Establishing your day

It's great to begin your day grounding it in Truth. Before getting bombarded by the material senses and the duties of the day, it's good to establish what's really going on. One definition of establish is "achieve permanent acceptance or recognition for." 

I like to begin each day with a spontaneous prayer. Something like this:

"This day is Yours, God. It is filled with You, with Love! I am so grateful for Your day. I'm happy to be here. Today, I recognize that everyone is Your manifestation. Everyone is being fed and nourished by You. This day has nothing to do with a material past, with personalities, with fear, with chance, with any aspect of 'human' consciousness. This day is about divine consciousness and peace. This day is a day of Principle where everything is in perfect order. This day is a day of of Soul where creativity and beauty reign. This day only includes Good; there is no good and evil, for You fill all space. This day is unrestricted and unlimited because it is being born of You, infinite Spirit. Nothing can limit me or anyone else in Your day. Today we are free. This day is a day of pure progress from infinite to infinite. It is the one day -- the continuity of Your endless good. I am grateful to be in this day with You, loving You and expressing You. God, let me be worthy of Your day and see and manifest only the real. I'm grateful."

---

"This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it." -Psalm 118:24 (NKJV)

"To begin rightly is to end rightly." -SH 262:28

Are you calling me an alien?

If you believe that what Jesus said is true for you, then yes you are an 'alien' in this world. 

Speaking to mortal consciousness, Christ Jesus said: "You are of this world; I am not of this world." Christ Jesus "had come from God and was returning to God" (John 13:3). And before the crucifixion, when praying for his disciples (and all who followed his teachings), he said: "They are not of the world, even as I am not of it" (John 17:16).

The consciousness of Truth and Love brought to light in Jesus' realizations and teachings are not of mortal, limited or worldly consciousness. Divine consciousness has no relationship with biological or material theories, besides being their opposite.

You, as an emanation of divine Mind, are alien to thinking and living that includes limitation, fear, pain and disease. These by-products of worldly consciousness are foreign to your natural awareness. Where you come from and where you are going includes no fault, pain, accident, pressure or decay. You were born and you are destined to be present in the consciousness of complete, ever-rejuvenating Love.

You are at home, in heaven, in the consciousness of your at-one-ment with Life's wisdom, intelligence and grace. This is your homeland. You are a foreigner, an alien, anywhere else.

Bring heaven (divine consciousness) to earth (our present experience) today by seeing our home right here -- spiritual ideas and concepts as present facts.

Reality is here

I adore the oft-quoted passage in 1 Cor. 13:12. The King James Bible has it this way:

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” –1 Cor. 13:12, KJV

The Message Bible renders the same verse like this:

“We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!”

Whether we're looking "through a glass, darkly" or "squinting in a fog, peering through a mist" the point remains: reality is here, but there's a filter that's distorting or obscuring our view of it.

This is a super important point. This is what Jesus came to say -- the Kingdom of God is here, at hand. But we need to repent. We need to see things differently to experience it. Reality, heaven, harmony, health, perfection: these aren't for a later time. They aren't based on age or human circumstance. They're natural, they are now. We can understand this and break through dark glass of materialism with prevailing reality-thoughts. We can warm up the scene by reflecting Life's sweet agape and burn up the mist of doubt and dis-ease.

The reality is that life is God-made and being so, it's forever good.

We can awaken to the truth that nothing is irredeemable, we're worthy and nothing can change the harmony of being. All thought and therefore experience is from Love. God governs and it's right to yield to Love's demands and see it.

Reality is here.

 

P.S. If you're struggling today, I hope this message meets you with a tide of warm love. "...it won’t be long before the weather clears." 

Shameless audacity

Let's be BOLD with our prayers today. Demand good. Demand healing. Demand progress. Let's knock on the doors of heaven until we find entrance. Pure persistence wins.

Jesus recommended that we pray with (as the NIV translation has it) shameless audacity. 

According to Dictionary.com, "audacity" is defined as "boldness or daring, especially with confident or arrogant disregard for personal safety, conventional thought, or other restrictions."

In other translations "shameless audacity" is rendered as  "shamelessness," "shameless persistence," "sheer persistence," "impudence," or "importunity."

"Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
-Luke 11:5-13

Eternal friendship

Friendship is one of the joys of life. Like anything real, real friendship is eternal. I actually believe our relationship with every individual is a relationship of eternal friendship. There's a unique way that each of us relates that is forever beautiful.

It's rare to come across a great song about friendship. Even more rare is finding a song about pals who unite in a Christian love. This Baptist/Methodist hymn hits the mark for me. Below is a modern version of it by Sara Groves.

________________________________

Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

Before our Father’s throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one
Our comforts and our cares.

We share each other’s woes,
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.

When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.

This glorious hope revives
Our courage by the way;
While each in expectation lives,
And longs to see the day.

From sorrow, toil and pain,
And sin, we shall be free,
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity.

Words: John Faw­cett, Hymns Adapt­ed to the Cir­cum­stance of Pub­lic Wor­ship (Leeds, Eng­land: 1782). Music: Den­nis, Hans G. Nä­ge­li (1773-1836); ar­ranged by Low­ell Ma­son in The Psalt­ery, 1845 (MI­DI, score).



 

Asking nothing in return

Real love asks for nothing. It is what it is. It is giving.

“Even after all this time the Sun never says to the Earth, "You owe me." Look what happens with a love like that, it lights the whole sky.” -Hafez, 14th Century Persian Poet
"Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back." -Jesus, Luke 6:30

The blessing of missing out

Ever feel like you're missing out? Like someone or some group of people have something that you don't? Ever feel envious or jealous? No need. 

I doubt that Jesus would have walked on water if he owned a boat.

