[As Seen in the Huffington Post] Dear Pope Francis,
Every single day before communion, millions of Christians verbally declare one of the most destructive phrases in human history. On Sunday, it’s tens of millions if not a half billion of the over one billion Catholic Christians worldwide—and not without repercussions.
In the Bible, a Centurion soldier relates, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof…” (Matthew 8:8) before recounting the inner workings of the blindness found in patriarchal hierarchies and slavery that exists to this day.
Applying religious context, what’s important for Christians to note is that the soldier uttered the phrase pre-salvation. An unsaved (ignorant) man sharing his feelings and a religion demanding a billion saved Christians repeat the phrase daily post-salvation are entirely two different matters.
Dialogue and constructs that perpetuate “I am not worthy” are the root of all evil behavior. It is divisiveness personified. By believing we are not worthy, we open the door for the mistreatment of ourselves and the mistreatment of others as we seek to assuage the psychological pain the false belief imparts.
The guilt of unworthiness calls for us to judge ourselves and to judge others just as harshly. We cower within power-over structures or worse; we attempt to control others in our imagined superiority. The insanity continues as inferiority complexes pursue power and wealth as outward substitutes for what Jesus, Buddha, and many other saints and sages have said can only come from within.
Tacking on “but only say the word and my soul shall be healed” is not enough. Jesus did say the Word. Yet, Christianity along with many other religions, continue to shove a dagger of inequality into the hearts of those the religious community is supposed to be serving. Where is the healing?
Daily we see the emotional pain of inner self-hatred projected into the world through acts of violence. This behavior originates from feeling disconnected, powerlessness, and being undervalued―none of which are a reality. A false belief in unworthiness contributes to drug and alcohol abuse and deviant behavior. Many continue to leave religion as they seek more positive and supportive environments elsewhere.
It’s really a sustainability issue. Negative reinforcement is not the answer to dwindling faith. The renewal of hope and joyful living are found by reconnecting with the goodness within one another, our bountiful Earth and all of Creation, which is God. The sooner we speak of our goodness; the sooner we can truly unify as a people. Then faith isn’t even required—we become the living Word.
It’s time for a mass healing. I implore you to call for an end to the religious ritual of the declaration of unworthiness. As children of God, we are equally worthy—even the “ignorant.” I think deep down in your heart; you know this to be true. Lead the way and others will follow.
Healed, we can finally turn in service to one another instead of exploitation as so many already have. Then maybe, just maybe, we can all work together cooperatively to create a peaceful and harmonious world.
That’s what love would do.
Eternally,
Christine Horner
You simply do not understand. The phrase is spoken as a sign of
humility, not self-denigration. It is spoken to signify the distance
between we sinful humans and God. It is a worship moment, not a
life statement. And, it certainly does not mean that I think others
are unworthy. Sorry you missed the point of it all. But, it did give
you a headline on the internet.
Dear Rev. Fischer,
I do understand. Is there not a better way to do so than through self-denigration? In Matthew 7 Jesus says we are not to judge, that includes ourselves. Beliefs are very powerful as he states in 8:13, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” How about reciting, “Thank you that in remembrance that you are worthy, I am also worthy. I know I am dearly loved.” And you are you… Love, Christine
No, Christine, you do not understand. You are still equating “humility” with “self-denigration”. As Rev. Fischer pointed out above, the two are not necessarily the same. You seem to cherry-pick verses from the Scriptures, and the ones that you do cherry pick, you twist their meanings. But as far as click-bait goes, it worked.
Jesus also says in Matthew 7 (verse 24 specifically) “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment”. So yes, we can judge, not in an eternal sense as that belongs to Him alone as He is God; but we can judge others actions, including our own. This is why you might remember seeing “examinations of consciences” from when you professed the Catholic Christian faith. We examine ourselves and make a judgement: we have sinned against God, we’ve hurt that relationship between us by our actions. And by making that examination we petition God for forgiveness so that we may be received back into full communion with Him, and make a firm amendment to not wander from His love again.
