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"People
work so hard to bring health to their bodies; to bring
prosperity, to bring happiness, to bring success into
their lives; to bring artistic or literary gifts or talents
within their grasp, to bring great new ideas from the outside;
and, of course, they continually fail, because we cannot
"bring" a single one of these things from the without to the
within. The actual development is just the very reverse - they
have to be released from the within that they may appear on the
without. In short, we have not to build on from the outside; our
task, as Browning says, is "to set free the imprisoned
splendor." –
Emmet Fox, Your Heart's Desire
The United States, Sweden, Australia, Canada and the UK are
experiencing divorce rates exceeding 40% of all first marriages.
Japan has seen the rate of divorce at 27% increase steadily for years.
This means that there are great numbers of men and women who are seeking
new relationships after already being in at least one. So, let us
look at this from the perspective of the science of mind and the
teachings of the Master Mind Jesus. And, this can also be very
useful for those who are seeking their first marriage or relationship.
We learn in the science of
mind that everything is an expansion of that which came before it, and
so we know that we want to expand on the good that we have an awareness
of. Love within us is always seeking to express Itself through us.
As we know, if we continue to do what we have always done, we can only
experience what we have experienced before. Let's not deny the
Spirit in our self or in anyone by seeking to blame or shame, for these
are not of the Spirit and negate our progress towards a greater life
experience.
Today calls for a new way, a more conscious
awareness of our ability to choose. We begin to do this simply by
taking the time to contemplate the ideals that we hold as important in a
relationship, that is qualities that we have an awareness of; i.e. open
communication, honesty, loyalty, fidelity, mutual support, etc.
And, we don't want to just make a list of these, but we want to be clear
in our mind what they mean to us. After we complete this mental
exercise, then we want to ask ourselves if we embody these same ideals
within our own consciousness. Are they firmly established not only
as something we desire, but also as something that is appealing to us.
The measure of "appeal" to us is very important as this will
determine the measure that we will out-picture this in our relationships
... that is "release from within."
There is a spiritual truth that we should
always keep in mind when we contemplate relationships, and that is,
"we don't get what we want, we get what we are." In
other words, we can only get that which we have to give. And we
must be clear about this. So many people look outside of
themselves at the people in their relationships and "settle"
for character traits and qualities in people hoping that they will
"change" ... but, the only change that will ever take place
for us is the change we make in our very own consciousness. When
we "settle" we are sending a message to our inner mind that we
no longer believe we can have that which we desire to experience.
In the book, "Rev Ike's Secrets," we
can read: "God-in-you has given you the
power of fascination to use to be, do, and have all the good you desire.
It is up to you to determine how you will use it. ... Now this may sound
strange, but it's true. There is power in fascination. It
has power because whatever you're fascinated with, you become. You
automatically draw that which you are fascinated with unto you. - Be it
good or evil, whatever you are fascinated with will come into your
experience."
As we consciously become fascinated with the
idea of marriage or relationship, our mind will open up to new images
and ideas of what this can mean for us. We will become aware of
magazine and newspaper articles about marriage. We may even find
that we "Google" words that are related to marriage, weddings,
etc. None of this takes much effort because when we are fascinated
by something we are guided to know all that we need to know. But,
let us become fascinated also with the ideals that we desire to share
and accept within our marriage or relationship, as these too, once
accepted into our consciousness, will find their way in our experience.
From the ancient wisdom we can read: "Keep
thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of
life." (Proverbs 4:23) As we contemplate our next
marriage or relationship, let us become fascinated with the possibility
that every relationship we have had; family, friends, former lovers,
former spouses ... have helped us define the "ideals" that
have developed in our consciousness. From some, we have learned
what doesn't work for us, and from some, we found what is appealing to
us. In the science of mind we know that everything works to our
Good, even though some experiences certainly challenge us, they will
work to our Good nonetheless ... if we let them.
Now, I realize that some people will think ...
all of this thinking, making lists of ideals, contemplating, being
fascinated, etc. diminishes "romance" ... and perhaps some
will think this is all nonsense. Yet, look at the rate of divorce
for first marriages ... these rates double and triple for 2nd, 3rd, and
more marriages.
The Master Mind Jesus
taught, "as you sow, so shall you reap." This sowing and
reaping takes place in our very own consciousness, we cannot reap what
we do not sow. We can control conditions through the power of our
mind, Dr. Holmes wrote, but first we must use the power of our mind to
choose intelligently the conditions we want to experience.
Marriages and relationships filled with love, joy and happiness reflect
a "marriage of minds" ... as within, so without. We
don't get what we want, we get what we are within ... and in this
understanding, we can have the faith to love again ... and to love again
... and even again, if necessary.
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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Bates on the Radio
