promotes self-righteousness, of one occupant being more spiritually minded than another. I don’t believe in those kinds of comparisons. We’re all loved equally and universally by the one impartial divine Love.
I think the lesson is more on the line of, “I couldn’t see evidence of vandalism on my window-panes because I don’t believe God’s child is a vandal. God made man honest, compassionate, loving and thoughtful. This kind of man does not etch his neighbor’s windows.”
What do you think?
As I looked around, she was right. My windows were the only ones untouched. I was silent, not sure what to say, a bit awestruck as to why I as spared. The windows cost around $2000 to replace.
I certainly didn’t gloat about my exemption from the vandalism, or feel tempted to even think that way. I was sobered. I wanted to learn a spiritual lesson.
I thought about Jesus walking harmlessly through the mob who wanted to throw him over the cliff and kill him. The angry group was so caught up into their evil way of thinking that they never noticed Jesus walk through their midst, and stroll out and away from their gathering until he was completely out of their reach, and safe.
I wondered if perhaps my office space emitted those kinds of qualities Jesus manifested that day, qualities of love and peace that the angry thought does not take note of and thus overlooks.
Or maybe they did notice my windows, but decided that it was a space to respect and honor, and thus leave alone. I do not know.
I’m still thinking on this.
The presumed guilty party rode by our office spaces on a skateboard Monday afternoon showing his art work off to a friend who wanted to see what had been done. My neighbor ran to get her camera, but was too late. He was gone by then.
I continue to pray for the peace and safety of my neighborhood. I’ve never worried in the past, and do not worry today. But there is a lesson to be learned here, and I’m still listening.
It is not a lesson that promotes self-righteousness, of one occupant being more spiritually minded than another. I don’t believe in those kinds of comparisons. We’re all loved equally and universally by the one impartial divine Love.
I think the lesson is more on the line of, “I couldn’t see evidence of vandalism on my window-panes because I don’t believe God’s child is a vandal. God made man honest, compassionate, loving and thoughtful. This kind of man does not etch his neighbor’s windows.”
What do you think?
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
How prayer changes other people
Have you ever gotten upset over other people's behavior and wished they would change so you could stop being angry?
Have you ever blamed your spouse for troubles in your marriage?
Have you ever believed your happiness and harmony is at the mercy of how another person treats you?
If so, you might doubt that prayer can make much of a difference in addressing situations like the above because in the back of your thought you'll be harboring the fear that the other person has to change BEFORE you are free of their inconsideration. And besides, they might not even be praying about the trouble themselves, so what difference will your prayers make? Fear taunts...
In thinking this scenario through and how to resolve it, God sent me this very helpful insight...
So, prayer does change everything around you even if the other person is not praying like you are. You don't have to wait for the other person to change before you can be free of whatever bothers you. Let prayer change your view of them, and the new view you see leads to healing.
Have you ever blamed your spouse for troubles in your marriage?
Have you ever believed your happiness and harmony is at the mercy of how another person treats you?
If so, you might doubt that prayer can make much of a difference in addressing situations like the above because in the back of your thought you'll be harboring the fear that the other person has to change BEFORE you are free of their inconsideration. And besides, they might not even be praying about the trouble themselves, so what difference will your prayers make? Fear taunts...
In thinking this scenario through and how to resolve it, God sent me this very helpful insight...
The truth you know in prayer changes people around you because the truth you know in prayer changes how you see everyone around you.
So, prayer does change everything around you even if the other person is not praying like you are. You don't have to wait for the other person to change before you can be free of whatever bothers you. Let prayer change your view of them, and the new view you see leads to healing.
Monday, October 13, 2008
The financial storm will pass
With the stock market crisis encircling the globe, millions of investors are worried about their financial future. Hopes for funded retirements have vaporized, savings for college education have dwindled, and now pensions are in doubt.
What disaster will come next? Fear cries out for attention.
I find that a long term perspective preserves sanity and hope in turbulent times like this.
Consider weather conditions on earth.
Storms come and go. Hurricanes have their season and then end. Winds sweep through and calm follows. Rain falls in torrents, then green pastures sprout from below. The sun burns during the height of summer, and then yields to the cool of fall.
Mother Nature is not always kind, but every storm has its end, and every disaster has its recovery.
The earth keeps on turning. The seasons keep on coming. The sun keeps on shining, and the earth keeps on renewing. There is always release, always peace to be found after the winds cease and the weather stops churning. There is always good to be found after the worst has appeared.
What disaster will come next? Fear cries out for attention.
I find that a long term perspective preserves sanity and hope in turbulent times like this.
Consider weather conditions on earth.
