Spiritual Solutions

Many of us have had great dreams for ourselves and then let them die. They were dreams that started within us and then perhaps we let them get caught up in outer things and we’ve lost our direction and motivation for their accomplishment.

There’s a great analogy I find in the book of Ezekiel about the valley of dry bones. It says, “The hand of the Lord was upon me and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me round among them; and behold, there were very many upon the valley; and lo, they were very dry. And he said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ And I answered ‘O, Lord God, thou knowest.’

Again, he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

Of course, this wasn’t really about bones at all. It was about lost dreams. He was talking to the Israelites, who had started off with great dreams of God’s presence and the things that with God they could achieve. Then they got caught up in creating idols and so on.

But he is speaking not only to the Israelites; he is also speaking to us. We have started off sometimes with great dreams, guided from within, and then we’ve let them die. We’ve let them get caught up with outer things, outer concerns, outer circumstances, outer situations that have caused our dreams to shrivel up and die. And we end up with a valley of dry bones.

But he says it’s not all over yet, because you can prophesy to these bones that the Lord God will come and clothe them with muscle and skin and sinew, and will breathe into them and make them live.

So the prophet prophesies to them, and the bones begin to come together, and the muscle comes on them, and the skin comes on them, and they stand up. But there’s no life in them. It’s like us, we sometimes look like living beings but we’re not; there’s no life in us, there’s something missing. And what was it? It was the breath of God.

So God says to Ezekiel, “Breath on them, speak to them again, prophesy again and say to them that the Lord God will breath on you, and the breath will be in you.” So when the breath comes in they live, the dreams live again.

Our dreams live when the breath of God moves in us. This is what makes us uniquely human and uniquely divine; the breath of God is that which moves us to our highest good. If we align ourselves with that awareness, then we find that our world has changed. The outer things are still there, but we’re not so caught up in them; they are transformed because of our inner perception of them as we put God first in our lives.

No matter what is happening, no matter what challenges come along, we are centered in God’s presence and live in a conscious realization of our oneness with God. We really know for ourselves that there is only one presence and one power; we are centered in that knowing and able to move out into all situations with confidence.

When we are not living according to the Truth of our being, not living God’s purpose, we’re not living our wholeness and we feel divided, separated from God and separated from the Truth within ourselves. In order to come together, it takes the breath of God. We only find real life when we are moving with that breath of God.

You may remember some of the last words that Jesus said to the disciples before his ascension. He said, “Wait for the presence of God and the Holy Spirit will bring the power to you.” The “breath of God” and the “Holy Spirit” are the same. The Holy Spirit is the movement of God; it’s the whole Spirit of God in action through you. We can identify it with the wind or breath; we cannot see the wind and in the same way we cannot see God’s movement, but we can see what the wind does and we can see what God does in our lives.

We may think of ourselves as being like sailboats, only moving in the right direction when we open our sails to the breath of God. In that way, we become more malleable to the movement of Spirit within us instead of thinking that we have to force the pace. We become still, and listen more in order to open ourselves to the Spirit of God.

Remember, in the story of Pentecost, it said they were all together in one place. That means they were in integrity, they were united in prayer in one place or one consciousness. And it said it was as though there was a mighty rush of wind that came to them and filled the house, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

They were all changed after that experience. They began to speak and to understand one another even though there were different races; in other words, they spoke with the language of Spirit. And they were permanently changed.

So we know that change is possible within us and for us, as it was with the disciples; when we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit or the “wholeness” of potential within ourselves, our dreams can live again.

Remember, God is Blessing You, Right Now!

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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over forty years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions.

Please feel free to publish this article in your blog or newsletter or share it with a friend, as long as you include this resource box.

If you’d like to receive weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at Rich Words.

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It is through the images in our lives that we really begin to tap into the truth of our being and to give expression to it. Even in times of challenge or loss we can move on through it to the healing, because as we tap into the truth of our being we connect with our Divine self and know the truth of God’s presence in our lives. We know that no matter what is happening, the love is there, the life is there and is streaming forth through our loss whatever it may be.

But we don’t often start with that; we have to go through the process. We have to first acknowledge our loss, whether it’s the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, the loss of a relationship, or perhaps a child has gone off to school somewhere. When we begin to identify and accept what it truly is that is our loss or challenge we can move through it.

We have certain images that we carry in our minds about the situation. It may be an empty nest; it may be a chrysalis. Sue Monk Kidd, in a book called The Heart Still Waits, relates how when she was going through a mid-life crisis finally came upon an image in her mind of a chrysalis, of a caterpillar that had formed a cocoon.

