Aug 31, 2014

Pondering’s

I used the term ‘abundance‘ towards the end of the last article. The word ‘abundance‘ has become a favorite word of some of the contemporary self-empowering speakers and preachers, culminating in the book “The Secret”, that has gone viral, with a large number of speakers, large crowds, and much hype, all talking about how to become rich and comfortable only by thinking about it.

 

I have been blessed by abundance that has let me live comfortably most of my life, but I have found that the words espoused by those preachers and writers talking about ‘abundance‘ missed the mark of the truth of abundance. Yes, there is such a thing as abundance, but it requires so much more than wishing for success,and hoping it will be done. Abundance is real, for it is based on the Truth that we create our own life by what we think and do, consciously and sub-consciously. And the Truth is, it is almost always the sub-conscious mind that directs our life, based upon our action or reaction to each event in our life. Wishes of the mental or spoken kind by themselves will not become reality, but our thoughts, actions, and patterns of life that lead to that moment of life is what spells out what the next moment will be. For wishes are just wishes, but the fundamental grasp of life we hold spells out the next moment of Truth for us, moment by moment.

When we wish for something, we will get just that : a wish, not a fact. A wish, by its very nature, states that it is only a maybe, not a fact. The writers of that nature insist by many stories that just by wishing, by some sort of believing, we can gain wealth and abundance in this life, and we will rise over all others in the process. But almost all who attend these conferences, and they attend by the thousands, hope to be able to forego all illness, become wealthy, and not have to work, just by believing that they will do so.

Well, I hate to prick the balloon, but it ain’t so. Oh yes, some positive attitude will help, but it will not create wealth (except for those giving the speeches and writing the books), but the truth of the gaining of abundance is not just wishing. It is far more than that. As I stated, wishing will only give you the wish: by wishing, you are stating you do not have abundance. It is only by approaching abundance from the vista of being one with God, the Eternal Wisdom, that the Truth of abundance appears. When we are united with God, we see that abundance is granted with respect for our Love of others, the way of Love lights the path to help others on their way, and as Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all else will be granted you.” (Matt. 6-33) When we seek first to help others, and ignore ourselves in the process, we will be surprised to see that we will have food on the table, sufficient clothes, etc. We may not be wealthy, but we will have everything we need to not just live, but to live abundantly. We will be happy, feel fulfilled, and have a place in life that means something to someone, if only to ourselves.

I have lived an abundant life. I always found just the right opportunity before me, and I always took it. It often started out by what many would say was a negative, (lost my job, etc.), but the result became the nexus of the next phase of my life. I have always expected God would provide the next opportunity at the appropriate moment, and the Eternal Wisdom did just that. I seldom recognized the moment as such when it came, but I always responded in a manner that seemed appropriate, and as a risk-taker in life, always went for the gold. Maybe I only ended up with the silver, but I gained knowledge and skills to continue on the path that was laid before me, for in hindsight, the silver, as I saw it at that time, was truly the gold.

Abundance is Trust. Trust in God. Total Trust in God. No Doubt. That is truly ‘The Secret’. Not self-confidence, or self-will, but Trust. Nothing but Trust. Not that God would grant me this or that, but Trust that God will do the best thing I needed at that moment in eternity, in this time and space. Not just accepting that we make the future and our life, but the firm conviction that God is the Source and Fountain of Life, and God will give me the best there is for this moment in time and eternity. All of life is a spontaneous eruption of Creation, never seen before and never to be seen again. Spontaneous, yes, but based on the events of life up to that moment, our reaction to those events, and our vision of the future of that event leading to the next event, usually subconsciously directed. Only those like Jesus could consciously direct the events of the future, and even Jesus was tied to the constraints of the life he was leading, thus knowing that the approach he was leading would lead to his death, but accepting his death for the greater good he could sense in the future. The timing of the presence of Jesus was perfect, and illustrated for us the perfect Trust he had in the Eternal Wisdom to lead humanity to the next step in creative thinking.

Yes, even the death of Jesus was a result of the Trust of Jesus in the Eternal Wisdom, since he had to Trust that his death would result in something that would somehow carry a large part of humanity into the future, and give that humanity a stronger glimpse into the Being of God, the Eternal Power who called Itself Love, only Love.

Thus, for Jesus, ‘abundance’ meant something very different than for you and I, and it is critical to see that the term ‘abundance’ carries a wide spectrum of meaning. For Jesus, abundance meant something that would arise from his death, requiring his death to achieve. For you and I, abundance usually means that we have sufficient unto the day, and sometimes a little more, for we do not have the Trust level of Jesus, and would perhaps balk at being asked for that level of Trust.

I have been granted sufficient for the day and more, much to my surprise. I had expected that late in life I would be happy and not have to worry about the basics in life, and I have achieved far more. I have, most importantly, the Love of my soulmate, the gift from God to me 54 years ago, I am surrounded by beauty that takes my breath away every day, sufficient income to enjoy life abundantly, and good health that allows me to share my gratitude with others. What more could I ask of life than this? This is truly abundance.

Meditation

My Eternal Wisdom, the One Who knows me more than I know myself, I look at my life in wonder and gratitude that I have been given so abundantly all that I have. You have surrounded me with Beauty, vibrant Life, long life, a partner who knows me better than I know myself, a family of Love who inspire me, and sufficient comfort that I can truly say “All is well!”. All has happened while You have kept me busy doing tasks, because You have permitted me to Expect the best to happen and Accept that all that happened has been truly for the best for all concerned. You have given me to understand the power of Love, the power of faith and belief, the power of Life. I know that I will be granted the length of life to achieve the next step and then the next step in Life, one step at a time.