Spiritual Solutions

A man sat by the window in the late afternoon seeking an understanding of God, the rays of the sun slanting through the blinds. He reflected upon a story about the apostle Paul in Athens, as told by the minister during church service that morning.

It seems that the city was full of idols, which provoked Paul no end. So he argued in the synagogue and in the market place and wherever people gathered.

Standing in the midst of a crowd in the central square, Paul then spoke out: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To an Unknown God’.”

Then he said to them, in effect, “I’m here to tell you about that unknown God.”

The man recalled again the words of Paul quoted by the minister, words which had stuck in his mind: “They should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us.”

Then the man thought to himself, “What about me? If all the works on theology had been destroyed or were no longer available to me, if I had no teacher to give me his or her personal opinion about religion, what would I do?”

What About You?

What would you do?

Do you not believe that you would gradually evolve some religious philosophy of your own? Do you not think that there would be some language of your heart that would be spoken to you to define God for you?

During your reflecting would you not come to know your own indwelling Spirit as the very Spirit of life?

Would this realization not bring you to the feeling of your oneness with this Spirit, your utter inability to live apart from it?

The Truth Would Dawn Upon You

In thinking of God in this way you would gradually come to see that your higher thoughts brought you into closer relationship with God. The truth would dawn upon you that your higher level of mind has some connection with God.

Your thoughts of peace, love, joy, beauty, and life would seem strangely akin to that which your heart would seek to present to you as the truth of God. Would you come to know God as Divine Mind?

Might you not also have the experience of feeling that deep within you there was some presence or power? Could this inner something, this presence and power of life, be also a presence of power and health?

You might discover that God was being revealed to you in countless ways in your day-by-day experiences. You might come to know the indwelling Spirit in your heart as something you could depend on to lead and direct you to whatever was needed at any particular time.

God is Altogether Something Good

Any former impression of God as living in the distance and in the future would give way to the teaching of your heart. Any old conception of God as an arbitrary judge would be replaced by a new and revealing knowledge that God is something altogether good.

A new life opens to the individual who gets this changed conception of God. He or she feels reborn and enters into a new world.

Approaching life by way of an understanding of God gives us the assurance that something of God’s Spirit goes before us to make our way smooth.

The right understanding of what God is and of your relation to God is the working principle you need in solving your problems, whatever they may be.

This working principle may heretofore have been unknown to you. In thinking and studying about God you have been given something like that which is given to the one who studies a science. You have been given a working principle: God.

Is God principle? God is that reliable, constant, and dependable something which you can work with, just as the student of science who knows its principles has a reliable, constant, and dependable something.

Learn to Feel After God

At first you may have difficulty in defining God. Let the language of your heart be sufficient at present.

Define God in your own terms. Learn to build up your own conception of God and your own philosophy of life, as long as these are confirmed by the prompting of your heart. Learn to feel after God, to seek God’s presence and your oneness with God.