She realized she was going through a time of incubating the darkness and that she couldn’t rush the process, that even when moving toward new life she had to incubate within that darkness and couldn’t force the chrysalis to open. But she recognized that out of that chrysalis would emerge the new life of the butterfly. And she knew that if she focused on the butterfly, the representation of her true self, she would be lifted out of the pain and darkness.

Sometimes it’s in the familiar images of life that we are nurtured and begin to reorient ourselves to the truth of ourselves and that life goes on; we must release and let go of the things that have held us, of the things that have bound us to them. There comes a time to move on, to let go.

It was really not until after Pentecost that the disciples were able to understand and look back and value the experience that they had gone through. Then they were able to take the riches they had shared with Jesus and apply them in their own lives. They recognized that the Spirit was alive in them also and they had a sense of new vitality and new enthusiasm and began to look forward toward life.

We all have our Pentecost moments. We get to that point of awakening, of opening our eyes to the truth of our being that we hadn’t really seen before. We move beyond the thoughts we had about what happened to now feel and know that new life within us. Love’s great presence is always with us, lifting us up, healing us and moving us through the limiting experience.

An image that really speaks to me is contained within a quote by Rabindranath Tagore. He says, “When old words die out on the tongue, new melodies break forth from the heart. And where the old tracks are lost, new country is revealed with its wonders.”

Think of those new melodies, think of that new song that is waiting to be sung in you. It’s there, new roads, new ways are being revealed to you, new country is opening up to you. God in you is saying, “I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” It’s always there for you, if you will let go.

In the book of Lamentations there is a wonderful quote of how we can move through this process of recovery. It says, “This is what I shall tell my heart and so recover hope: ‘The favors of Yahweh are not all past. God’s kindnesses are not all exhausted. Every morning they are renewed; great is God’s faithfulness.’”

There is new country waiting for you, there are new melodies that yearn to be sung in your spirit. Even in the most desolate times the season of springtime, of new life, is always awaiting you.

Remember, God is Blessing You, Right Now!

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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over forty years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions.

Please feel free to publish this article in your blog or newsletter or share it with a friend, as long as you include this resource box.

If you’d like to receive weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at Rich Words.

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THE NEW RACE

35th Day, Monday. Read Revelation 21:1-7; 22:1-7.

“These things shall be! a loftier race

Than e’er the world hath known shall rise

With flame of freedom in their souls,

And light of knowledge in their eyes.

* * *

“Nation with nation, land with land,

Unarmed shall live as comrades free:

In every heart and brain shall throb

The pulse of one fraternity.”

The time is ripe for the advent of a new race, the advent of the spiritualized man and woman. This will be brought about, not by a miracle or the fiat of God, but by the gradual refinement of the person of the flesh into the person of Spirit.

The true overcomer is qualifying oneself to become a member of this superrace. It is well for such a one to cultivate the childlike spirit and let go of all tense striving, even for spiritual things. In the realization of protecting, providing love, all the strain of fear and anxiety will be removed and life in abundance will then find easy entrance into the consciousness, bringing strength and health and eternal youth and life.

Spiritual harmony in us depends largely on the right relation of the inner and the outer realms of our consciousness. Expression is the law of life. Whatever is expressed becomes manifest. I realize that as an overcomer, I am working also for the whole world, establishing a new race consciousness, “new heavens and a new earth.”

I affirm: “The redeeming law of God is awakening with me, and I am a new man in Christ Jesus.”

Questions:

1. How will the advent of a new race be brought about?

2. Who will qualify to be a member of this new race?

3. What should the true overcomer do?

4. Upon what does spiritual harmony in us depend?

I never cease to grow and progress. Each day I am inspired through Christ in me to come up higher and nearer to His perfection.

Remember, God is Blessing You, Right Now!

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 Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over forty years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions.

Please feel free to publish this article in your blog or newsletter or share it with a friend, as long as you include this resource box.

 If you’d like to receive weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at Rich Words.

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SPIRITUAL SUBSTANCE

31st Day, Wednesday. Read Matthew 13: 3-9, 18-23.

There is a kingdom of abundance of all things, and it may be found by those who seek it and are willing to comply with its laws. Substance exists in a realm of ideas and is powerful when handled by one who is familiar with its characteristics.