You’ve also taken Matthew 8:13 out of context, just as you have the entire passage as it regards to our article. Did you not read what immediately preceded Jesus’ words? The miracle didn’t happen because the centurion was “Creation itself” as you claim all human beings are in accord with the pantheistic reasoning you espouse, but because he had faith in Christ. it was because he had faith that Jesus was sent by God; that Jesus WAS God:
“When Jesus heard him [the centurion], he marveled, and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
Faith in what? Belief in what? The centurion didn’t have this in himself, for he was merely human and humans cannot heal the paralyzed no matter how hard they want it to be so. The centurion’s belief and faith was in Christ Jesus. He believed that Jesus could heal his servant, because He was sent from God… because He WAS God. That’s why the centurion’s faith is extraordinary. Even Jesus’ own countrymen (the Jews) didn’t have faith in Him. This faith, this belief in Jesus, is what made said belief so powerful that it resulted in the healing of the servant. We see similar acts of faith happening throughout the Gospels, but not in the way you have written above, Christine.
I truly lament the fact that you have bought into the pantheistic understanding of God and all the new-age beliefs that come with it. You get some things right in your writings; God is everywhere, but He is a simple being, and is not composed of parts. If God is one with the universe, if they are one in the same, then your god is limited in space since the pantheistic god is “one with the material world”. You left the Catholic Church which proclaims to be the Body of Christ. We are all one in Christ, indeed, but that doesn’t mean we lose ourselves in some ocean and become absorbed into “the One”.
You say that your religion is “love”. How can that be? Love cannot exist without persons. Love is a relationship between two persons. If you don’t believe that God is a person, how can love be there? God is not an immaterial force; He has revealed Himself in three divine Persons. That is, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. You can’t have a loving relationship with a force; you have a relationship with a person. That’s why through our common baptism that we share, we can call ourselves adopted sons and daughters of God. He loves us as a Daddy, i.e. ABBA!
I know you have been through many hardships in your life, but you have come to some wrong conclusions about God’s role in our lives. I pray that you come back to know Him as a Person through the Church He founded, and until you do, you won’t be able to realize why your entire article is in error. Your pantheistic beliefs are what keep you from understanding why we say we are not worthy before we receive the Eucharist. In the same way one spouse has deeply hurt the other spouse (damaging the relationship), we beg God’s forgiveness by saying “We are not worthy of this unconditional love you give to us! Look at the things I have done! But if you only say so, I will be healed and reconciled with you”. But as the spouse that unconditionally loves the other spouse does, God says to us when we acknowledge our shortcomings “You are sorry, thus you are forgiven. Come, the banquet is ready. I still love you, and always will love you. Let us commune with each other in love.”
Dear Bob, thank you for your lengthy reply and for your love. I see God everywhere I look. I’ve had out of body experiences and I found God there, too. God is both form and formlessness. God’s love is unconditional. Period. Humans can’t comprehend it so they muck it up with their own interpretations that well fall short of reality. I’ve gone within as Jesus said to do. I found God there and we’ve never stopped communing. Once one resides in a state of unity consciousness (Christ Consciousness) with all that is, all the nonsense rooted in separation consciousness is seen as part of the veil, including ritual. Would you ever tell your child to look into your eyes every single day and tell you he is not worthy? Neither would God. Much love to you. Love, Christine
“Dear Bob, thank you for your lengthy reply and for your love.”
You’re welcome. You certainly are loved, and you are loved as a sister, as as we are both siblings adopted by God through the common baptism we share. Many comments in response to your article have not been made in Christian love, and for that I apologize. We are called to declare the Truth, but we must do so with charity. Sometimes we forget this. I apologize also if my reply here, too, is lengthy; but I believe that dialogue is important, and we must come to understand each other more deeply. I am curious about why you hold your current outlook on God and why you reject the Church today.
“I see God everywhere I look.”
So do I! God is Being itself. God indeed is everywhere in His creation. However, it seems that we understand this much differently. You identify God with created matter. But the fact is, God co-exists with that matter, i.e., the beings that have been created. Much like how a current of electricity occupies the same space as a solid copper wire; it’s obvious that mutual presence does not make the copper wire one with the electricity. God’s presence everywhere doesn’t make created things part of God.
“I’ve had out of body experiences and I found God there, too. God is both form and formlessness.”
