No need to Jump through Hoops

Do you have a belief, either conscious or unconscious, that you need to meet certain criteria to be spiritually acceptable?  Many of of were taught that there was a God somewhere judging our every action and thought! He was particularly interested in our sinful, perhaps lusty thoughts. Then at the end of your life you would be judged as being good or "not good enough" to enter into Heaven. That version has several flaws.

First, our Creator would not give us desires and then judge us for the very desires He created in us and then judge us for using them. It would make God mean-spirited, petty and unforgiving. That might be creating God in our image! Or someone we might know.

Second, heaven is within. We are already in it and do not have to earn it. We simply need to choose it.

 A mean-spirited God  is not the kind of God I believe in.

I believe in the God of Love. The God who was crazy in  love with Itself, who couldn't stop Itself from making me and you in Its image and likeness.

I believe in a God who is beside Himself with Joy, doing the Snoopy dance all day long. Wherever the Divine Gaze rests,beauty  springs forth.

I believe in a Creator wild about the colors that he has created. I envision Him at play in the hoar-frost of winter, the new cherry blossoms in spring and the gorgeous autumn colors. 

A mother's love for her young is God's crowning glory, His "piece de resistance" I see the Creator in the hummingbird who built her nest right outside my front door, in a scrawny bush, but still with enough camouflage her babies would be safe. She sat on the nest until two little hummingbirds were ready to fly!

Mother hummingbird well hidden

I believe in the kindness and goodness of all people. 

Recently I moved out of the home I have been living in for four years. I was greatly blessed by kindness from others. I am thankful for all of them. I am thankful for the planners who laid out my new home and organized my existing furniture in it. I am grateful for the fast -thinking packers who simply were in the flow of doing, never stopping simply moving forward. I am grateful for the methodical packers who measured twice or three times and cut once. I am grateful for the Window Guy who replaced screens for me because I felt it was the right thing to do. I am grateful for the hauling and sorting. I am grateful for my cleaning women who look after me so well, seeing with eyes filled with compassion for me. I see God in each one of these beloved. I see the evidence of the Divine. All of it is Love in action and I am greatly blessed. I see that there never was any need to jump through any spiritual hoops. My good, just like the baby hummingbirds' good, is at hand. I am choosing heaven today!

A better look at the Hummingbird

Heaven Now

Over two hundred years ago poet William Blake wrote these immortal words:

"To see a World in a Grain of Sand

And a Heaven in a Wild Flower 

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand 

And Eternity in an hour"

The words are beautiful and somewhat mysterious. If you think deeply about it,Blake is saying that when we look with our spiritual eyes, we see God everywhere. We are able to see the eternal, infinite nature of Divine Life in the simplest objects. Can you see heaven in a wild flower? Can you see heaven in your child's eyes? Can you see heaven in your everyday activities?

In those days the accepted meaning of "heaven" was the afterlife reward for those who lived well according to their religious tradition.
The first definition in dictionary.com is:

" the abode of God, the angels, and the spirits of the righteous after death; 

 the place or state of existence of the blessed after the mortal life."

In the Science of Mind, we do not believe the heaven is a "greater later" but rather heaven is a state of consciousness of happiness, which we can choose any time we wish.

Rickie Byars-Beckwith wrote the wonderful song, "I'm Choosing heaven today."

One of my favorite teaching stories is about a mean-spirited man and en enlightened being. The man had a bird, in his hand and dared the master with these words, "Divine Master, if you are all-knowing, tell me whether the bird in my hand is dead or alive." He thought that whichever answer the master chose, he would either kill the bird or set it free. The wise master said, "It is up to you, son. It is up to you."

The power of choice is one of our greatest gifts. We can choose happiness, or sadness, generosity or stinginess, love or indifference. Choose wisely.

You are the one who can make your life heaven or hell.