Spiritual substance is the source of all material wealth and cannot suffer loss or destruction by human thought. It is always with us, ready to be used and to make the consciousness potent and fertile. In this connection Jesus said, “I have meat to eat that ye know not.”

Just as the earth is the universal matrix in which all vegetation develops, so this invisible Spirit substance is the universal matrix in which ideas of prosperity germinate and grow and bring forth according to our faith and trust.

I know that any seed words that are planted in omnipresent Spirit substance will germinate and grow and bring forth fruit “after their kind.” Just as the farmer selects the best seed for planting, so I must choose the words that will bring forth the rich harvest of plenty.

To gain control of Spirit substance I grasp it with my mind; that is, lay hold of the idea back of it. Right thinking is necessary in using my mind constructively to bring about right results.

I affirm: “Divine substance flows in all its fullness into my consciousness and through me as prosperity into all my affairs.”

Questions:

1. How may the kingdom of abundance be found?

2. Where does substance exist?

3. What is spiritual substance?

4. How can we gain control of Spirit substance?

If I have a need of any kind, I open myself to the substance of Spirit. I give thanks that there is abundant supply for every need.

Remember, God is Blessing You, Right Now!

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 Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over forty years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions.

Please feel free to publish this article in your blog or newsletter or share it with a friend, as long as you include this resource box.

 If you’d like to receive weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at Rich Words.

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DIVINE JUDGMENT

30th Day, Tuesday. Read Luke 6:37-49.

Human judgment is the mental act of evaluation through comparison or contrast. Intellectual man always judges his fellow man. Divine judgment is of spiritual consciousness. When we awaken to the reality of our divinity, the light begins to break on us from within, and we know the Truth; this is the quickening of our judgment faculty. This faculty may be exercised in two ways: from sense perception or spiritual understanding. If its action be based on sense, its conclusions are fallible and often condemnatory; if on spiritual understanding, they are safe.

The judgment faculty discerns Truth and balances the faculties in righteousness. In the Scriptures judgment is often applied to the action of Divine Mind in its work of judging, especially to the experiences that come to us through the working of the law of justice.  We redeem this faculty by placing it in the Absolute, by declaring and realizing that its origin is in God and all its conclusions are based on Truth. This gives a working center from which the I AM begins to set our thought world in order.

I do not judge others as regards their guilt or innocence. I consider myself and how I stand in the sight of the Father. I begin reform with myself. The judgment seat of Christ is within me, and a judging, or discerning between the true and the false is going on daily in me as an overcomer; I am daily reaping the results of my thoughts and my deed.

I affirm: “My judgment is just, because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father.”

Questions:

1. What is human judgment?

2. What is divine judgment?

3. How is our judgment faculty quickened?

4. How do we redeem our judgment faculty?

As I cease to misjudge other persons, I find that I am not misjudged. I find that there is no criticism or condemnation in me, for me, or against me.

Remember, God is Blessing You, Right Now!

—————————————————–             

 Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over forty years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions.

Please feel free to publish this article in your blog or newsletter or share it with a friend, as long as you include this resource box.

 If you’d like to receive weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at Rich Words.

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THE IDEA

23rd Day, Monday. Read Luke 5:141.

In the Scriptures ideas are symbolized by fish. An idea is the original, primary, or unlimited thought of Being: in God-Mind, the eternal Word or Logos. In the idea are involved all the potentialities of that which is to be evolved through humankind. The idea itself becomes the evolving power through which it makes itself manifest.

Ideas are catching. We are all heavily charged with ideas. When ideas are released they spring forth and pass from mind to mind, being “recorded” as they fly; when they are expressed the whole race is lifted up–because true ideas are charged with the uplifting Spirit. We bring divine ideas into manifestation by making ourselves one with them, becoming conscious of our indwelling Christ Mind and our oneness with the Father.

As the son is to the father, so is the idea to the mind. Mind is one with its ideas, so the Father–God-Mind–is one with its offspring, the idea–the Son. Mind is coexistent with its ideas, and there is continual interaction and communion. The Father and the Son are one–are coexisting, interacting, and intercommuning in will and purpose. It was from the grand idea of divine life that Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead.

Spiritual inspiration in me is an inflow of divine ideas; activity of a spiritual character; understanding that comes from God. It is the inbreathing of Spirit. The breath of God infused into me has endowed me with super-life. “He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit.”

I affirm: “In the presence and power of the Christ idea in me, I proclaim my perfection.”

