The Opportunity of Hard Times
The world is getting a good housecleaning right now. I know it looks like hard times, maybe a recession of some length, but it is really a global housecleaning. These happen about every 20 years or so to remind us to get back to basic principles. This becomes necessary when "good times" encourage too much license and flaunting of the rules of common sense. Human Evolution and spiritual growth always take place during times of some contraction or hardship. Why? Because we as a nation and a world community are shocked out of our complacency and forced into an attitude of co-operation and thinking outside the box, so to speak.
A good example of this spiritual leap in the face of hardship is the election of the first African American President of the United States. You might say that this would have happened anyway, but in good times it is doubtful that Mr. Obama, for all his personal and oratorical gifts would have been elected if it were not that the US economy took a major nose dive, beyond the already serious economic signs, 30 days before the election. Those on the fence about voting for a man with virtually no resume or experience for the job of President of perhaps the world's greatest power, decided that his calm, steady nature and his ability to inspire and touch the heart were just what was needed. Mr. Obama represented the biggest change America could imagine and change was just what most Americans were now willing to embrace.
No matter what side of the election Americans were on, we watched as millions across the nation were shown on TV with tears of joy streaming down their faces as President-Elect Obama gave his gracious and conciliatory acceptance speech. The joy, the hope, the pride on those faces had a quality of rightness about it that even many lifelong Republicans felt and understood. It was time, past time; if it took hard times to do it, so be it.
Just as the American People seized a great opportunity to heal on old and festering wound, to rise above party and our differences and take the great leap, so each of us has this opportunity right now. You see, we truly do make our own economy. Just as we create our lives hour by hour and minute by minute by what we think, what we believe, what we speak and what we choose - so do we create abundance or lack in our lives, sickness or wellness in our bodies. "As within, so without" is one of the most basic and most powerful statements in the Christian Bible. As you think, believe and speak -so you are and so is the world around you.
You may say, OK Rev. but it really is scary out there, why we have over 6% unemployed in the US right now! Yes, but many countries in the world would think only 6% unemployed was the best time in their history! We have forgotten the years when America had 25% unemployed and life, however hard, did go on. Now it is true that nearly all of us know of someone who has been laid off or "downsized" out of their job; certainly very devastating for anyone to lose their livelihood.
Or is it? Is our job really our source of supply? Or was Jesus The Christ right when he said that like the "Lillies of the Fields and The Birds of the Sky, who spin not nor do they reap", their every need is taken care of by the Father. Would your Good Father do less for you?
Certainly not, unless you believe that your job or your business is the true source of your supply and good. When you place your faith in material things you deny the promise of God to keep you in the palm of His hand and nurture and protect you with every good thing. This does not mean that you do not have to work. We all chop wood and carry water, metaphorically speaking, but who gives us the strength and energy to do the carrying and chopping and who makes the wood and the water? Why, we would have nothing to work for or to work with, if not for God.
So how do we make great opportunity out of seeming disaster? First do not buy into the race thought ( race, as in human race) of lack, limitation and loss. It is everywhere about you, you hear it on every radio and television, you read it in every newspaper and magazine - what can you do? Do not let this Mind Poison into your heart, your mind and into your thinking. Oh, don't deny the condition, that could be most dangerous. As the Koran says, Pray to Allah and then tie up your camel! There are things you need to do to take care of yourself so do them. Just don't internalize the bad news and other people's pessimism and never let fear get a hold of you. Fear is the mind killer, the enemy of manifested good. Fear is the evidence of an absence of God in your heart and mind.
You see, fear and God cannot inhabit the same space at the same time any more than darkness and Light can. With God at your Center you need have no fear - you have been promised the abundant life, the Kingdom of Heaven is within you. With God at the center of your thoughts, with His loving arms around you, what is there to fear that the Creator of the Universe cannot handle in a second?
What do we do to keep fear from our mind and heart? How do we keep God at our Center? First, stop watching the news, particularly first thing in the morning and last thing before bed. You are ingesting Mind Poison when you do this! There is nothing in the news you need to know, except the scores of your favorite sporting teams.
If you are a stock holder, you really can't sell them now anyway without a huge loss and any financial professional will tell you to stay the course for the long haul. Never jump in and out of the market. Your investments will rebound, they always have, so do not count your losses, you have lost nothing until you sell that stock or sell that property that has declined in value. Both will rebound and much, if not all, of the loss will be recouped. You cannot change a thing now, the time to act was six months ago, but who knew to do so, so sit back and meditate on things of Good Report, put your mind on your wife, husband, children, family and God - the things of eternal value. It's time to selectively ignore that facts, remembering that today's facts are the result of someone else's past thinking. You are not bound by precedent - that is a great lesson and this is a great time to learn it, dear ones.
