As I celebrated Independence Day on last week I found myself thinking about the birth of our country and how that birthing process relates to so many other aspects of our lives. Out of a time of conflict and chaos, a country with great vision was born.
From the heart of this country and it’s vision of independence, freedom and equal rights for all people, Unity was born. Unity was founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore on the principle of affirmative prayer. Charles and Myrtle were deeply spiritual, deeply Christian people who believed that we all have the God-given power to heal ourselves, to study and interpret scripture on a personal level and to follow our own, Independent, spiritual paths.
In a sence, Unity of the Lakes was also born out of that vision of equality and independence too. As a young mother I struggled with how to raise my children in the spiritual sense. I was not happy with the structure of the church I had grown up in and didn’t quite know where to turn. I remember thinking how difficult is was for an American who had grown up in a democracy to belong to a church that was structured as a hierarchy. I just couldn’t accept the way things were structured. I could not
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believe that there were only a select few people who could tell me what was right and wrong and what God expected or wanted of me.
In that moment I knew that I needed to make a change in my life. I knew that I needed to seek another path. That path led me to Unity, where I found that my thoughts and ideas were heard. Where it was acceptable for me to say that God had spoken to me. Where I was honored as a spiritual being and told that the Truth was IN me – not that the truth needed to be taught TO me. It led me to Unity School and the Spiritual Education program there. It led me to my work with the Great Lakes Region of Unity Churches and ultimately it led me here to Unity of the Lakes. In that moment you could say I was born again and all things were made new.
We all experience the birthing process in our lives. We experience birthing when we rise up out of conflict and chaos and choose to hear our own inner voice and walk our own authentic, spiritual path.
What does Authentic mean? Well, authentic means not false or copied, genuine, real. We are first and foremost, spiritual beings. That is who we truly are. That is our authentic self, our perfect self, the perfect idea in the mind of Spirit. It is when we out-picture that perfect self in the manifest world that we often become less authentic – separate from our true nature. We take on ideas that are not true to our potential.
Independence is described as freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others. So in life, when we choose to be independent, we often are required to give something up. We want to be free of the control but sometimes we aren’t sure we want to let go of something that seems to support us, something that has grown to be comfortable. Just as when baby when it is born gives up the comfort of the womb to enter the physical world, we are often asked to give up something that is comfortable but no longer serves us and can no longer support our growth.
We become spiritually independent when we give up limiting thoughts and beliefs and awaken to our true, divine nature, when we realize that all the power and perfection of Spirit runs though us – is truly the essence of our beings.
So how do we realize this power, how do we truly experience spiritual independence?
First, desire – often a birthing process or significant change in our lives is preceded by a time of dissatisfaction, at time where our current circumstances are not supportive of who we truly are. And so the desire for change comes first.
Second we have to have a Vision! A clear picture of what it is that we truly want to express and experience in our lives.
Our forefathers had a Vision of what they chose to fight for. They had a vision and they wrote it down, and called it the Declaration of Independence.
Third, we have to become aware of what thoughts or activities are holding us back from our good. Just like the toilet paper story – sometimes we are just not aware of what is supporting our staying where we are – what it is that is keeping us from our good. We must FILL our minds with positive thoughts and affirmations so that there is no room left for negative, limiting thoughts to get in.
Fourth, refine the Vision. Once the US won their independence, they didn’t stop with just that declaration of independence. They went on to create the bill of rights and the constitution to clarify what they meant and how they planned to achieve it.
Take another step toward your manifesting your vision by refining it. Make it as clear as possible so the universe knows what it is that you truly want. What will satisfy you? Imagine what it would look like. What would it feel like to be the powerful, successful, joyful and prosperous person you are designed to be? What does it look like? What are you in that moment? What are you doing, wearing, saying, feeling. The clearer our vision, the more accurately the universe provides it for us.
And finally, it is not enough to simply hear the inner voice. It is not enough to set the intention, vision or goal. It is not enough to let go of the old beliefs and limiting thoughts. And while it is imperative to fill your mind with positive, clear and affirmative thoughts it is just as imperative to take action. The book of James tells us “faith without works is dead (James 2:26)”, and so we must take action and live the truth we know.
You must LIVE the vision. You must take action and make it happen. Write it down. Speak your truth out loud. BE authentic, BE independent, BE the truth of you, the person you know you are here to be.
What safety net do you need to leave behind? What limiting thoughts will you secede from? What positive thought will you hold in its place? And how will you begin to walk the talk? How will you begin to BE your vision, to BE your truth, to BE your true and independent, authentic spiritual self?
This is an excerpt from our Sunday message. To read the entire message, download the pdf file
Located on Meid St, Off East Houghton between Fairview Street & North Valley Road., West Branch, MI
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 206, West Branch, MI 48661
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