Questions:

1. Define “idea.”

2. What happens when ideas are released?

3. How do we bring divine ideas into manifestation?

4. How did Jesus heal the sick and raise the dead?

I am in touch with God’s infinite storehouse of divine ideas. I use these divine ideas in my daily living.

Remember, God is Blessing You, Right Now!

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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over forty years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions.Please feel free to publish this article in your blog or newsletter or share it with a friend, as long as you include this resource box.

If you’d like to receive weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at Rich Words.

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FOURTH DIMENSION

22nd Day, Saturday. Read John 21:1-17.

The fourth dimension is that which embraces and encompasses the other three; it is realization, the doing away with time and space and all conditions. It is the process in which forms lose their apartness and become one under divine law. The human mind, with its limited reasoning faculties, is bound by time, space, and conditions. By itself it can get no further into the spiritual realm than reason will take it; but when we invoke the aid of the Christ in us we go beyond reason into the realm of pure realization; then we have attained the consciousness of pure be-ing, the fourth dimension of the being.

The one way to enter the realm of the fourth dimension, or of realization, is through scientific prayer, commonly named “the silence.” First, I take with me the word Jehovah and go within and hold it steadily in mind, until the word illumines the whole inner consciousness. I am now functioning in the fourth dimension, and the way is open for concentrating on the prayer I have in mind for the special demonstration.

I fix my attention powerfully on the consummation of an idea until the idea has nucleated a certain amount of thought substance, and I am assured that it will be followed by that silent power of thought which, working throughout my whole being, is bringing forth the thing desired.

When my thoughts radiate with the speed of spiritual light, they blend with creative Mind (called by Jesus “heaven”), and that which I ask for is done.

I affirm: “The illuminating power of Truth awakens and quickens my consciousness, and I discern clearly.”

Questions:

1. Define the “fourth dimension.”

2. What binds the human mind?

3. What happens when we invoke the aid of Christ?

4. How do we enter the realm of the fourth dimension?

Through Christ within, I clearly discern spiritual things. I know that there is no limit to the width of my human horizon when I realize my divine potential.

Remember, God is Blessing You, Right Now!

—————————————————–             

 Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over forty years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions.

Please feel free to publish this article in your blog or newsletter or share it with a friend, as long as you include this resource box.

 If you’d like to receive weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at Rich Words.

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There may be many times in our lives when we become discouraged and disheartened, but there is a way out of every limitation that never fails and an infallible method of achieving personal happiness and harmony.

Whatever you might want or need from life, you can find the solution in the midst of any conflict that is holding you back. You can be confident and secure as you participate in all that each day holds in store for you. You can be fearless in the face of seeming obstacles or challenges.

As a starting point, we might understand the universal availability of the answers that we seek. For ages on end human beings have let themselves be frightened or awed or confused by what has been called a mystery, the mystery being the universe. We have chosen to view the universe as a vast, unknown system.

This basic mystery has given rise to the belief that most of our questions are unanswerable, that the right answer in most instances is something that people are not supposed to be able to discover. From this idea has sprung the kind of thought that our destiny is in the hands of a mysterious, unknowable deity whose purpose and ways are naturally unfathomable.

Of course, there is a force, a universal creative energy. We generally call this force God, but it‘s up to you what you call it. I think of God as Spirit or Universal Mind, a vast, unending sea of awareness in which I live and move and have my being. God is my ever-present help, my source of strength and comfort in every situation.

There is no greater power than the power of God at work on my behalf; therefore, I need not be afraid of any person, circumstance, or condition. God’s law of order prevails, and I am confident that I will see it at work in my life and in the world.

The right answer to any problem does exist because this is an ordered and orderly universe, not a haphazard system governed by chance and whim. It is not a cold, disinterested universe. One of the finest, most encouraging truths you can know is that the answer you seek is seeking you. It is meant that we should find the right answer to our problems. God, the force that moves this orderly universe, wants us to find the right answer. Remember well these words of Jesus: “it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

There are, I believe, four basic steps to finding the right answer to any problem: Willing, Allowing, Trust, and Surrender.

First, get still in mind and body and be willing to experience that state of being you desire. Just the willingness will bring the experience to you. Try it for a moment by being willing to experience a state of peace and serenity. Immediately the Divine Flow will bring that experience to you through your intention and your willingness.

Eric Butterworth called this step the invitation, making yourself open and receptive, believing the answer already exists for you.

