Black Friday and
Cyber Monday have come and gone, and the Christmas shopping season is fully on
us.
I want to talk a little about
shopping and suggest how to approach it this year.
I would suggest that it is always
wise to use good judgment in our spending in order to maintain financial and
emotional order and balance in our life. I know we can go out and shop without
any thought of limitation or lack. We can!
At Christmas time probably more money
is spent than at any other time of the year, but at no other time do we feel so
good about spending; at no other time do we feel so richly blessed. Why do you
think this is? I believe it’s because we are spending not from the thought of
necessity… but from the thought of giving joy and pleasure to someone else, giving
in the thought of putting a smile on their face and in their heart.
More simply put: we are spending to give rather than to receive. Does that remind you of any piece of scripture? Does that
help you to feel that teaching differently than how you may have thought
about it in the past? What is true at Christmas is true all year long.
At Christmas time we find ourselves a
part of a richness of spirit that makes us feel truly prosperous. We have a new
awareness of the flow of God’s substance that provides the fulfillment of all
our needs, the substance that is our never failing supply.
The creative substance of God that
we’ve talked about in the past is represented in the fog of a misty
morning. On a foggy day we are aware,
with surety, that there is water suspended in the air. On a day when the air is
“clear” there is still moisture in the air, we just don’t see it.
Think of the idea of the presence of
God, the presence of creative substance, like moisture in the air; it’s there
whether we are aware of it or not.
In all our shopping, in all our
buying, in all our spending, let us have a joyous realization that we are immersed
in the creative substance of God and we
are rich – rich in spiritual consciousness, rich in love, rich in giving,
and rich in receiving.
Go shopping with God this year.
I believe that you are also aware that
the greatest gifts that you can give do not cost any money. The greatest gift
you can give is a portion of yourself. That’s a gift that accepts the counsel
of Christ “To let your light shine.”
I’ve just spent a few minutes talking
about giving away. In reality you can’t actually do it; you can’t give away
anything. Sure, you can say, “If I give someone a watch, or a necklace, or an
iPad, or a coat, or a pair of shoes, I don’t have them anymore, so I’ve given
them away!”
Yes, I would agree. What I said
though was in Reality you can’t give
anything away. What’s the difference? My definition od Reality includes:
indelible, non-cyclical, unchanging, and eternal.
The things of the world come and go;
watches, necklaces, iPads, coats, shoes, etc., they all come and go; they are
not real, they are temporary.
When you define something by the
vision of your eyes, you are dreadfully short-sighted. You have been distracted
by the scenery and missed the presence of spirit.
Take another look beyond the physical
world. Look for/feel for the presence of spirit. Now you’re connecting with
reality.
In spirit you will find that whatever
you try to give away is impossible, because it comes back to you multiplied
many times over.
If you want to learn something, teach
it and you will learn it. If you want to master something give it away. What we
express in any moment is what we are giving.
Like the Bible says, “It is more
blessed to give, than receive.” When you receive, it is over, unless you give
from that original receiving, and when you give, or whatever you give, it just
keeps multiplying back to you. That’s what’s being shared with us in the Gospel
of Luke (6:38) “Give, and it will be
given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will
be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to
you.”
I watched a movie this week titled,
“Cancel Christmas.” In this film the Christmas Board of Directors told Santa
that Christmas would be cancelled unless he could change the hearts of three
boys.
There were a number of plot twists
and turns, but in the end Santa saves Christmas because he was able (appearing
as a school janitor) to soften these three hardened hearts. Once their hearts
were softened these three boys gave… they gave love to those around them.
As you give this holiday season, take
God into partnership with you. When your eyes open up spiritually, you will
realize that plenty is here, all around you, and once your eyes are opened
spiritually you will see the plenty, and rejoice. You will realize that you are
richly blessed. You are immersed in the omnipresent profusion of God's good…
and your awareness will become permanent the more you realize this is so.
You have a Partner that has all the
resources.
When others talk about lack, I ask
you to affirm abundance all the more persistently inside of your mind. I ask
you to have faith in the bounty of God. I pray that you see your rich blessings
everywhere and affirm their presence not only for yourself but also for
everyone else. Deny thoughts of lack and replace them with a positive affirmation,
in faith, that abundance is everywhere manifest (think of the mist of creative
substance). Open your mind to the spiritual awareness of Divine abundance that
is always ready to come forth in a multitude of ways and means.
In Psalms 105:40 the Bible states,
"They asked, and he brought quails, and gave them bread from heaven in
abundance." (Where is the scripture that says, “They asked and he
shortchanged those suckers because they didn’t deserve it.”?)
The blessing of the Lord cannot be
contained. It is meant to be shared.
This Christmas shopping season, shop
with the spiritual awareness that you are abundantly blessed… and you will experience
abundant blessings.
Givers: Let your light shine upon
others, uplifting them in subtle and not-so-subtle ways by giving them a gift
that will last a lifetime; the gift of your Spirit.
Receivers: Let your light shine upon
others, uplifting them in subtle and not-so-subtle ways by receiving the givers
gift in a way that will last a lifetime; through the gift of your Spirit.
It’s going to be a great Christmas!
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