I’d love to hear in detail more about your experiences. And I also agree with you that God has form and is yet formlessness. But how do you understand this, Christine? The way Christians the world over understand this, is that God has no body; He is immaterial, unchangeable and pure spirit. However, we know that Jesus, who is God, became incarnate and took the form and nature of a human. This is why Christians everywhere can accurately proclaim that Jesus “is true God and true man”, and since Jesus is God, “He is begotten, not made”, which keeps in line with the fact that God’s nature is unchangeable. Christians have believed this for centuries, that God is formless and pure spirit. But note that God is not a mysterious, impersonal force made of many different components. A “spirit” can also be a person. God’s formlessness (and “form” in Christ Jesus) isn’t a new concept, nor is it foreign to Christian thinking, as you can see in the article here: http://www.catholic.com/tracts/god-has-no-body
“God’s love is unconditional. Period.”
I absolutely agree. What Christian wouldn’t agree with this statement? So who are the people “mucking it up”? Christians? I would argue no. What is the “reality” you speak of? I ask again, if you do not believe that God is a person, how can you have a loving relationship with a non-person?
“I’ve gone within as Jesus said to do.”
Where did He say this? How have you interpreted whichever Scripture verse you are quoting in light of the context of the surrounding verses in Christian teaching? Do you read the Scriptures in light of the teaching of the Church, or in the light of the teaching of those such as Deepak Chopra?
“I found God there and we’ve never stopped communing.”
How so? If we follow the pantheism you appear to espouse to its logical conclusion, we have a problem. That is, if created matter is a PART or a component of God (you and me, for instance), then this makes you God. Therefore you are not communing with a specific divine Person, you have turned inward and are communicating with yourself. To me, this sounds very prideful; that you would call yourself God and embrace a selfishness that communes only with yourself. When I have the opportunity to go to Mass (especially daily Mass), I’m encountering God in a much more complete way than you ever could by turning inward to this “self-communication”. I commune and encounter God as a Person in His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. What greater relationship is there than that?
“Once one resides in a state of unity consciousness (Christ Consciousness)…”
How do these two forms of “Consciousness” apply to Christians? I’d argue that “Christ Consciousness” on its face is contradictory to anything Jesus Christ would’ve taught, as I’ve heard it described as “a level of awareness where you no longer see error in any action that you do or in any other human being”. Jesus never spoke like this, and it’s disingenuous to connect His Name to this type of “unity consciousness”. So do you accuse Christians, especially Catholic Christians in the practice of the Sacraments, to be engaging in “nonsense rooted in separation consciousness”? If so, you are confused. In “separation consciousness”, one is supposed to feel alone and useless; that no on can help and we’re on our own, right?. Apply it to say, atheists, all you want. But no Christian feels this way, Christine. We know, I KNOW, that God is with us, and we are never alone, because through Him, we can do all things.
“Would you ever tell your child to look into your eyes every single day and tell you he is not worthy?”
Perhaps, if he needed to be, in order to recognize his faults so our relationship could be repaired from a wrongdoing. But I wouldn’t say it in the way you’ve described, and by comparison, we say this to God of our own volition. You make it as if the prayer before receiving the Eucharist is a mandate from God, but no, it’s crafted by men who are humbly imploring God’s mercy.
You’re still missing the point of declaring our unworthiness before receiving our Lord in the Eucharist, Christine. Let’s take your example further. My son takes out the car. I tell him not to be reckless while he’s out. He is reckless and crashes the car. Because by his actions, he disobeyed me and damaged the trust I had in him, I punish him by telling him he cannot take the car out for a time. It’s not usually said in common parlance, but it’d be accurate to say that my son is no longer worthy to take the car out. He is not worthy of my trust until he makes a firm purpose of amendment and rectifies the situation. Now I don’t love him any less; he could be a mass murderer and I would still love him because my love for him is unconditional. Now let’s say he apologizes. He says he was a moron, an idiot for doing what he did, but he wants to fix our relationship so that I can deem him worthy of taking the car out again. I forgive him and tell him, “Yea, you were pretty stupid. But that’s nothing now. I have forgiven you, I love you. Our relationship is healed.” And if he fails by wrecking the car again, the cycle repeats. And again, and again. Humans might get tired of this constant forgiving and healing… but God doesn’t because His mercy is infinite. We are unworthy because we are sinful creatures, but when God forgives our sins, He forgets them; we are healed and made totally clean! Do you remember that from the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Our sins aren’t simply “covered”, they are wiped clean away and since “He has said the word” we, in our relationship with Him, are “healed”.