Second, allow yourself to experience the outcome or state of being you desire. This cements your willingness in place, in consciousness. To use the analogy of a telephone call, willingness makes the call and allowing picks up and answers the phone.

This second step Eric Butterworth called inspiration, something that comes to you, often just a quiet reassuring kind of knowing in some indefinite form, a feeling that you are approaching a solution.

The third step, trust, contains within it several elements: your ability to open yourself to all possibilities, the earnestness to take the steps to bring about any needed change, courage to move beyond what you previously thought, certainty that everything is all right even if you do not have proof, and a sense of safety underlying everything.

Eric Butterworth called this third step ideation, an idea or series of ideas that flow into awareness from Divine Mind that are yours to work with to put into use or expression. You may have to choose and sort the ideas, to link them together in such a way as to work toward your right answer.

The fourth step, surrender, means letting go of imaginary boundaries and allowing greater flow, which creates greater clarity of who we really are. This step, Eric Butterworth identified as an incubation period which calls for patience, wisdom, and confidence in the right outcome.

If the solution does not develop in your affairs immediately, remember it is already done. What you need is ready for you. Its complete manifestation in your life and affairs may be delayed a bit for various reasons, but there is no need to despair or become despondent. Of course, you must not expect delay; very often a solution appears quickly. But if the answer does not come at once, then be wise enough to accept the incubation period, for such times often give rise to good in even greater measure than when ideas come full blown.

You can be confident that you will see God’s law of order at work in your life and in the world. With God’s power and strength supporting you, you will be successful in all your endeavors. Know right now that you are opening the door to greater good.

Remember, God is Blessing You, Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over forty years, invites you to enjoy more articles and/or subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, “Spiritual Solutions,” at www.spiritualsolutionsblog.com

Feel free to share this article in its entirety with a friend. You may also reproduce and publish this article if you also include this reference box. Thank you!

If you’d like to receive “Rich Words,” featuring weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at www.alanrowbotham.com
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Thanksgiving Day is almost upon us, and at this time it brings me to thoughts of family. Our family is scattered around the globe, in England, New Zealand and Australia, as well as around the United States in California, Washington State and Iowa.

We’ve had some additions to our family in the last couple of months – two great-grandchildren, a baby boy in California and a baby girl in Washington State, and our nephew and his wife in Australia had a baby boy.

We had a great visit with our granddaughter Emma, from England, recently. She and two friends from the university where they are students came to Florida to do some research on hurricanes and hurricane preparation. It was refreshing to see the enthusiasm and exuberance they brought to their task, and the enjoyment they got out of it all.

Our grandson in England recently graduated from Gloucester University with a Bachelor of Science degree and honors, and is now running a gym and teaching physical education and nutrition. And our granddaughter in California graduated earlier this year from San Diego University with two degrees.

As you can tell, we are proud of our growing family. We just wish they were closer in proximity so we could be together more often, especially at special holidays such as Thanksgiving.

I know there are many people without families, and it is especially hard at holidays when families traditionally get together. But for all of us, I think we can expand our understanding of family to include everyone. In other words, that in truth we’re all family, one with one another. We can reach out to friends and all people to embrace them in the consciousness of family and share love and gratitude with each other.

Notice I said we can embrace and reach out to share love and gratitude. That means love and gratitude begins within, and is not dependent upon external circumstances. Thanksgiving starts within us, it’s not a matter of what am I thankful for, but what am I thankful from? What am I grateful from? Let your consciousness rest on a divine flow of gratitude from your inner being. We can be grateful from that consciousness that we are forever one with the divine flow, giving thanks from the consciousness of oneness with God.

I remember Janie Paulson, the former Unity minister, who loved to sing and have everyone sing “We’re a family; we’re a family, a family of love!” Be still – know your oneness with God; that God is the one reality at the heart of you; that you live and move and have your being in the heart of God. Get your consciousness in tune with the divine flow, giving thanks from that consciousness. As the song says,

“Our family is a little world,
Of ten, or six, or three;
Our family is a larger world
With billions just like you and me.

“We live together, that’s the way;
We live together as we say,
We’re a family, we’re a family,
We’re a family of love!”

As Paul says, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” (I Th. 5:18) He didn’t say “for” all circumstances, he says “in” all circumstances. In other words, you have the sense of gratitude, and you give that gratitude, that praise, that thanksgiving regardless of what the conditions and circumstances are around you because you are keeping in touch with the divine flow. You give thanks from the consciousness of your oneness with God. You are grateful for the realization you are a spiritual being and that you have within you the capability to cope with all the changing circumstances of life.

