Focus

Sometimes there are so many thoughts fighting for my attention that it is hard to FOCUS on one.

A few months ago I had LASIK surgery in both eyes. During the surgery, I was instructed to keep looking straight up into the green light. I was holding my vision as steady as I could and the two assistants were helping me. One was coaching me. She kept saying, “Focus, Heather. Focus!” Whenever she said that it encouraged me to focus, I would wonder if I had stopped focusing. Maybe she could see something I couldn’t see.  See how easy it is to doubt the self! 

I wanted to shout that I WAS FOCUSED!

My surgery was a success. Now, I do not need glasses for distance or for reading.

I started to wonder if I have a tendency to do something similar regarding keeping in mind the good that I want to experience.

As we know, it is done unto us as we believe. What we believe, or know for sure, becomes our experience.

Then I could ask myself, are there areas in my life in which I would like to experience more good?

Of course, the answer to that question is a resounding “yes.” I would like to make a bigger difference in people’s lives. I would like to have more time and money freedom. I would like to have an abundance of energy to do whatever I want to do whenever I want to do it. I want to be healthy and free of any ailments whatsoever. I would love to live in bliss and peace. I want to daily prove the principle and be a living, breathing demonstration of the power of our teaching.

Last week I celebrated a birthday and I was wined and dined, gifted, celebrated and acknowledged by hundreds of friends and colleagues. One of my friends asked me what I really wanted for my birthday--- if I could receive anything what would it be? I joked at first that a lotto win would be great! But then I thought about it and told the truth, “The best present anyone could give me is for our sanctuary to be filled with people who are moved, touched and inspired by the message, the music and the experience of community!

I am focusing on my good right now!

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.