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"What
we demonstrate today, tomorrow and the next day, is not as important a s
the TENDENCY WHICH OUR THOUGHT IS TAKING ... the dominant attitude of
our mind. If every day things are a little better, a little
happier, a little more harmonious, a little more health-giving and
joyous; if each day we are expressing more life, we are going in the
right direction." - Dr.
Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind
Let us all be very clear on this,
CONSCIOUSNESS IS EVERYTHING. Everything that happens to us and
everything that comes to us, has come first through our consciousness.
This is the Truth and it is the truth for everyone. And no matter
what our current experience may be, this is good news, as when we
recognize that we have created what we have and who we are, we realize
that we can create something different.
This time of year our thoughts are focused on
what we are going to give other people. Giving to others gives us
a great sense of joy and just simply makes us feel good. Our gifts
are a physical acknowledgement that someone is important to us and a
valued part of our life. When we give we are expressing the nature
of God within us. God is giving-ness ... always giving. But,
we must understand that God also receives ... our praise, our gratitude,
our faith. And this giving and receiving must be accepted within
our consciousness as well.
It is important to be conscious of what
we are giving ourselves. And I don't mean something we purchase
for ourselves, but the "gifts of the spirit" that we give to
ourselves. What do we think of ourselves? Do we affirm our
self-worth by acknowledging to ourselves the good that we do? How
often do we tell ourselves that we did a good job, or that we are a
wonderful person? Many of us have been taught to be "humble'
... to speak grandly about ourselves, to us, may seem arrogant or vain.
But, this is a false idea and only serves to lead us to
self-depreciation. As I stated above, consciousness is everything
... what we think of ourselves will in due time be what others think of
us as well. If we are continually self-criticizing we create a
"thought atmosphere" that is felt by all those in our
experience. Often, I have had people tell me, "I can't
believe that so-and-so said that about me" ... but, the truth is,
what others say to us is what we say about ourselves ... in a more
subtle way. There is power in our thoughts, both negative and
positive, and this thought-energy is always creating something.
The Master Mind Jesus stated, "If I be
lifted up, I will draw all men to myself" ... but the key to this
statement is to understand, "who lifts us up first?" And
as we look at this statement, we must realize that we must lift
ourselves up ... first ... before we can lift up anyone else. We
cannot lift up others if our mind is filled with ingratitude for the
things in our life or thoughts of self-depreciation. As we give
praise, gratitude and faith to God, we must give these things to
ourselves as well.
We must have faith in ourselves ... the same
measure of faith that we have in God ... for God can only do for us,
what It can do through us. As we realize a greater measure of
faith in ourselves, we will find that our faith in God and in Life
increases tremendously. It is up to us to "give"
ourselves this faith by affirming that we have the confidence and
self-assurance to do that which we choose to do.
As we take the time each day to recognize
the Good that we do and the Good that we have given to others, we give
praise to who we are and what we are ... a living expression of Infinite
Spirit. Most of us do so many wonderful things for others, that we
oftentimes forget to recognize this as so. Our recognition of our
self-worth is necessary in order for us to build a foundation in our
consciousness that we are worthy and capable of being the person we
choose to be.
Genuine gratitude is a spontaneous
impulse within us. As we foster and nurture a deep gratitude for
the life that we have been given and our acceptance of it, our sense of
well-being is lifted up automatically. Gratitude affects our
health, our self-esteem, and most importantly our relationship to Life.
Having the awareness that both giving and receiving are within our
consciousness, creates a deeper sense of gratitude that can only
increase the Good that we give and receive.
This is the season
of gift giving and also for receiving gifts ... and it is an especially
good time for us to be more mindful of our relationship to the Greater
Life within us, our God-Consciousness ... let's praise this Life that
lives as us and for us ... let's be grateful for It ... and let's keep
faith with It ... for this is the Gift that we give to everything and
everyone in our experience, especially our self.
AND
SO IT IS!
Keep
the faith!
Rev.
Dr. Henry Lee Bates
Visit Rev. Bates BLOG: Living
the Science of Mind
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