Now here is the real key to blooming in the desert. This is how you thrive when others suffer.
Think only of what you desire. Focus your mind, heart and the words you speak on what you wish your life and the lives of your loved ones to be. Believe that every good thing is already here, that the money you need is in your account; although the bank book does not yet agree with your thoughts. Now don't spend it yet, but just know it is there. As you hold a clear picture in your mind of what you desire, you become a magnet, your belief has the power to attract the people, the circumstances and the opportunites to you to create just what you want. What I am suggesting is that you build the life you want in your mind, then imagine how you would feel if that life was a reality right now. What would you feel, what would you say? Stay in that space as much as you can and it will come to pass - but only if you have faith that it is already done.
As much as you can, continue with your normal activities - have fun and be happy. This will ensure that your demeanor and attitude are upbeat and positive and when the boss is looking over the workforce to make cuts, he or she will surely pass over you because you are so positive, productive and such an asset that the company cannot spare you; especially now. Be down and speak gloom and doom in the lunch room and in the halls and you can be sure that you will be seen as a cancer in the body of the company and cancers get cut out!
Beyond your thinking and attitude, now is a good time to dress for success, dress for the job above the one you hold. Now is a great time to come in an hour early and leave an hour late (off the clock), demonstrating your willingness to go the extra mile in the hour of need for the company. It is tough times for business and their owners too, you know. Very scary when you as an owner have everything on the line and business is down, down and down. An employee who is cheerful, encouraging and works his butt off is greatly appreciated in times like these.
Remember, the economy may be in bad shape but not everyone will be laid off or cut. Most people will still have jobs, most people will be OK. You will be the one to survive and thrive if you keep your mind and your attitude in a positive mode. Ignoring the facts is one of the hardest things for a human to do. Remember, if you focus on the facts, you get the facts. If you focus on what you want, you get what you want. You must EXPECT your good, not just wish or want. You seldom get what you want but you always get what you expect. God is not bound by facts and neither are you; if you have the courage to free yourself from them. So practice Godliness and like God, ignore the facts and focus on what you desire to have in your life. When you do this, you are practicng Divine Law. God never lets down a true practitioner of Divine Law.
How good a user of Divine Law are you? If you want to get better, keep reading this blog and keep reading Science of Mind and Scripture.
May God bless you and keep you abundant and well.
And So It Is!
A good example of this spiritual leap in the face of hardship is the election of the first African American President of the United States. You might say that this would have happened anyway, but in good times it is doubtful that Mr. Obama, for all his personal and oratorical gifts would have been elected if it were not that the US economy took a major nose dive, beyond the already serious economic signs, 30 days before the election. Those on the fence about voting for a man with virtually no resume or experience for the job of President of perhaps the world's greatest power, decided that his calm, steady nature and his ability to inspire and touch the heart were just what was needed. Mr. Obama represented the biggest change America could imagine and change was just what most Americans were now willing to embrace.
No matter what side of the election Americans were on, we watched as millions across the nation were shown on TV with tears of joy streaming down their faces as President-Elect Obama gave his gracious and conciliatory acceptance speech. The joy, the hope, the pride on those faces had a quality of rightness about it that even many lifelong Republicans felt and understood. It was time, past time; if it took hard times to do it, so be it.
Just as the American People seized a great opportunity to heal on old and festering wound, to rise above party and our differences and take the great leap, so each of us has this opportunity right now. You see, we truly do make our own economy. Just as we create our lives hour by hour and minute by minute by what we think, what we believe, what we speak and what we choose - so do we create abundance or lack in our lives, sickness or wellness in our bodies. "As within, so without" is one of the most basic and most powerful statements in the Christian Bible. As you think, believe and speak -so you are and so is the world around you.
You may say, OK Rev. but it really is scary out there, why we have over 6% unemployed in the US right now! Yes, but many countries in the world would think only 6% unemployed was the best time in their history! We have forgotten the years when America had 25% unemployed and life, however hard, did go on. Now it is true that nearly all of us know of someone who has been laid off or "downsized" out of their job; certainly very devastating for anyone to lose their livelihood.
Or is it? Is our job really our source of supply? Or was Jesus The Christ right when he said that like the "Lillies of the Fields and The Birds of the Sky, who spin not nor do they reap", their every need is taken care of by the Father. Would your Good Father do less for you?