It’s the same with the married couple I talked about in my previous reply. If a husband continually cheats on his wife, and his wife remains faithful to him despite all his affairs… is it fair to say the husband is worthy of the wife’s love? Of course not! The wife deserves someone who will be faithful to her and her alone. However, the wife has declared unconditional love for her husband. It doesn’t matter if her husband is worthy or not of her own love and faithfulness. All she wants is her husband to stop being unfaithful, and to reconcile the relationship. So when the husband comes to his senses, he’s right in saying, “I have been a fool! Please, forgive me! I’m not worthy to be your spouse because of the horrible things I’ve done to you! I am so sorry!” And the wife who truly has unconditional love for her husband accepts this apology by saying, “You hurt me by your actions. But you’ve opened yourself up to me and declared how negligent you were in your duties as a husband. But I love you so much, i forgive you, so that our relationship might be healed!”
This is what God does with us when we receive the Eucharist, which if you remember, remits venial sins. God doesn’t want us to just “look him in the eye” and tell Him we’re unworthy; He wants us to recognize our faults (just like I would my own son), ask for forgiveness and healing of our own accord, and be in full communion with Him again. This is what you have missed in your article.
Yes, this reply is lengthy, but I hope you can at the very least reflect on what I’ve written, and come to a better understanding of why we bow down before God in humility. God Bless.
Bob
Dear Bob,
I, too, bow down before God in humility. Humility means gratitude. As God is infinite and all-loving, there are an infinite number of ways to get here, no two journeys the same. I’m happy to meet you here and to share God’s love with you. Peace be with you, Christine
“O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand” – St Francis of Assisi
Fr. David, as a Catholic who struggled with this article, I’d like to ask you a question: Before bluntly telling Christine that she doesn’t understand, did you try to understand her, and her points?
Could you possibly direct me to the passages Jesus states ‘to those that seek answers, seem to be struggling, degenerate them and above all give them a snarky response.’ Maybe this was taught in Seminary? If so, some of the kindest Priests I have ever known must have failed that course, although one or two may have attended with you, sadly.
A strong hand reaching out – a kind word, is that too much to ask of a theologian? At the very least, a link to the 2010 Liturgy changes which may explain what is difficult in a comment?
As a nurse, I was able to find this easily on the net.
All I see, a woman who is struggling with some aspect of faith, organized religion. Maybe she should have done some research, asked a Priest.
I also see, a woman who seems genuinely sweet, simple, and without malice or some ulterior motive.
With all the hatred, prejudice, vitriol we hear & see daily, do we really need to add more?
May you find peace & happiness in your retirement.
Sincerely an Atheist.
Dear La Shaw,
“I am not worthy” is hatred and prejudice personified. It doesn’t require a scholar to know that Jesus and God are unconditional love. This message was made clear (and is the entire message) so that even a child could understand. Anything less is man mucking it up for his own purposes. Let us hold onto unconditional love and never speak of anything less, shall we? How could a perfect child of God ever not be worthy? The false belief is part of the veil which is lifting. Thank you for your thoughtful note. You are dearly loved.
Love,
Christine
Christine. You are wrong – you are not credentialed to dissect liturgy. Neither that I, but I understand that the Church has the authority to implement changes.
Btw. How much does HuffPost pay for 500 words? Just curious?
Hi, Deanna, Ha! do you have an article brewing in you? Sorry to tell you unless you are part of their staff, contributors write for the love of it. You can submit an article. If they like it, they’ll give you a login account. It took me several tries. You know, we’re all credentialed to search our hearts and ask if something feels right (discernment). Humility is valid but is the approach more destructive than constructive? I would never demand my child stand in front of me and tell me he is unworthy on a daily basis. I think it might put a damper on his Spirit. I don’t think God would either. But, to those it gives comfort to, enjoy! Thank you for your thoughtful comment. You are dearly loved. Love, Christine
The Church only has the authority we give it
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and reflections, Christine.
Out of curiosity, when’s the last time you attended a Catholic Mass?
Dear Trevor, may your curiosity extend to God’s love, given as a gift… Peace and blessings, Christine
05/06/2017 Thank you for writing about the use of that unfortunate phrase that is said during the Mass. When I was young I desired to read the words of the Mass in English instead of listening to the Latin words which I did not understand. If I could go back in time, I would never have read the Mass in English. It seems ironic that when I started reading the English translation of the Mass, my intention was to learn more about God. Instead I unwittingly programmed myself to believe something that is not true and has caused me great anguish over the years.