Storms come and go. Hurricanes have their season and then end. Winds sweep through and calm follows. Rain falls in torrents, then green pastures sprout from below. The sun burns during the height of summer, and then yields to the cool of fall.
Mother Nature is not always kind, but every storm has its end, and every disaster has its recovery.
The earth keeps on turning. The seasons keep on coming. The sun keeps on shining, and the earth keeps on renewing. There is always release, always peace to be found after the winds cease and the weather stops churning. There is always good to be found after the worst has appeared.
The same rule applies to the financial storm presently encompassing the world.
The hurricanes of fear will cease. The winds of worry and uncertainty will calm. The turbulence stirred up from greed, naiveté, and dishonesty will subside. Reform will occur. Peace will prevail and a semblance of stability will return.
God is a divine Principle that upholds all of existence and supplies all human needs.
The storms of fear and error may appear for a season and cause people to temporarily doubt their divine provision, but God’s ever-present supply will keep on appearing anyway, and not disappear for even a moment. The earth will find itself refreshed as the present tempest passes and harmony is restored once again.
This too, shall pass....
The hurricanes of fear will cease. The winds of worry and uncertainty will calm. The turbulence stirred up from greed, naiveté, and dishonesty will subside. Reform will occur. Peace will prevail and a semblance of stability will return.
God is a divine Principle that upholds all of existence and supplies all human needs.
The storms of fear and error may appear for a season and cause people to temporarily doubt their divine provision, but God’s ever-present supply will keep on appearing anyway, and not disappear for even a moment. The earth will find itself refreshed as the present tempest passes and harmony is restored once again.
This too, shall pass....
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Managing debt
My wife shared an interesting observation with me yesterday.
She had been listening to a piece on the radio about how to manage debt. People were talking about the misery debt had brought into their lives, how they were burdened by it and overwhelmed with payments they could not afford. As my wife listened, the thrust of the discussion, which was how to work with debt, felt a bit off. Why were the reporters focusing on managing debt rather than on ways to pay it off? She pondered.
She came into my office to think out loud with me on the subject, and added in, “It’s like managing disease. Sufferers talk about Disease Management, when the real need is to demonstrate health. We don't want to manage disease. We want to get rid of it. Find health, and disease disappears. Doesn't the same rule apply to debt?"
"Yes," I chimed in! "Find supply, and debt disappears. Too much time is spent on managing a problem, and perhaps not enough time and energy spent on remedying the problem," I agreed.
It’s not debt management that is going to save the economy, but supply manifestation. The underlying problem is not how to manage debt, but how to demonstrate supply and stay out of debt.
Christian Science teaches that we are not mortal beings subject to material impoverishment. We are spiritual beings endowed with the eternal riches of Truth and Love that support and sustain us at all times. The riches of divine Mind are wisdom, intelligence, insight, creativity, originality, contentment, joy, gratitude and their kin. These riches, when lived and expressed, keep us out of debt to a material world.
For decades, consumers and investors have been looking to things, possessions, and stuff for happiness and joy. I’m guilty too! There was a joy-ride for quite a while, but it was inevitable the bottom would fall out from under the proverbial Babylonian pyramid of a matter-based goal, for true happiness and success can never be found in material acquisition. The piling up of debt in the belief that buying more and having more worldly possessions would bring greater joy was a vain pursuit.
But the good news is, it doesn’t matter. We are still God’s rich and wealthy spiritual offspring, no matter what kind of financial experience we’re going through. We have the eternal riches of Mind at our disposal at this moment to demonstrate wealth and supply.
The picture of impoverishment or lack is illusion. One is tempted to believe in lack ONLY if they believe supply is material. Any matter-based reasoning is going to lead to lack, because matter-based reasoning is one big arena of lack. The exit door from lack is understanding supply to be spiritual. And we all have access to this understanding. Jesus taught it. Christian Science explains it.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Jesus Christ
Paul and John had a clear apprehension that, as mortal man achieves no worldly honors except by sacrifice, so he must gain heavenly riches by forsaking all worldliness. Then he will have nothing in common with the worldling's affections, motives, and aims. Mary Baker Eddy
We don’t have to manage debt. We can pay it off. The infinite riches of Mind provide the metaphysical resources necessary to live debt-free, and these riches are freely available to every one of us today! No need to wait for a stock market recovery… Alleluia!!
She had been listening to a piece on the radio about how to manage debt. People were talking about the misery debt had brought into their lives, how they were burdened by it and overwhelmed with payments they could not afford. As my wife listened, the thrust of the discussion, which was how to work with debt, felt a bit off. Why were the reporters focusing on managing debt rather than on ways to pay it off? She pondered.