Certainly not, unless you believe that your job or your business is the true source of your supply and good. When you place your faith in material things you deny the promise of God to keep you in the palm of His hand and nurture and protect you with every good thing. This does not mean that you do not have to work. We all chop wood and carry water, metaphorically speaking, but who gives us the strength and energy to do the carrying and chopping and who makes the wood and the water? Why, we would have nothing to work for or to work with, if not for God.
So how do we make great opportunity out of seeming disaster? First do not buy into the race thought ( race, as in human race) of lack, limitation and loss. It is everywhere about you, you hear it on every radio and television, you read it in every newspaper and magazine - what can you do? Do not let this Mind Poison into your heart, your mind and into your thinking. Oh, don't deny the condition, that could be most dangerous. As the Koran says, Pray to Allah and then tie up your camel! There are things you need to do to take care of yourself so do them. Just don't internalize the bad news and other people's pessimism and never let fear get a hold of you. Fear is the mind killer, the enemy of manifested good. Fear is the evidence of an absence of God in your heart and mind.
You see, fear and God cannot inhabit the same space at the same time any more than darkness and Light can. With God at your Center you need have no fear - you have been promised the abundant life, the Kingdom of Heaven is within you. With God at the center of your thoughts, with His loving arms around you, what is there to fear that the Creator of the Universe cannot handle in a second?
What do we do to keep fear from our mind and heart? How do we keep God at our Center? First, stop watching the news, particularly first thing in the morning and last thing before bed. You are ingesting Mind Poison when you do this! There is nothing in the news you need to know, except the scores of your favorite sporting teams.
If you are a stock holder, you really can't sell them now anyway without a huge loss and any financial professional will tell you to stay the course for the long haul. Never jump in and out of the market. Your investments will rebound, they always have, so do not count your losses, you have lost nothing until you sell that stock or sell that property that has declined in value. Both will rebound and much, if not all, of the loss will be recouped. You cannot change a thing now, the time to act was six months ago, but who knew to do so, so sit back and meditate on things of Good Report, put your mind on your wife, husband, children, family and God - the things of eternal value. It's time to selectively ignore that facts, remembering that today's facts are the result of someone else's past thinking. You are not bound by precedent - that is a great lesson and this is a great time to learn it, dear ones.
Now here is the real key to blooming in the desert. This is how you thrive when others suffer.
Think only of what you desire. Focus your mind, heart and the words you speak on what you wish your life and the lives of your loved ones to be. Believe that every good thing is already here, that the money you need is in your account; although the bank book does not yet agree with your thoughts. Now don't spend it yet, but just know it is there. As you hold a clear picture in your mind of what you desire, you become a magnet, your belief has the power to attract the people, the circumstances and the opportunites to you to create just what you want. What I am suggesting is that you build the life you want in your mind, then imagine how you would feel if that life was a reality right now. What would you feel, what would you say? Stay in that space as much as you can and it will come to pass - but only if you have faith that it is already done.
As much as you can, continue with your normal activities - have fun and be happy. This will ensure that your demeanor and attitude are upbeat and positive and when the boss is looking over the workforce to make cuts, he or she will surely pass over you because you are so positive, productive and such an asset that the company cannot spare you; especially now. Be down and speak gloom and doom in the lunch room and in the halls and you can be sure that you will be seen as a cancer in the body of the company and cancers get cut out!
Beyond your thinking and attitude, now is a good time to dress for success, dress for the job above the one you hold. Now is a great time to come in an hour early and leave an hour late (off the clock), demonstrating your willingness to go the extra mile in the hour of need for the company. It is tough times for business and their owners too, you know. Very scary when you as an owner have everything on the line and business is down, down and down. An employee who is cheerful, encouraging and works his butt off is greatly appreciated in times like these.
Remember, the economy may be in bad shape but not everyone will be laid off or cut. Most people will still have jobs, most people will be OK. You will be the one to survive and thrive if you keep your mind and your attitude in a positive mode. Ignoring the facts is one of the hardest things for a human to do. Remember, if you focus on the facts, you get the facts. If you focus on what you want, you get what you want. You must EXPECT your good, not just wish or want. You seldom get what you want but you always get what you expect. God is not bound by facts and neither are you; if you have the courage to free yourself from them. So practice Godliness and like God, ignore the facts and focus on what you desire to have in your life. When you do this, you are practicng Divine Law. God never lets down a true practitioner of Divine Law.
How good a user of Divine Law are you? If you want to get better, keep reading this blog and keep reading Science of Mind and Scripture.
May God bless you and keep you abundant and well.
And So It Is!
posted by Rev. Dore' Jacques Patlian at
5:12 PM
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