When you begin with gratitude in this sense, I think you will find that gratitude and thanksgiving will take on an entirely different meaning. In the process you will have a much broader perception of the inherent good that is within all things, and you will begin to find that it is much easier to give thanks for the many blessings in your life.

Remember, God is Blessing You, Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over forty years, invites you to enjoy more articles and/or subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, “Spiritual Solutions,” at www.spiritualsolutionsblog.com

Feel free to share this article in its entirety with a friend. You may also reproduce and publish this article if you also include this reference box. Thank you!

If you’d like to receive “Rich Words,” featuring weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at www.alanrowbotham.com
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There is a flow of love and harmony everywhere, whether you are aware of it or not, and whether you are consciously moving in it or not. This is what the omnipresence of God means. In life we are on a journey from unconscious to conscious. You do not leave the Presence of God or the flow of life and love when you are negative or resistant. You leave the consciousness of the Presence, the consciousness of harmony and love. Yet the potential for harmony and its outer expression bringing light to those who dwell in darkness is always present within you.

I am reminded of one of the most significant events in the history of Christianity, the transforming experience of Paul on the Damascus road. You may remember the story. Paul, or Saul as he was called in those days, was very much involved in persecuting the Christians. He made a career out of it. He was a sincere person who devoted his life to stopping the spread of this upstart movement. While on the road to Damascus, nevertheless, he had the cosmic experience of a blinding light which left him physically in pain for several days, but which gave him an insight into his relatedness to the spiritual process so that he was guided to go to Damascus and visit a disciple named Ananias.

Visiting Ananias, he had some conversations that helped him to open his eyes. It is said that the scales dropped from his eyes, and his sight was restored. He then suddenly came out as a tremendous advocate of the Christian teaching and became one of its leading supporters. Here was man whose whole life was dedicated to the destruction of Christianity who suddenly became its chief advocate and spokesman. He had a complete reversal of life and threw himself into the new cause with all the ardent, twenty-four hours per day self-abandoning zeal that he had previously invested on the other side. Whereas previously he brought nothing but darkness and fear, he now brought light, love and inspiration into the lives of others.

If you have the desire to change your life, to be or do more or have more, if you have spent many unhappy moments wishing and hoping that you could be different, that you could overcome some overmastering weakness, then consider well the unmistakable meaning of Paul’s encounter for a moment. Paul revealed that a person can change.

The reason for Paul’s conversion was not that God had worked some special miracle for him because he was a specially endowed creature, but because he had the potential for change within him. Even though he might not have been consciously aware of it, he had the innate desire for change. The first step for us is to believe that we can change, that we err when we say, “I’m only human – what can you expect?” We are not only human – we are divine. We must look to the divine within us and begin to think about and act from strength rather than weakness.

The great moment in the life of Paul was the sudden impact of an idea that had obviously been running through his troubled mind for years. Have you ever puzzled over a problem for many hours or even days and months, and then suddenly said, “Oh, yes, I see,” suddenly when the light breaks through? It has been said that “there is nothing in all the world more powerful than an idea whose time has come.”

Paul had always been intrigued with the Christian idea, though like many of us he had resisted it, argued over it, and put his whole weight against it. Paul’s bitter and long struggle with the Christians was really an inner struggle with himself and his growing faith, a war being waged between his keenly developed intellect which reasoned against the Christ idea and his sensitive feeling nature which felt the truth.

We need to provide for ourselves opportunities to change our thoughts, manners, actions, through incentive, open-mindedness, and an eagerness to keep in step with life itself. This is what the study of Truth will do for you. There is little hope for change in your life unless you make frequent encounters with dynamic ideas. Eventually, one of them will hit you with the force of blinding light. It matters not what your weakness or problem may be, when you receive the impact of a dynamic idea, “the scales will fall from your eyes.” When we truly let go, or stop looking in a certain direction and start looking in another, we will find that the change for the better is not only easy, but divinely natural.

Paul’s experience of blindness is a symbol of this change of seeing. He could no longer see things as he did. He was helped by Ananias to see things in a new way. So, we too can begin to see the possibilities of a new way of life, of healing, adjustment, new blessings. Therefore, dare to behold and see yourself as already expressing and experiencing these things. Look for them, and expect them.

Remember, God is Blessing You, Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over forty years, invites you to enjoy more articles and/or subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, “Spiritual Solutions,” at www.spiritualsolutionsblog.com

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