She came into my office to think out loud with me on the subject, and added in, “It’s like managing disease. Sufferers talk about Disease Management, when the real need is to demonstrate health. We don't want to manage disease. We want to get rid of it. Find health, and disease disappears. Doesn't the same rule apply to debt?"
"Yes," I chimed in! "Find supply, and debt disappears. Too much time is spent on managing a problem, and perhaps not enough time and energy spent on remedying the problem," I agreed.
It’s not debt management that is going to save the economy, but supply manifestation. The underlying problem is not how to manage debt, but how to demonstrate supply and stay out of debt.
Christian Science teaches that we are not mortal beings subject to material impoverishment. We are spiritual beings endowed with the eternal riches of Truth and Love that support and sustain us at all times. The riches of divine Mind are wisdom, intelligence, insight, creativity, originality, contentment, joy, gratitude and their kin. These riches, when lived and expressed, keep us out of debt to a material world.
For decades, consumers and investors have been looking to things, possessions, and stuff for happiness and joy. I’m guilty too! There was a joy-ride for quite a while, but it was inevitable the bottom would fall out from under the proverbial Babylonian pyramid of a matter-based goal, for true happiness and success can never be found in material acquisition. The piling up of debt in the belief that buying more and having more worldly possessions would bring greater joy was a vain pursuit.
But the good news is, it doesn’t matter. We are still God’s rich and wealthy spiritual offspring, no matter what kind of financial experience we’re going through. We have the eternal riches of Mind at our disposal at this moment to demonstrate wealth and supply.
The picture of impoverishment or lack is illusion. One is tempted to believe in lack ONLY if they believe supply is material. Any matter-based reasoning is going to lead to lack, because matter-based reasoning is one big arena of lack. The exit door from lack is understanding supply to be spiritual. And we all have access to this understanding. Jesus taught it. Christian Science explains it.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Jesus Christ
Paul and John had a clear apprehension that, as mortal man achieves no worldly honors except by sacrifice, so he must gain heavenly riches by forsaking all worldliness. Then he will have nothing in common with the worldling's affections, motives, and aims. Mary Baker Eddy
We don’t have to manage debt. We can pay it off. The infinite riches of Mind provide the metaphysical resources necessary to live debt-free, and these riches are freely available to every one of us today! No need to wait for a stock market recovery… Alleluia!!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Retaining value
People’s jaws are dropping and leaving them gasping for air as they watch their stock portfolio’s decline in value faster than a lead weight falling through the sky. These are heady times, to say the least, for those who measure wealth and worth according to the value of their financial investments.
No matter how low the stock market drops, though, there is a spiritual peace to be gained that gets an investor through these roller coaster times. True value and worth are spiritual. They are measured according to the spiritual life one is living, and they are permanently embedded into our being as children of God.
My parents were farmers, and I witnessed several financial crises over the years that they had to deal with.
I remember a time in the 1980s (they were orchardists) when the price of apples fell through the floor. An orchardist could not give his land away, literally. It was a liability. Not only were the apple trees worthless, the land was expensive to maintain. The value of their “stock,” you might say, had declined to nothing. Decades of savings vanished over night.
As I watch the value of stocks decline today, I think back to how my mom and dad managed through those challenging times on the farm. They never lost faith in the real substance of their life which was the spiritual qualities they expressed everyday as they went about their work.
Looking back, I can see that they knew their value was more than could be measured by the price of land. They knew their worth was higher than the price of apples. No matter how low the price of land dropped, they kept doing the same thing they always did—caring for their crops with love, working to improve their cultural practices, tending to the daily operations with wisdom, increasing production with progressive technologies, and keeping the faith that times would get better.
Yes, they had to cut back on expenses, delay plans of expansion, and be more frugal, but overall, life didn’t change much on the farm. Everyday was still an enjoyable day, workers still laughed, joy abounded as we watched our treasured seeds grow into plants, and plants form buds, buds turn into fruit and fruit harvested into bins. Life went on regardless of the price of our land. In other words, our happiness, joy, and health in life were not tied to the price of “our stock.” It was spiritual, coming from God, and remained the same regardless of a temporal shift in material valuations.
Land prices did eventually rebound, and orchards once again commanded large sums. The swing in temporal value over those years was extreme, but for those who saw the bigger picture and worked on a higher level, the temporal swing was just that—temporal. It was of none effect in the long run. It came and went, and life went on.
With the wild fluctuations on Wall Street today, the lesson reminds me to keep my perspective. Our life and joy are not tied to the price of stocks. Stock prices go up and down. They always have. Our real wealth and worth, though, is not measured by the price of the securities we own. It’s measured by the spiritual life we’re living.
Our spiritual life consists of manifesting the wisdom, joy, cheer, gratitude, love and care God sends our way and intends for us to express as divine image.
