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Sunday, June 3, 2001
"Life is either a daring
adventure, or it is nothing."
- Helen
Keller
Dr.
O. C. Smith,
is not only my teacher, his demonstrations
of the principles of  Religious Science are evident to everyone who comes
in contact with him. He doesn't just "walk the talk," he
embodies it in his heart and soul, so whenever he makes a suggestion, I
take it. During the 3-day holiday, he suggested that we, 1) attend
a funeral service on Saturday, which I did, and 2) spend a day at
the beach, alone, and just write everything that comes to mind.
I went to Point Dume, just a little north of Malibu, California to Zuma
Beach off the Pacific Coast Highway. When I first sat on the beach
it was drizzling rain and overcast. As I sat in the stillness, I
could see dolphins swimming and playing close to shore. Sea gulls
of various varieties were around me and flying overhead. Other
than the sounds of the sea gulls and the waves of the ocean, there were
no other sounds around me. As I looked out across the ocean, I
understood why Dr. O. C. had made his suggestion. It is impossible
to visibly see where the ocean begins and where it ends from this
vantage point. The word "water" in the Bible means mind,
so as we look out at the seeming infinity of the ocean, we connect with
the One Infinite Mind. As I sat and contemplated the seeming
infinity of the ocean and observed its activity, it became apparent very
quickly that Life is motion, energy and activity. All Life is.
Nature is the perfect example of this. If not for the activity and
motion of the ocean, the water would become stale and stagnant.
The Life within it, the dolphins, fish, etc., would most probably die
away. Our lives are the same, without activity, without that
spark of vitality and excitement, we become stagnant and stale.
The ocean looks infinite but of course it is
not, it is but a spark of infinity, and each wave is but an attribute of
the ocean. This is our relationship to God. We are connected
to God as the wave is connected to the ocean. Without the activity
of the ocean, there is no wave. Without the activity of God, there
is no life.
Later on during the day, I began to be surrounded by people, mostly
families with children. To the adults the break of the tides and
the waves were predictable, but to the small children they were
thrilling and exciting. I watched as several small children ran to
the edge of the water and then ran back as the tide moved in. They
were boisterous with delight in the "newness" of the
experience. It was a marvelous sight to behold and I couldn't help
but laugh with them and feel their joy and vitality. As adults we
lose this excitement, this experience of "newness" as we allow
our lives to become mundane and predictable. We must seek
"newness" every day, in our work, in our relationships and in
our experiences. There is always more to be experienced in
everything. People who have worked in the same field for years can
still find something "new" in what they do. There is
always something "new" to be experienced in relationships,
even ones that have lasted many years. "Life is either a
daring adventure, or it is nothing," stated Helen Keller.
This is so true. As I observed the children at play in the water,
this truth became even more apparent to me. We must not allow
ourselves to lose this sense of adventure. We must seek it in all
the things in our lives. We must trust the Universe in which we
live to provide more than what we see in everything, more than we have
experienced previously.
Whether we go to the beach or to somewhere else
where nature is evident to us, we should view that which we see as God.
We should think of God as a glorified Presence in all things - closer to
us than Life itself. And we should know that, as we come near
enough, in thought, to this Presence, we will enter into
realizations, of the great and the good, beyond anything ever known
before. When we look more to God, and think more about the
Infinite, we will enlarge and perfect our vision - our vision of the One
who is Goodness and Life and Love. As we begin to live our lives
more fully trusting in this Love and Goodness we automatically begin to
see more harmony, joy, peace and love in our experiences.
And
So It Is!
Letting Love use me
in Its own Good Way,
Henry Lee
Bates
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