Looking back on my life, it's clear that most of my treasured moments came as a result of lacking something and relying on God instead of the comforts of matter. Experiencing the power of divine Love to care for me -- even in small ways -- has always meant the world to me.

If we seem to be missing out on something today -- whether it's joy, health, home, friends, etc -- this apparent need is a blessing in disguise. As we rely on God more deeply, we'll progress as individuals. We'll develop more compassion, selfless love, objectless calm, spiritual logic, God-hereness. These are things that remain with us regardless of what's going on and they're the basis of real health.

We can joyfully drop the 'fear of missing out' mentality. Desires and things come and go. The nature of God and our expression of God remain forever. Glimpsing this is glimpsing heaven. It's the biggest blessing of all.

 

As I Began to Love Myself

In my healing practice, I meet many people who are struggling with self-confidence. What healing comes when we stop defining ourselves as the world does - by personal opinions, memories of the past, physical bodies - and love who we really are! Each of us has a beautiful and unique way of expressing God. Let's celebrate it and love our true selves.

 

"As I Began To Love Myself" by Charlie Chaplin

As I began to love myself, I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth. Today, I know, this is Authenticity.

As I began to love myself, I understood how much it can offend somebody as I try to force my desires on this person, even though I knew the time was not right and the person was not ready for it, and even though this person was me. Today, I call it Respect.

As I began to love myself, I stopped craving for a different life, and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow. Today, I call it Maturity.

As I began to love myself, I understood that at any circumstance, I am in the right place at the right time, and everything happens at the exactly right moment, so I could be calm. Today, I call it Self-Confidence.

As I began to love myself, I quit steeling my own time, and I stopped designing huge projects for the future. Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness, things I love to do and that make my heart cheer, and I do them in my own way and in my own rhythm. Today, I call it Simplicity.

As I began to love myself, I freed myself of anything that is no good for my health - food, people, things, situations and everything that drew me down and away from myself. At first I called this attitude a healthy egoism. Today, I know it is Love of Oneself.

As I began to love myself, I quit trying to always be right, and ever since, I was wrong less of the time. Today, I discovered that is Modesty.

As I began to love myself, I refused to go on living in the past and worry about the future. Now, I only live for the moment, where Everything is happening. Today, I live each day, day by day, and I call it Fulfilment.

As I began to love myself, I recognized that my mind can disturb me and it can make me sick. But, as I connected it to my heart, my mind became a valuable ally. Today, I call this connection Wisdom of the Heart.

We no longer need to fear arguments, confrontations or any kind of problems with ourselves or others. Even stars collide, and out of their crashing new worlds are born. Today, I know... That Is Life.

The miracle of sharing

When Christ Jesus faced a crowd of four thousand people who hadn't eaten in three days, he took seven loaves of bread and a few small fish into his hands and gave thanks. Trusting God, he broke the bread and fish and passed them on. In the remote mountains where food was scarce, these starving people took their share and passed the food on. This is one of two times Jesus fed thousands when supply appeared limited. That's the miracle most see here and rightfully so. 

Today, I'm inspired by this miracle: these starving families had nothing to eat for three days and then with little food, they shared.

Where in your life today does there seem to be a deficiency? Are you hungry for love? Patience? Connection? Generosity? Has it been days since you've taken in deep inspiration or experienced complete health? What about thinking about this miracle story and affirming that right where lacks appears to be, the Christ is feeding you, satisfying you. The power of Love is fully present multiplying your awareness of good. Eat of that truth until you feel nourished. And here's the kicker: share that feeling/knowing/care.

Not only do I have sufficient love, patience, health, inspiration, benevolence, spiritual understanding - my daily bread - but I can share these God-qualities and see that they are nourishing, filling, satisfying everyone I encounter too. 

Love multiplies in our awareness and experience as we give it away. So share. Take part in the miracle of sharing today. Sharing is great. 

 

Flip the script

No matter how much evil is going on the best reaction is not judgment, hatred or revenge. The best reaction is to flip the script, do the unexpected and love. Regardless of the affront, the outside-picture, the questions throw at you, the answer is always love. Love heals. Love restores. Love wins because love is actually the basis of life.

This hour-long podcast is extraordinary. A must-listen. It's the best secular illustration of Jesus' love-your-enemies teaching that I've heard in a long time. 

LISTEN TO Invisibilia's "Flip the script" podcast.

Prayer is evidence of God

Prayer is the voicing of beautiful, true thought. Prayer is the desire or intention for good. Prayer is asserting and utilizing Life's law of harmony. Prayer is knowing and feeling our unbreakable oneness with Love. Prayer eases the heart and heals mind and body. Prayer begins with God and is expressed in us -- prayer is actually proof of God at work in our lives. I love how Helen Wood Bauman, a long-time editor of The Christian Science Journal, once put it:

"The very impulse to turn to God in prayer illustrates the incessant motion of divine law, uniting Mind and its expression in the infinite purposes of good. True prayer originates in God, not in self, and is inseparable from the one infinite Mind, the Principle of all that is true. Both prayer and answer, desire and fulfillment, evidence the presence and power of one all-inclusive God, good."

Here's the whole article: "Prayer and law" (1948) by Helen Wood Bauman.

Let's pray joyously, intuitively, consistently throughout the day. Prayer is evidence of God developing our character and expanding our awareness of love and health. Let prayer happen and let prayer heal.

Thoughts on Love

A beautiful poem for you:

From the May 9, 1903 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel

LOVE is the sweetness of a life hid with Christ in God.
Love is the ripened fruit of spiritual manhood and womanhood.
Love is active, positive, not negative or passive.
Love is the center and circumference of being.
Love is the practice of prayer.
Love germinates in the soil of self-forgetfulness, self-sacrifice, and humility.
Love realized, is heaven come to earth.

-WILLIAM H. RUSSELL