Divine wisdom enables us to make wise choices. Gratitude keeps our thought open to blessings all around that otherwise might not be apparent. Joy and cheer keep thought buoyant and open to fresh, creative, original ideas that prosper activity. Love signals our deserving of God’s blessings.
Enjoy living your spiritual life today, and don’t let the mood on Wall Street become your mood on Main Street!
No matter how low the stock market drops, though, there is a spiritual peace to be gained that gets an investor through these roller coaster times. True value and worth are spiritual. They are measured according to the spiritual life one is living, and they are permanently embedded into our being as children of God.
My parents were farmers, and I witnessed several financial crises over the years that they had to deal with.
I remember a time in the 1980s (they were orchardists) when the price of apples fell through the floor. An orchardist could not give his land away, literally. It was a liability. Not only were the apple trees worthless, the land was expensive to maintain. The value of their “stock,” you might say, had declined to nothing. Decades of savings vanished over night.
As I watch the value of stocks decline today, I think back to how my mom and dad managed through those challenging times on the farm. They never lost faith in the real substance of their life which was the spiritual qualities they expressed everyday as they went about their work.
Looking back, I can see that they knew their value was more than could be measured by the price of land. They knew their worth was higher than the price of apples. No matter how low the price of land dropped, they kept doing the same thing they always did—caring for their crops with love, working to improve their cultural practices, tending to the daily operations with wisdom, increasing production with progressive technologies, and keeping the faith that times would get better.
Yes, they had to cut back on expenses, delay plans of expansion, and be more frugal, but overall, life didn’t change much on the farm. Everyday was still an enjoyable day, workers still laughed, joy abounded as we watched our treasured seeds grow into plants, and plants form buds, buds turn into fruit and fruit harvested into bins. Life went on regardless of the price of our land. In other words, our happiness, joy, and health in life were not tied to the price of “our stock.” It was spiritual, coming from God, and remained the same regardless of a temporal shift in material valuations.
Land prices did eventually rebound, and orchards once again commanded large sums. The swing in temporal value over those years was extreme, but for those who saw the bigger picture and worked on a higher level, the temporal swing was just that—temporal. It was of none effect in the long run. It came and went, and life went on.
With the wild fluctuations on Wall Street today, the lesson reminds me to keep my perspective. Our life and joy are not tied to the price of stocks. Stock prices go up and down. They always have. Our real wealth and worth, though, is not measured by the price of the securities we own. It’s measured by the spiritual life we’re living.
Our spiritual life consists of manifesting the wisdom, joy, cheer, gratitude, love and care God sends our way and intends for us to express as divine image.
Divine wisdom enables us to make wise choices. Gratitude keeps our thought open to blessings all around that otherwise might not be apparent. Joy and cheer keep thought buoyant and open to fresh, creative, original ideas that prosper activity. Love signals our deserving of God’s blessings.
Enjoy living your spiritual life today, and don’t let the mood on Wall Street become your mood on Main Street!
Yellow Roses multiplying...
I posted a blog in August titled, “Three Yellow Roses.”
Yesterday, a reader sent me the below picture with a note that said, “I so appreciated your recent story featuring yellow roses, I was inspired to paint a watercolor! See attached.”
Aren't they pretty? Thanks to Bea Alden…
Yesterday, a reader sent me the below picture with a note that said, “I so appreciated your recent story featuring yellow roses, I was inspired to paint a watercolor! See attached.”
Aren't they pretty? Thanks to Bea Alden…
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Be prepared
I read a fascinating article last night titled, “The Killing Peak,” by Matthew Power, in Men’s Journal.
The intro begins,
“K2, the world’s second-highest summit, is the true climber’s mountain, more challenging and dangerous than Everest—as the world learned this August, when 11 climbers perished within a span of 30 hours. The inside story of what went wrong...”
I’ve always been intrigued by what drives terrain adventurers to extremes that endanger life and limb in order to reach a mountain top or deep into the Antarctica, or to whatever earthly challenge calls them. I certainly understand the desire to discover new places and do what has not been done before. I like to do the same in my work as a metaphysician. But I've also found it helpful to study why some explorers are consistently successful, and others perish in short order. What lessons can I learn from their experiences, I ask, that can be applied to my own metaphysical adventuring?
There are many lessons to learn in this article, for it spells out many of the mistakes and miscalculations the climbers made last August on K2. Errors that could have been avoided if sound reasoning had prevailed.
One of the most interesting facts to me was that carefully laid out plans had been prepared ahead of time, but several members of the party of 20 that ascended the slope August 1, didn’t follow through with their obligations. One group didn’t bring enough rope. Another group brought rope, but it was poor quality. They went up anyway. Through The Bottleneck, plans had been made to ensure the rope would get them to the top, but the plans weren’t followed. They ran out of rope when they needed it most.
