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MANY YEARS ago a struggling young artist in Paris was so poor that he could not buy a canvas on which to paint.
Walking along the quays one day, he saw that an old painting of Napoleon III was for sale for a few sous. He bought
it thinking he could remove the painting and use the canvas for his own work. As he cleaned off the surface paint,
to his amazement he found another picture underneath. Examining it closely, he thought it looked like a fine Corot.
Immediately he sought out experts, who verified that the painting was indeed a genuine Corot. His days of poverty
were instantly over. His financial future was assured.
The story, told by Emmet Fox, is metaphorical of the nature of human beings. At the surface of life many people
present imperfect images: lack, in harmony, limitation, and disease. These are the overlays resulting from past
experiences and the opinions and beliefs of both individual and collective consciousness, which people have accepted.
Our work in Religious Science consists of one basic purpose: to wipe away the false images and erroneous concepts
of life which have been accepted as essential, real, and therefore a permanent condition. Underneath this overlay
of human perception is the true and beautiful inner Being that has always been present.
Begin to remove these negative overlays and find your true nature. Ask yourself: “How do I define
myself?”
Much of the time we allow the world's opinions and beliefs to define us. No matter how hoary with age these
views may be, the fact is we are permitting others to define our lives, natures, tend often our future — and sometimes
our past. Then we become victims of these views. And because of that, we often believe we are puny, limited, little
beings who cannot expect much from life.
In actuality, it is as if we were hibernating superbeings in need of being awakened. How is that accomplished?
Through the force and power of That which created us, but which is temporarily covered up and therefore inhibited
by our beliefs and our acceptance of limitation.
Ernest Holmes in The Science of Mind says, “To learn how to think is to learn how to live.” This seems to
be a simple statement, but it is so important that we need to think about it.
We need to understand the Divine Power within in order to awake from our hibernation. Remember,
we create the springtime of our lives each time we recognize that we reside in the Great Spirit that created us.
It is the power of this Supreme Nature that controls our lives. In the final analysis, its Law of Mind is the
Law of the Creative Process. And personal experience of power lies in the constructive and positive use of this
Law. Eventually, constructive thinking will dissolve negative patterns and overlays of consciousness. Then Truth
begins to move upward and forward from the depths of our beings. And this new thrust of creative energy makes our
lives a delight.
The spiritual-force is our Way of life. It is the creative process we use to control or direct our environment.
We use this Law of Mind to fulfill our lives. The process we call treatment. Treatment is for the purpose of guiding
personal consciousness and directing our minds, thoughts, and feelings so that we can move forward in personal
evolution. However, treatment is not just a process. There is power in the very treatment itself, and it derives
from a person's spiritual awakening and realization. This power can be unleashed and released into the individual's
life.
Here are some necessary questions to ask yourself before undertaking treatment:
“Is what I treat about constructive and does it affirm the abundant life? ” Examine your goals and desire because
thought is powerful. The Law of Mind operates on every thought. Is your consciousness really constructive, forward-moving,
life-affirming?
“Do I desire to manipulate or appropriate another's good?” Be sure that in your efforts to direct your inner and
outer environment you do not try to influence anyone selfishly. Be sure you do not try to attain your good through
appropriating something that rightfully belongs to another.
Frank Buchman, the renowned spiritual leader and founder of Moral Re-Armament, said, “There is enough in the world
for everybody's need, but not for everybody's greed.” He followed this statement by saying, “If everybody cared
enough and everybody shared enough, everybody would have enough.” This is true love and cooperation. We should
realize that abundance in the universe is an expression of the everlasting spiritual Substance and Supply, that
there is always enough for you and your neighbors. You don't need your neighbors' good. You can create your own.
And so can they!
Recognizing that Power is universal, we can see behind creation, knowing it is limitless. Any power we have must
derive from this unlimited Resource. We can learn how to intensify and direct this Power in our lives; but first
we must locate It before we can use It. We need to study the Science of Mind so that we understand the universal
Law of Creativity within us. Indeed, each individual is the One Mind Principle in personal action. We must understand
these truths so that we can fully embrace and use them.
The power we experience from our studies will transform our lives. It comes from that inner Force which is universal
and always is a quality of the divine Nature awaiting our personal recognition. Ernest Holmes, in his famous affirmation
of Being, says: “There is One Life, that Life is God, that Life is Perfect, that Life is my life now.” Realization
of this truth is acknowledging and using your inner Power.
You can decide right now to discover and use this divine Power in a very personal way. It is the Life-force within
you. It will bring about liberation from all human fear and negation. It will move you into real freedom and ease
in living.
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© 2000 Stuart Grayson Communications, Inc.
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