One of the most common words used in the Bible is faith. The ancient Hebrews as they wandered in the desert and were fed by manna from heaven were told not to gather more than they needed for one day. Jesus advised his followers that they should: "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
And yet, with all this wisdom advising against it, how many of us truly don't try to plan ahead? Whether our planning is for a day or week or a month or longer, it is all too common for men and women to feel compelled to figure out what they should do and plan for future eventualities. Most of us don't feel we could move forward safely without lots of planning ahead. How could we live any other way?
Well, if the Bible and Christ Jesus are correct, there is no need for us to spend out time in an effort to plan out our future. If we live with faith in a divine, loving creator who always cares for us, we can live safely one moment at a time. A wise spiritual teacher, Mary Baker Eddy, in her book Science and Health, advises us that: "When we wait patiently on God and seek Truth righteously, He directs our path."
Human logic and mortal reasoning rebel against such a notion. The mortal dream of life seems to be infinitely complex and dangerous, and most of us wouldn't dare release control of our futures to an invisible power outside our personal senses. But could we? Do we have the spiritual faith and discipline to truly "Let go and let God?" What would a life lived on this basis be like? Certainly we would have to devote time to consciously remembering that we are being guided, guarded, and governed by God. We are going to be faced with decisions that we must act on. So, how do we turn it all over to God?
I think that if we live "in the moment," we are not asked not to take human actions, we are just asked to act when the moment demands it, and not before. For instance, if seeking employment, it would be reasonable to feel that we should do research and make applications. We are led to the moment for doing this, and there is no contradiction to following the impulse to take those actions. But once we have taken the human footsteps, we shouldn't then spend days, weeks, or months fretting over what the results will be. Living in the now demands that we release the issue into the hands of divine Love, our Father-Mother, God. If another human step is necessary, divine Mind is surely capable of putting it before us so we can act accordingly and in the proper way. We thus live each day focused only on being the most faithful follower of God we can possibly be, and we let our human lives and the paths we take be shown to us spiritually. We thus release what we believe is our control of the situation into the only hands truly able to bring us safely home.
And what a relief it is to not feel humanly responsible and burdened for the choices we face in life! To be sure, we are not shirking our responsibilities by acting in this way, for the only true responsibility we ever have is to listen for God's guidance and follow it faithfully. So if you are ready, it's never too soon to begin the glorious process of turning your life over to divine Spirit, the only God, who loves and cares for you and me and all. Just let go and trust yourself to Almighty God, Love. Peace to all.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Popular religion and the Wizard of Oz
Thanks to its yearly rebroadcast, the film, The Wizard of Oz, is familiar to generations of TV viewers. Its popularity may also stem from the message it conveys. The heroine is lost and afraid and is told that all her questions can be answered by the wonderful wizard. She must "follow the yellow brick road" facing trials and dangers to reach this wizard and his wisdom, and she must persevere if she wants to get back to her home. When she finally reaches the wizard's castle, rather than provide her with what she needs, he sends her forth on yet another seemingly impossible quest. Viewers, as well as the heroine, Dorothy, pretty soon clearly see that the wizard is really only a charlatan. The one piece of truth he has is that the salvation she seeks is within her grasp all the time. She has only to think about her home, and she is transported back there.
Too often, the dictates of popular religion are like this movie. We are told that if we do certain things, we will find our heavenly home. We are constantly advised that we must follow all sorts of twisted paths and accomplish all sorts of miraculous feats to find what we seek. And too often, even after we have faithfully followed these dictates, we find that we are still in the hellish world of mortality. Such unfulfilling results "...try men's souls" and lead many to turn from religion as false. Unfortunately, much that is associated with popular religious practice is just that - completely false. In an age where science has revealed more and more material facts that seem to contradict popular religious teachings, many are driven to agnosticism or atheism, abandoning popular religion altogether. Others turn to Eastern religions like Buddhism in hopes of finding some answers that make sense.
The real solution to this desperate need is to find "true religion" - the religion that Jesus would recognize and embrace. And unlike the fake power of the wizard in our movie, that religion does not spring from a wizard or a religious potentate or even a local preacher. As Jesus would say, true religion "...is within you."
So when we seek to find this vital Truth that will "...make us free," we need to turn away from religions which spout a worship of personalities outside our own souls. We need to listen to what Jesus taught and try to follow his teachings rather than worship his personality or his bodily presence. We need to look for the Truth of God within our hearts and our souls and cease to expect some modern-day wizard or preacher or guru to give us the answers we seek. This inner search for the Truth is possible because the answers are already within our souls. We know our connection to God and our place in his heavenly kingdom, now. We know it beyond the cellular level; we know it in the very core of our being. And when we are still and our mortal senses are silenced, we can hear the answers we need. Jesus taught us that we should "...enter into our closet(s) and shut the door." We must take him at his word. We must stop trying to find a wizard to guide us and rely on the very voice of God. We must have faith that Jesus told us the Truth - all that we need to find our heavenly home. And as we patiently and prayerfully hold his words and his example in our thoughts, we will surely find that we are back in Kansas or wherever heaven happens to be for us.
Too often, the dictates of popular religion are like this movie. We are told that if we do certain things, we will find our heavenly home. We are constantly advised that we must follow all sorts of twisted paths and accomplish all sorts of miraculous feats to find what we seek. And too often, even after we have faithfully followed these dictates, we find that we are still in the hellish world of mortality. Such unfulfilling results "...try men's souls" and lead many to turn from religion as false. Unfortunately, much that is associated with popular religious practice is just that - completely false. In an age where science has revealed more and more material facts that seem to contradict popular religious teachings, many are driven to agnosticism or atheism, abandoning popular religion altogether. Others turn to Eastern religions like Buddhism in hopes of finding some answers that make sense.
The real solution to this desperate need is to find "true religion" - the religion that Jesus would recognize and embrace. And unlike the fake power of the wizard in our movie, that religion does not spring from a wizard or a religious potentate or even a local preacher. As Jesus would say, true religion "...is within you."
So when we seek to find this vital Truth that will "...make us free," we need to turn away from religions which spout a worship of personalities outside our own souls. We need to listen to what Jesus taught and try to follow his teachings rather than worship his personality or his bodily presence. We need to look for the Truth of God within our hearts and our souls and cease to expect some modern-day wizard or preacher or guru to give us the answers we seek. This inner search for the Truth is possible because the answers are already within our souls. We know our connection to God and our place in his heavenly kingdom, now. We know it beyond the cellular level; we know it in the very core of our being. And when we are still and our mortal senses are silenced, we can hear the answers we need. Jesus taught us that we should "...enter into our closet(s) and shut the door." We must take him at his word. We must stop trying to find a wizard to guide us and rely on the very voice of God. We must have faith that Jesus told us the Truth - all that we need to find our heavenly home. And as we patiently and prayerfully hold his words and his example in our thoughts, we will surely find that we are back in Kansas or wherever heaven happens to be for us.
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