One man, a world class climber, had set out very early in the morning, and made it to summit by 2:30 and headed back. On the way down, he passed the others, who were way behind schedule, and told them to turn around and go back. They would never make it up and back in time, he warned. The others ignored him and went anyway, only to perish because of their blind human will. There were trained Sherpas in the group who perished striving to save the inexperienced climbers who lost footings, got tangled in ropes and caught in avalanches. It is a sad story on one hand, but very instructive on the other.
As I read the account, I remembered Jesus wise instruction,
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?...Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Luke
I read in these words counsel to prepare ahead of time. One must not be naïve about the odds stacked against him when going out to battle an enemy or build a tower for a purpose.
I think about the economic and housing fears sweeping the globe today. Could the same lesson be learned there? I ask. Did there need to be better planning to prevent “towers” from falling that we see littering the economic landscape today? … the “towers” of the mortgage and banking industry, highly leveraged houses and commercial properties, and who knows what may fall next week…
The wisdom and foresight of Jesus is incredibly deep. He had words for every kind of crisis humanity will ever face. And simple words, at that. There is nothing complicated about living and planning in an intelligent way that brings about good results.
I agree, it’s hard at times. We all have our opportunities to grow and improve! But the wisdom is in place and available to learn and benefit from that gets us through the tough times and preserves enough space and room to gather our resources back together again, and begin plan B if plan A didn’t work out.
Many of the climbers would likely have been saved if they would have admitted that they weren’t prepared, were willing to go back to camp, regroup, and try again later. But their fear of being cast as failures, or not having another chance, blinded their reason and caused them to keep on going.
Hindsight is so good! And it’s easy to say “Should have, could have…” after the fact. But again, we can learn from other’s experiences and prevent the same errors from being repeated.
Before embarking on a grand adventure, whether it’s a terrestrial, financial, relationship or career type of activity, we can count the cost ahead of time, and be sure we have the resources, understanding and ability we need to get to summit as planned. And if not, we stay put, remain patient, and keep growing in understanding and ability until we are ready and able to succeed. Then it’s time to climb!
The intro begins,
“K2, the world’s second-highest summit, is the true climber’s mountain, more challenging and dangerous than Everest—as the world learned this August, when 11 climbers perished within a span of 30 hours. The inside story of what went wrong...”
I’ve always been intrigued by what drives terrain adventurers to extremes that endanger life and limb in order to reach a mountain top or deep into the Antarctica, or to whatever earthly challenge calls them. I certainly understand the desire to discover new places and do what has not been done before. I like to do the same in my work as a metaphysician. But I've also found it helpful to study why some explorers are consistently successful, and others perish in short order. What lessons can I learn from their experiences, I ask, that can be applied to my own metaphysical adventuring?
There are many lessons to learn in this article, for it spells out many of the mistakes and miscalculations the climbers made last August on K2. Errors that could have been avoided if sound reasoning had prevailed.
One of the most interesting facts to me was that carefully laid out plans had been prepared ahead of time, but several members of the party of 20 that ascended the slope August 1, didn’t follow through with their obligations. One group didn’t bring enough rope. Another group brought rope, but it was poor quality. They went up anyway. Through The Bottleneck, plans had been made to ensure the rope would get them to the top, but the plans weren’t followed. They ran out of rope when they needed it most.
One man, a world class climber, had set out very early in the morning, and made it to summit by 2:30 and headed back. On the way down, he passed the others, who were way behind schedule, and told them to turn around and go back. They would never make it up and back in time, he warned. The others ignored him and went anyway, only to perish because of their blind human will. There were trained Sherpas in the group who perished striving to save the inexperienced climbers who lost footings, got tangled in ropes and caught in avalanches. It is a sad story on one hand, but very instructive on the other.
As I read the account, I remembered Jesus wise instruction,
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?...Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Luke
I read in these words counsel to prepare ahead of time. One must not be naïve about the odds stacked against him when going out to battle an enemy or build a tower for a purpose.
I think about the economic and housing fears sweeping the globe today. Could the same lesson be learned there? I ask. Did there need to be better planning to prevent “towers” from falling that we see littering the economic landscape today? … the “towers” of the mortgage and banking industry, highly leveraged houses and commercial properties, and who knows what may fall next week…
The wisdom and foresight of Jesus is incredibly deep. He had words for every kind of crisis humanity will ever face. And simple words, at that. There is nothing complicated about living and planning in an intelligent way that brings about good results.
I agree, it’s hard at times. We all have our opportunities to grow and improve! But the wisdom is in place and available to learn and benefit from that gets us through the tough times and preserves enough space and room to gather our resources back together again, and begin plan B if plan A didn’t work out.