I was reading Brené Brown’s book, The Gifts of Imperfection, when I read “only one thing separated men and women who felt a deep sense of love and belonging from the people who seem to be struggling for it. That one thing is the belief in their WORTHINESS.” (Page 23 of the softcover edition of the book.)
It is my choice to type the word WORTHINESS is all capitals. When I read the above the concept being worthy was such a foreign concept to me that I had to put her book down. I had to think about the fact that I AM WORTHY. That is such a sad commentary of my life, and the lives of others who do not realize that they are worthy.
One morning recently I woke up thinking, “I am not worthy, I am not worthy…” While I was sleeping a repressed memory came up, and triggered the words with “not”. I was horrified. The repressed memory was bad enough, but to wake up with those words being my first thoughts was extremely upsetting to me.
I have been diagnosed as being bipolar one, mixed, and while my countless attempts to comment suicide might be part of being bipolar, I deeply regret being Catholic. I also wish I had never had 13 years of Catholic Education. I often wonder why I chose to be born to parents who were such strict Catholics.
I would like to believe that I was not in my right mind when I choose to be born into this family. I have studied A Course in Miracles and I believe Lesson 5 from the Workbook for Students: “I am never upset for the reason I think.” can be logically interrupted as “I never do anything for the reason I think.” All I can say is that I don’t know why my soul choose for me to live this life. I have often wished my life had been different. On the other hand, it was because my life has been so difficult that I have worked so hard to change my beliefs and myself.
I believe that we are all a cell of God, which makes us have the same qualities of God. Those qualities include being Divine, and worthy. I have spent most if not all of my adult life trying to improve myself, and the last 30 years I have spent studying metaphysics. I confess it took me awhile to understand what metaphysics meant. “Meta” refers to God. Physics is the study of the unseen forces on the earth such as gravity, magnetism, wind, etc. So metaphysics is the study of the unseen (i.e. unknown) laws of God.
I still have a lot to learn. Someone asked me why it is taken me so long to get to where I now am. It is unfortunate that I had so much to unlearn. The first sentence of Lesson 25 (ACIM) states “Purpose is meaning.” I now realize that God has a multitude of unseen purposes for everything. So basically all I can say is that I don’t know the purpose so I can’t give meaning.
Remember you are loved, you are lovable, you are loving. God created you worthy. God loves you and everybody else unconditionally. Have a fun and joyous lifetime and a great day. Remember that everything happens in Divine Order.
I added that last sentence because when I get upset about something, when I extend the above blessing, when I get to that last line, “Everything is in Divine Order” it is a very important reminder to me God is in control of the timing, and all is right in my world.
Peace. Joy. Love.
Terry, you are beautiful! You and I took the “fast lane” to waking up. (I even asked for it over ten years ago–out loud!) Thank you for sharing your beautiful story. It’s all love, including you. Creation’s mechanism of perpetuity…forever and ever without end. Love, Christine
05/07/2017 I took a closer look at the comments made by others, and I feel that there is a huge difference between religion and metaphysics. A difference that is frequently overlooked. One such difference pertains to the Law of Attraction. The Law of Attraction states that what you give your attention to, wanted or unwanted, is what you are attracting to yourself. In other words God does not hear “I DON’T want. . .” God only responds to what we are giving our attention to.
There are a group of Non-Physical Souls, called Abraham, who send blocks of thought to Esther Hicks. Esther then translates those blocks of thought into words. Esther gives about sixty seminars a year. Recordings are made of what is said, and one can pay to have a copy of the words as they were said.
If one goes to youtube.com and enters Esther’s name, or Abraham or Esther and Jerry Hicks (her husband died a few years back) you will get some very interesting excerpts from the seminars. Some actually show Esther speaking for Abraham (these are filmed by Abraham Hicks Publications.) The others, with a wide variety of pictures, are excerpts taken from a recording. Consequently there are a lot of video’s posted on youtube.com.
It is my belief (and I am not asking anyone else to believe me) that the Abraham material is the best material available at this time. If anyone is interested they can receive sign up for daily e-mail from Abraham-Hicks Publications.
