A Sunday School teacher once told me a story I've never forgotten. It was about how hunters captured monkeys in the jungle. The trappers would simply put a banana in a jar with a narrow mouth. They would then tie the jar to a tree and wait. Soon enough, a monkey would come along and see the banana in the jar. The monkey could squeeze his hand into the jar to grab the banana, but as he gripped the banana with his fist, his hand could not fit through the mouth of the jar, leaving him trapped to the jar and the tree. It was a simple matter for the trappers to come and scoop him up.
The obvious moral of the story is that if the monkey had enough sense to just let go of the banana, he could have easily withdrawn his hand and escaped. It was only his own stupidity and stubborn attitude that left him trapped.
Sadly, people are often guilty of the same type behavior. No, we may not realize that it is within our power to let go of something and be free, but we are. Whether we are clutching sickness, poverty, depression, or hopelessness, the story applies. Mortal mind, aka. human reasoning, would argue that these things are imposed on us by forces and circumstances beyond our control - a weak body, bad genes, an economic downturn, failure in a relationship, and on and on. We are educated from birth to believe that we live in an objective state of being and that there is scientific proof that something outside our control has had a negative effect on our well-being. If you believe this, you are certainly in the majority. But is it really true?
The science of physics has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, that, in fact, we do not live in an objective state, but a subjective one. The experimenter's thoughts and attitudes directly affect the results of his experiments. Google the terms placebo and nocebo and read what you find there.
So, what if our attitudes and beliefs are truly a part, maybe even the whole, of our experience? That means that if we are suffering humanly, that suffering is in fact a product of our thoughts, our attitudes, our beliefs. And if we can change those thoughts, we can change our experience. Too often, though, just like our friends the monkeys, we are so fixated on having that banana, that we are not about to let it go, even if that simple action would free us.
Ask yourself, do I wholeheartedly believe that some problem is real and truly a part of my life? Do I refer to "my cancer" or "my evil boss" or even "my horrible life?" If you do, then stop and consider how much you want those negative things. Are you tired enough of them to let them go? Could you begin to think differently about yourself if you knew it would bring healing to your life? Even if you're not convinced and certain of this, would it not be worth a little effort to try? In speaking of healing, the Master Christian, Jesus Christ, tells us that we should, "...know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." If this Truth is that we are always held in God's loving arms - never hurt, never sick, never threatened - and if knowing this will free us from the human circumstances that say we are, shouldn't we listen to him?
Whether you believe this premise or not, surely we can all agree that thinking positively and expecting goodness is a better way to live than thinking negatively and expecting evil. So, start each day by reminding yourself that you are Love's expression. Remember that all through the day. Fight any suggestion to see and believe in sin, sickness, or death. You will find comfort and healing in proportion to how sincerely you hold onto these loving thoughts. Healing in this way happens every day. Don't be a silly monkey and refuse to let go of that mortal banana. Peace.
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Let me clarify a couple of sentences in the blog. They read: "That means that if we are suffering humanly, that suffering is in fact a product of our thoughts, our attitudes, our beliefs. And if we can change those thoughts, we can change our experience."
ReplyDeleteWhile ultimately we are the primary contributors to our mental landscape, humanly, we are also subject to the overwhelming preponderance of thought generated by the rest of mankind. Simply believing we are going to get sick is not the only reason we become ill, but those who believe they will get sick, have a greater chance of seeing that belief come true. Also, those who believe that they won't get sick, sometimes do because their belief in their immunity was not total.
We can protect ourselves and ward off such illnesses, but only if we maintain constant spiritual awareness of our real being as Love's perfect expressions. If we can do this with every fiber of our being, then we will be protected. But if there's even a tiny amount of doubt, we put ourselves at risk from the world's belief that a certain number of people will become ill.
So, ultimately, the secret is to lift our lives up in prayer and meditation and gratitude to our heavenly Father-Mother God each and every moment. As the Bible has it, "Pray without ceasing." At the very least, watch what you allow to dwell in your thoughts and correct with Truth anything that promotes error. Peace.