Many of the climbers would likely have been saved if they would have admitted that they weren’t prepared, were willing to go back to camp, regroup, and try again later. But their fear of being cast as failures, or not having another chance, blinded their reason and caused them to keep on going.
Hindsight is so good! And it’s easy to say “Should have, could have…” after the fact. But again, we can learn from other’s experiences and prevent the same errors from being repeated.
Before embarking on a grand adventure, whether it’s a terrestrial, financial, relationship or career type of activity, we can count the cost ahead of time, and be sure we have the resources, understanding and ability we need to get to summit as planned. And if not, we stay put, remain patient, and keep growing in understanding and ability until we are ready and able to succeed. Then it’s time to climb!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Prayer for our leaders
As financial and political leaders of our countries debate and vote on solutions for the economy, I pray that they be led by divine wisdom to make wise choices.
I pray that the one Mind leads them, guides them and governs them.
I pray that they hear solutions that result in meaningful change and valuable reform that brings genuine improvement to our economy.
I pray that all anger, bitterness, complaint, and finger-pointing be set aside, and that the spirit of divine Love prevail.
I pray that each player is able to forgive the other, see the good on the other side, value each other’s contributions and work together as one.
I pray for unity of thought and oneness of Mind manifest.
I pray that partisanship be put aside, and that the oneness of Mind in Love take over.
I pray for genuine change from the bottom-up, and not superficial on the surface alterations.
I pray for the supply of all my neighbors, to know that there is enough good to go around for everyone. That the goodness of divine Love is not hoarded, frozen, locked down in unreachable places, held back, running short, or no where to be found.
I pray that everyone can see the bounty of Love available on their behalf, how to avail themselves of it and benefit from its blessings.
I pray that our whole world comes out of this financial turmoil intact and stronger for the experience, a more loving community of fellow-citizens to co-exist with, and a better place for our children to grow up in.
I pray that we have all we need coming from God to meet the immediate needs of the moment.
I pray for peace of mind to prevail on Wall Street and Main Street.
I pray with confidence that God is working out a good purpose, and we’re all being blessed by it.
I pray that we are all under one Mind, one God, and unified by its presence and power.
One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations; constitutes the brotherhood of man; ends wars; fulfils the Scripture, "Love thy neighbor as thyself;" annihilates pagan and Christian idolatry, — whatever is wrong in social, civil, criminal, political, and religious codes; equalizes the sexes; annuls the curse on man, and leaves nothing that can sin, suffer, be punished or destroyed.
~ Mary Baker Eddy
I pray that the one Mind leads them, guides them and governs them.
I pray that they hear solutions that result in meaningful change and valuable reform that brings genuine improvement to our economy.
I pray that all anger, bitterness, complaint, and finger-pointing be set aside, and that the spirit of divine Love prevail.
I pray that each player is able to forgive the other, see the good on the other side, value each other’s contributions and work together as one.
I pray for unity of thought and oneness of Mind manifest.
I pray that partisanship be put aside, and that the oneness of Mind in Love take over.
I pray for genuine change from the bottom-up, and not superficial on the surface alterations.
I pray for the supply of all my neighbors, to know that there is enough good to go around for everyone. That the goodness of divine Love is not hoarded, frozen, locked down in unreachable places, held back, running short, or no where to be found.
I pray that everyone can see the bounty of Love available on their behalf, how to avail themselves of it and benefit from its blessings.
I pray that our whole world comes out of this financial turmoil intact and stronger for the experience, a more loving community of fellow-citizens to co-exist with, and a better place for our children to grow up in.
I pray that we have all we need coming from God to meet the immediate needs of the moment.
I pray for peace of mind to prevail on Wall Street and Main Street.
I pray with confidence that God is working out a good purpose, and we’re all being blessed by it.
I pray that we are all under one Mind, one God, and unified by its presence and power.
One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations; constitutes the brotherhood of man; ends wars; fulfils the Scripture, "Love thy neighbor as thyself;" annihilates pagan and Christian idolatry, — whatever is wrong in social, civil, criminal, political, and religious codes; equalizes the sexes; annuls the curse on man, and leaves nothing that can sin, suffer, be punished or destroyed.
~ Mary Baker Eddy
Thursday, October 2, 2008
The ultimate investment
People are worried about their investments. Many are watching the value of their portfolio drop day after day by huge amounts, and they don’t know what to do about it. Sell everything? Bail out of the market? Wait? Suffer more? Stop the pain? They’re confused, worried and uncertain about the future.
When I start worrying about financial conditions, I know it’s a sign to get a more spiritual view. I look to Jesus Christ for inspiration and guidance, for I see him as the most successful investor ever.