Most people believe that because our thoughts are not spoken out loud, that it doesn’t matter what we think. We think since our thoughts are not said out loud, then our thoughts do not make a difference. That’s not exactly true. When we give our attention to a given thought, then the Law of Attraction brings more thoughts of the same nature. Abraham also teaches that a belief is something we have thought consistently. So by giving our attention to something more and more it becomes a belief.
We tend to forget that God hears our thoughts and he responds to our thoughts as well just as much or possibly even more to what we say and do. By constant repetition of the words concerning “not worthy” that are said during the Mass, we are indeed programming our self to feel unworthy.
The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States last November really brought home to me the teachings of Abraham. I should include Abraham’s explanation that when you know what you don’t want, then you can decide what it is that you do want, and start giving your attention to what you do want. It is or should be a simple process of switching our attention to what we do want.
When Trump was elected President, I was curious as to what Abraham had to say. It was actually a comment made about President Bush that clarified my thinking. Abraham said that as a result of so many people NOT wanting George W. Bush to be elected for a second term, that helped elect George W. Bush to a second term.
That comment helped me to understand that my thoughts about Donald Trump had helped elect him President. I also realized that with my thoughts, I had also helped other politicians be elected.
There is a saying in advertising, that basically says it doesn’t matter what you think about my product (or me), just get the name right. I probably don’t have the exact words, but I think that statement helps illustrate the election results. By giving my attention to what I DON’T want, then my thoughts are always helping someone or something. This principal explains why the War on Drugs doesn’t work. We are giving our attention to there being too many drugs, and therefore we attract more drugs.
On a personal note, I finally realized that my thoughts, words, and actions were the cause of my almost losing the right to use the Lift. (For those of you who don’t know what the “Lift” is, it is special vehicles that provide transportation for those so disabled that they are unable to use a regular bus.) I have had some physical problems that have settled mostly in my left leg. I have difficulty lifting my left leg. I can walk. My perception is that climbing stairs is difficult. (I do have to be careful what I say. I intend to get well, and by using the word “perception” it is my intention to suggest that what I “perceive” is not necessary permanent.)
I have used the Lift for some time now. I am tall, and Sun Metro Lift uses small vans. I’m about tall as those small vans when I stand next to them. In order to get inside I am unable to stand up straight and simply walk in, I have to bend over. The first time I attempted to get inside one of those small vans I hit my head. (Using one of the large Lifts, I step on a ramp, and it takes me up to the inside of the lift, where I can simply walk into the Lift. When I am ready to leave, I simply stand up from my seat, and use my walker to go to the ramp, where I am lowered to the ground level.
For a while I refused to use the small van. I did not feel reassured when I was told that when I sat down there was plenty of space. Instead I gave my attention to the fact that I had hit my head the first time I attempted to get in a small van, and the fact that I could not stand up straight when I stood up. In other words I had to walk out bent over the walker. I didn’t like walking bent over. I think it made me feel crippled, and I didn’t want to accept that thought. I did not consider the fact that I only had to walk bent over far enough to get out of the van. So I refused to use the small vans.
Then I received a letter telling me that I was close to being suspended from using the Lift. I wrote not one, but two e-mails to different people explaining my problem. (Thus I was giving even more attention to what I did NOT want.) I received no reply from either one of the e-mails I sent.
Fortunately for me, it was about then that Trump was elected President, and I listened to the words that Abraham had said about how George W. Bush was elected because so many people did NOT want him elected to a second term.
That comment helped me understand that the more I thought about and objected to using the small vans, that I had attracted the notice of possible suspension. The next time a small van came to pick me up, I knew I had a choice. I could refuse to get in it, which meant that I would have no transportation. Or, I could bend over getting in and out of the van. So I choose to bend over getting in and out of the van. The alternative of having no transportation (other than by ambulance) didn’t appeal to me.
On page 28 of the Text of A Course in Miracles, there are 5 lines that I had memorized. (We did read them before every group discussion.) When I originally memorized the following lines, I did not remember the word “only” in the first line. The actual words in the book are:
I am here only to be truly helpful.
I am here to represent Him Who sent me.
I do not have to worry about what to say or do, because He Who sent me will direct me.
I am content to be wherever He wishes, knowing He goes there with me.
I will be healed as I let Him teach me to heal.
I will be truthful. I had some difficulty accepting these statements, especially the 4th one. Every time I was admitted to a psychiatric hospital or ward, some part of me was saying, “Lord, what am I going here? Is this really necessary?” (It should be noted that God is everywhere, so He wasn’t ‘going with me” since He is everywhere. He is always with me.)
