Decide to be Creative

Are you creative? Recently i met a woman who has been collecting dolls for years. She has thousands of dolls in her home. She has dolls from every region of the world and made from various materials in every size and shape you could imagine. Many of dolls' faces were created in her own kiln. Their expressions were chosen by her. The clothing, jewelry and shoes were made by her. Nobody would deny that she is very creative! This picture is of part of her collection.

Photo by Linda Lyerly

Many people have an idea about creativity that is incorrect. They think that creativity can only be expressed through the arts. I know I used to think that because I couldn't draw things that even faintly resembled the thing I was drawing, I decided that I was not creative.

When I started studying the Science of Mind, I began to realize that we are  all creative beings. I began to understand that through our beliefs and passions we were creating our worlds. Creativity can take many forms. What we think about, comes about.

What is on your mind? That is the thing you are passionate about. If you are worried about something, you tend to visit that idea many times a day. You are actually creating the very thing that you fear. You are planting an idea. You are passionate about the idea.That idea must become your creation. It is not because God wants you to be unhappy; it is simply because you have been planting ideas of misfortune. You could start planting ideas of good fortune. You could fertilize it with gratitude.

What would it be like if you took the same time to prayerfully or passionately consider the good that is already in your life? What if you used your creative imagination to dwell upon uplifting ideas?

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote these words of wisdom:

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

Thinking about these things will create more of them in your life. You are creative right now! Choose something beautiful. You will have a collection like our hostess.

Why Do Bad Things happen to Good People?

The Church of My Childhood Taught Good vs Evil

Why do bad things happen to good people? Our philosophy clearly gives answers that not many other spiritual paths give us. We do not believe in a punishing God. neither do we believe in a rewarding God. We believe that our consciousness is creative.

I just returned from Los Angeles, where the newest Centers for Spiritual Living ministerial students have gathered for the last piece of their ministerial training. One of the activities on which they were evaluated was their ability to give a five minute talk on one of five subjects. One of the subjects was my topic today.

Most students were clear that it is our judgment that determines whether something is good or bad. A couple of students quoted Shakespeare's Hamlet, "There is nothing either good nor bad, but thinking makes it so."

Of course the way we perceive anything makes a difference and if we are determined to continue using our own ruler to determine good and bad, we will continue to perceive things as either good nor bad.

However, that does not answer the question of why do bad things happen to good people or even conversely why do good things happen to bad people. The answer lies at a different level of consciousness. When we are looking at good things and bad things, we are looking at the level of effect, not the level of cause. There is a perfect cause for every effect. It is the creative process in the Universe and in the individual. Jesus reminded us that "It is done unto us as we believe."

Let us examine some bad things that could occur in a person's life. Loss of health could be seen as a "bad" thing. Loss of income or job security could be seen as a bad thing. Loss of friendship could be seen as a bad thing. Loss of love could be seen as a bad thing.

However, no matter what kind of loss or disaster has occurred in my life, no matter how I may rail against life and scream that it is unfair for a good person to be experiencing these things, the truth is at some level, obvious or subtle, I must have had a stronger belief in loss thanI had in good health, increasing prosperity, ever-lasting love, etc. This is the foundational principle hat we teach, espouse and live by. To do otherwise is to make us victims of circumstances. We were born to be victors not victims.We were born to prove the principle in every area of our lives and live fully.

So the answer is a simple one: Bad things happen to good people because at some level of consciousness, those good people had a belief in those bad things. First Cause to all creation lives within each one of us, as each one of us.

We are powerful beyond measure.

The spiritual path we are travelling, requires the greatest self-honesty we can find. We cannot and should not judge another person's path, for by doing so we are saying that we know what is another person's mind and heart. But we will benefit from examining the results in our own lives.We can find the deep spiritual gift in all our experiences.And we can begin to change our minds about our cherished beliefs in struggle, lack and unhappiness.

Be true to the magnificence that you are. Let your inner light shine.