Jesus did not put his trust and faith in things that could be taken from him. He did not invest time and energy in the temporal or fleeting. And because of his sound investment strategy he never worried about the stock market, the interest rate, credit flows or policies made in Washington DC. Jesus knew the substance of life was spiritual, and invested accordingly. And he was rewarded immensely with the ultimate reward, Life in Spirit, where there is no debt, no lack and no financial fears. He made the ultimate investment and reaped the ultimate reward.
His investment philosophy was simple. He instructed,
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. Matthew
I see evidence of Jesus’ philosophy leavening human consciousness in the wisdom shared by some of the great financial investors of our times. They frequently teach their listeners to invest in value and to invest for the long run. They explain that if you buy a good investment it will stay a good investment even if it temporarily drops in value during bad times.
Of course, any temporal investment eventually, some day, will fizzle. That’s the nature of temporal things. Look at Lehmans, a firm that had been around for 158 years. Now it’s bankrupt. But the spirit of the wisdom to invest for the long run is closer to spiritual truth than fear-investing that is swayed by the emotional swings of the moment.
We glimpse Truth in degrees, and many human conceptions of Truth are much better than others. Human judgments based on spiritual reality and long run investing are going to be better and sounder than decisions spawned by short term fear, panic and ignorance.
No matter what happens financially in the short run, God has us covered for all of eternity. God’s underlying channels of supply are always open and flowing freely. Divine Love watches over us, provides for us, and ensures our safety. We will always have what we need to get to the most desirable place of all—heaven. And this will happen with or without money.
When I start worrying about financial conditions, I know it’s a sign to get a more spiritual view. I look to Jesus Christ for inspiration and guidance, for I see him as the most successful investor ever.
Jesus did not put his trust and faith in things that could be taken from him. He did not invest time and energy in the temporal or fleeting. And because of his sound investment strategy he never worried about the stock market, the interest rate, credit flows or policies made in Washington DC. Jesus knew the substance of life was spiritual, and invested accordingly. And he was rewarded immensely with the ultimate reward, Life in Spirit, where there is no debt, no lack and no financial fears. He made the ultimate investment and reaped the ultimate reward.
His investment philosophy was simple. He instructed,
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. Matthew
I see evidence of Jesus’ philosophy leavening human consciousness in the wisdom shared by some of the great financial investors of our times. They frequently teach their listeners to invest in value and to invest for the long run. They explain that if you buy a good investment it will stay a good investment even if it temporarily drops in value during bad times.
Of course, any temporal investment eventually, some day, will fizzle. That’s the nature of temporal things. Look at Lehmans, a firm that had been around for 158 years. Now it’s bankrupt. But the spirit of the wisdom to invest for the long run is closer to spiritual truth than fear-investing that is swayed by the emotional swings of the moment.
We glimpse Truth in degrees, and many human conceptions of Truth are much better than others. Human judgments based on spiritual reality and long run investing are going to be better and sounder than decisions spawned by short term fear, panic and ignorance.
No matter what happens financially in the short run, God has us covered for all of eternity. God’s underlying channels of supply are always open and flowing freely. Divine Love watches over us, provides for us, and ensures our safety. We will always have what we need to get to the most desirable place of all—heaven. And this will happen with or without money.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Conquering fear of a credit squeeze
Many of the economic fears coming out of Washington DC right now circulate around concern about a credit freeze locking up funds around the world. Banks don’t trust one another, and are refusing to lend money. They’ve locked their lending doors, hunkered down to see what will happen in the near future, and are holding back on loans they’d ordinarily be granting to businesses. Even profitable and sound businesses are having a hard time financing their operations without paying stiff interest rates.
There is an intense degree of mesmerism gripping the USA, and other parts of the world, right now, on this whole subject of debt. It seems much of the attention is focused on keeping the channels of debt flowing, backing up bad loans, and working to ensure borrowers can keep borrowing and banks can keep lending. There certainly is a degree of liquidity and compassion that is needed to grease the wheels of commerce, but what about the other side of the supply and demand equation? What about demonstrating supply that pays off the debt?
I remember years ago, when I was quite young and my wife and I were purchasing our first home. It was a major investment for us, and we were financially challenged, you might say, to afford a house. I had begun a new career, and our combined income was very modest, to say the least.
While working with a real estate agent, I kept talking about cutting costs, saving money, lowering expenses, etc, and one day he piped up, “Why not increase your income?”
His astute observation caught me by surprise. I hadn’t seriously considered that option. To be honest, I had felt rather helpless on the income side of things, because I had no personal control over my income. Whatever came in came in. I never knew the amount ahead of time and I didn't feel any control over future income. I knew what money I had in the bank, and what our bank balance allowed for expenditures, and that was that, so it seemed.