I did put the last line in the present tense, because the future never arrives. (When tomorrow becomes today, there is always another tomorrow. Actually our prayers are more effective if we say, “Thank you God for…” rather than “Lord, please give me…”.)
When I finally realized the power of my thoughts—helping elect politicians, almost losing the right to use the Lift–I suddenly realized that my negative thoughts were helping perpetuate every single event that I gave a lot of attention to. I’m not saying that we can’t have any negative thoughts. In fact, I have noticed that most people, myself included, seem to have a strong need to talk about a negative situation that has bothered them before they switch to thinking and talking about what is wanted.
During my life I had complained and expressed my opinion that someone was not doing a good job of many different things such as teaching. I now realize that my negative thoughts and comments actually HELPED that person do a better job of teaching and thus they were more successful than if I had not given them and their actions any attention. Without realizing it, I was sending them energy which was transformed by God into help.
So yes, I am here ONLY to be truly helpful. Most thoughts, words, and actions do help others, even if we are not aware of helping them. If you stop and think about it, one of the reasons we have so many negative thoughts, is that the first word a child hears over and over again is “NO.”
Before you can change something you don’t like, you first have to become aware of your thoughts and words.
I have not always immediately changed my thoughts and words to what I want. I never realized how negative my thoughts and words were. Several months after the election I am still in the process of realizing when I have negative thoughts or I have spoken negative words. Tthe next step is to turn those negative thoughts or words around, so that I am giving my attention to what I want. I regret to say that this process is not as easy as I expected. I had become addicted to thinking and saying negative words. Like all addictions, it takes time to reverse the situation. I also have to figure out what it is that I actually want. I didn’t expect that to take so much work.
It is my hope and prayer that by sharing the above that others will at least consider the possibility that their negative thoughts and words may be creating or attracting events they do not want. I hope they at least try changing the focus of their thoughts, words, and actions in one or more areas of their life. I believe that they will be pleasantly surprised.
Abraham also teaches that we do not have instant manifestation. So thinking of something only once or just a few times does not necessarily bring what we thought about into our life.
Neville Goddard teaches the importance of using our imagination. Years ago there was a study that took some young boys, and put them in three groups. The first group were told to do whatever they wanted during the designated hour. The second group was told to practice shooting a basketball into the hoop. The third group was told to imagine that they were shooting the basketball. I don’t remember how long the boys did this. The results were interesting, to say the least. The first group of boys–who in all probability did little or no practicing, did not improve at all. Most people would expect the second group, those who actually practiced to improve the most. That was not the case. You see when the third group imagined shooting the ball, then imagined the ball going through the hoop. Therefore they were reinforcing positive results. The second group, unfortunately didn’t always manage to get the ball to go through the hoop. So they gave their attention to when the missed. And by doing so, they attracted more misses.
Neville Goddard also writes about the importance of using your imagination to include how you expect to feel when you receive or accomplish what you are imagining you will do.
Mike Dooley (tut.com) has shared an interesting story a lady told him. She decided on her dream car. She started noticing more and more of those cars around her, including one in the driveway of the house next door. Then she was in a car accident. By now you should be expecting this–the car that hit her was the model of her dream car. She never thought to imagine herself in the car of her dreams. When you imagine something, be sure to include yourself, and if it is something you can get in, be sure to imagine yourself inside. Imagine how you will use whatever. Be creative. You can even imagine someone telling you what a wonderful job you are doing. (Mike Dooley successfully used this last method when he thought he might be fired.)
Personally I like to add “this or something better”. I don’t want to limit God’s limitless abundance and I don’t want to tell God exactly what to do. God certainly knows more than I do, and it is my intention to allow God to come up with something better than I asked for.
You don’t have to agree with me. I hope that you at least try this on one or two things before you completely disagree with me. You probably won’t see an immediate change. It does take time to change a habit. If you really make an effort, I believe that you will be pleasantly surprised.
Peace. Joy. Love.
What an amazing share, Terry. Thank you for your gift. Yes, what we resist persists. In other words, unconditional love is the crucible of change when we get out of the way. So beautiful we can rest in God’s care knowing that the highest and best for all of Creation is assured–even if sometimes the medicine doesn’t taste so good! Ha! Much love to you!