But his comment got me to thinking.
Who was my source of supply? I asked. Me or God? Where did I put my faith? In lack or abundance? I pondered.
I took his challenge to heart and prayed about the income side of things. I understood better that God was meeting the needs of my business and family, and not me. It didn't matter if the financial need was for one dollar or for one hundred thousand dollars, God supplies either option just as easily. Demosntrating this truth was a matter of how much faith and understanding I had in God's infinite provision.
I increased my faith in God's ability to provide. It helped, a lot! We found a house we could afford, happily moved in, and had no trouble paying the bills afterward.
With the credit crisis people are facing today, many are mesmerized into thinking they have to manage debt rather than demonstrate supply. There is a big difference.
To spend all your mental time managing debt deprives thought of the opportunity to demonstrate supply. Debt focuses on what you don’t have. Supply focuses on making the most of what you do have.
When Jesus was faced with feeding thousands of hungry people he didn't say to his disciples, “Go get a loan so we can feed these people.” Nope. He turned to God and found supply in the palm of his hands. There was no need for debt. God was the supplier, and the supply was present. Spiritual understanding revealed it as such, and everyone was fed.
It’s not increased debt that is going to save the country from its financial ills. It’s increased supply, demonstrated by putting our God-given assets of wisdom, honesty, integrity, economy, discipline, order, unselfed love and principle into action.
God gives us what we need spiritually. We don’t need more debt to survive and thrive. We have the inspiration and ideas we need coming from above now that helps us find the “loaves and fishes” we need to meet the need of the moment.
The flow of supply coming from God is never subject to a credit freeze or lock down. It flows freely and abundantly, and is as close as the thoughts we think.
Enjoy the bounty of God today! Focus on supply, not debt, and let the resources of divine Mind provide the funds that pay your bills.
There is an intense degree of mesmerism gripping the USA, and other parts of the world, right now, on this whole subject of debt. It seems much of the attention is focused on keeping the channels of debt flowing, backing up bad loans, and working to ensure borrowers can keep borrowing and banks can keep lending. There certainly is a degree of liquidity and compassion that is needed to grease the wheels of commerce, but what about the other side of the supply and demand equation? What about demonstrating supply that pays off the debt?
I remember years ago, when I was quite young and my wife and I were purchasing our first home. It was a major investment for us, and we were financially challenged, you might say, to afford a house. I had begun a new career, and our combined income was very modest, to say the least.
While working with a real estate agent, I kept talking about cutting costs, saving money, lowering expenses, etc, and one day he piped up, “Why not increase your income?”
His astute observation caught me by surprise. I hadn’t seriously considered that option. To be honest, I had felt rather helpless on the income side of things, because I had no personal control over my income. Whatever came in came in. I never knew the amount ahead of time and I didn't feel any control over future income. I knew what money I had in the bank, and what our bank balance allowed for expenditures, and that was that, so it seemed.
But his comment got me to thinking.
Who was my source of supply? I asked. Me or God? Where did I put my faith? In lack or abundance? I pondered.
I took his challenge to heart and prayed about the income side of things. I understood better that God was meeting the needs of my business and family, and not me. It didn't matter if the financial need was for one dollar or for one hundred thousand dollars, God supplies either option just as easily. Demosntrating this truth was a matter of how much faith and understanding I had in God's infinite provision.
I increased my faith in God's ability to provide. It helped, a lot! We found a house we could afford, happily moved in, and had no trouble paying the bills afterward.
With the credit crisis people are facing today, many are mesmerized into thinking they have to manage debt rather than demonstrate supply. There is a big difference.
To spend all your mental time managing debt deprives thought of the opportunity to demonstrate supply. Debt focuses on what you don’t have. Supply focuses on making the most of what you do have.
When Jesus was faced with feeding thousands of hungry people he didn't say to his disciples, “Go get a loan so we can feed these people.” Nope. He turned to God and found supply in the palm of his hands. There was no need for debt. God was the supplier, and the supply was present. Spiritual understanding revealed it as such, and everyone was fed.
It’s not increased debt that is going to save the country from its financial ills. It’s increased supply, demonstrated by putting our God-given assets of wisdom, honesty, integrity, economy, discipline, order, unselfed love and principle into action.
God gives us what we need spiritually. We don’t need more debt to survive and thrive. We have the inspiration and ideas we need coming from above now that helps us find the “loaves and fishes” we need to meet the need of the moment.
The flow of supply coming from God is never subject to a credit freeze or lock down. It flows freely and abundantly, and is as close as the thoughts we think.
Enjoy the bounty of God today! Focus on supply, not debt, and let the resources of divine Mind provide the funds that pay your bills.
