Image by Dimitris Vetsikas
Things do not appear without a thought having first given "life" to them. Through your thoughts, you are creating all the time—even when you sleep. The "meals" of your experience are cooked in the kitchen of your mind. Change your "thought recipes" and watch your experiences change.
Thought-power is creative power. It is the power that sparks action. Action, then, becomes directed behavior that produces an identifiable result. Good results come from good thoughts. Good thoughts are like a good foundation that is unshakable and permanent.
TAPPING INTO THE POWER
Knowing all of this is good. Most people who adhere to traditional religious beliefs not only do not know this, but they also would not believe it. So much in chains are we to either religious, philosophical, or even political dogmas, that we are seldom in tune with the Infinite. God's power is inherent in pure consciousness. To know this is fine, but to make use of it is far better.
How do you use this awesome and magnificent power, the very power that created the Universe and all the life that inhabits it? How can you tap into the creativity that flows, like a mighty river, through the consciousness of all life? Dr. Deepak Chopra suggests that a very good way is by exercising your mind through the daily practice of calm and expectant silence.
This process, known as meditation, can be easily accomplished if you think of it as listening rather than doing. And this state of listening is best done by sitting quietly alone and relaxing by taking a few deep breaths. Rather than willing anything, simply be; that is, do not judge anything, try to solve problems, or go to sleep. Simply sit in a calm state of listening and expectation.
You might achieve better quiet concentration if you close your eyes.
Another good way to access the God-power that flows through all life is to spend time at the beach or in nature. Notice the quiet, towering hulk of a tree in the forest and every leaf on it receiving its full nourishment from it. While at the beach, hear the roar of the ocean, the lap of the waves, and gaze upon the sparkling sun-kissed sand. Be delighted in the harmony (cooperation and collaboration) of nature: how seagulls wait patiently for their food opportunities; how lovely, exotic "indoor" plants grow within the shade of powerful trees; how tiny beach birds use the ebb and flow of the tide as their "clock" for timing the finding of food. You will see that everything in nature occurs in perfect, Divine, right order — there are no accidents, only incidents. You will also see the infinite creativity, freedom, and peace in nature.
The sun "explodes" into earth's face in total silence. The sun contains infinitely more nuclear force and deadly gases than any quantity of "mass-destruction devices" human beings could ever bring into existence. Yet, the sun spreads its light and heat upon us without noisy and deafening announcement or fanfare and "parting shots." The sun simply is — and it shines always as it is.
You are God's light to the world; shine forth like the sun.
AWAKE AND MEDITATE
That is how we are to be just as we truly are: without storm and stress. But that takes practice. So make a commitment to yourself to regularly practice sitting alone, say, when you first wake up in the morning, and simply be quiet with your eyes closed. In a state of complete relaxation, be at one with the Creator inside you. Hear only your breath and your heartbeat, not the last world-news report, family debate, or message left on your voice-mail.
Again, it is your quiet and expectant listening behavior that is the essence of your "silent treatment". With regular practice — morning, noon, and night — you will quickly achieve and assume power and solutions for every need. What you will experience are the effects of a spiritual mind treatment.
In order to obtain benefits from this miracle of silence, one has to make the same kind of commitment made when one decides to get up at the same time each morning and jog, swim, walk, or go to the gym for aerobics classes, weight-training, treadmill work, or whatever. The constant regularity of the physical and (in the case of meditation) spiritual commitment guarantees returns (benefits).
Develop a silence of mind and the "noise" of your life will vanish.
SUCCESS: A CHANGE Of HABITS
You may have to give up, cut back, or otherwise alter your current activities to make time for regular meditation. For example, if you are in the habit of reading the newspaper when you first get up in the morning, you may wish to discontinue doing that. Remember, your perspective on life is altered when you engage in regular meditation. Early-morning reading of newspapers tends to shape your perspective in the direction of the news. You may find your day unfolding in accordance with, and being "locked" in to, this perspective.
A more accurate term for newspaper might be "blues paper," since the information known as news is so very often bleak, depressing, and emotionally upsetting. Meditation, on the other hand, when done first thing in the morning, can attune you to the pure consciousness of the Infinite. Far better to thus allow the Infinite to "map out" your day than to "fall into" the puddles of printer's ink forming the graffiti we call newspaper headlines and front-page stories.
Be willing to change whatever you need to change — habits and customs — to spend time in silent meditation, free of the interruptions caused by radio, television, bill-paying, and other "routine stuff." You will be happy with the results, for they are real.
Do not resist change; insist on it. Then watch your problems give way before the new opportunities that will present themselves to you.
THE ABUNDANT GOOD LIFE ... YOURS FOR THE TAKING
Every good in life you could ever imagine or will ever want, in all its variety and unlimited abundance, has already been ordained and created for you by the Infinite. Our eternal good already and always exists. All the Infinite requires is that we have faith and the vision to see our never-ending good. Regular and consistent meditation is the fastest and most efficient means for developing this vision.
Meditation is not willing your good to come to you. Rather, it is developing the quiet, reliant confidence of knowing that it is already there. Your attitude, desire, and goal are to be at-one with the Infinite and gratefully acknowledge that. Through meditation, the Infinite embraces you with the "Creator-consciousness." Without this, it is impossible to go deep within yourself to the faith, feeling, and fulfillment level where the Source communicates with the soul, resulting in your meeting both the supplier and supply of all your good.
In addition to practicing silence in the morning, take opportunities throughout the day to periodically practice being silent. At first, it may be difficult; you may continue to hear the "radio" between your ears rattling on about the staff meeting at work, the need to run some errands at lunch, the importance of returning a V.I.P.'s telephone call. But keep at it. In a very short time (a couple of days, perhaps) you will soon be very comfortable with the new and developing silence invading your mind.
You can produce your life exactly as you want it to be.
MINDING YOUR MIND
You see, the mind understands that you have made the decision not to speak or even think thoughts that you would have spoken if you had not instead made the decision that "this is silence time." You are coming into your True Self, your pure spirit, and seeking to confront and address and access the Creator's power. Your intention to do this is recognized by the mind. It will cease its relentless thoughts about "urgent matters" and let you be in peace. The peace and silence you experience is the vacant and uncrowded region of pure power.
How long should you meditate? You should practice until you can comfortably meditate for at least 30 minutes — morning and evening — before stopping. The region of silent and pure power will confer a special awareness upon you. You will find your intuition, or "hunches" and premonitions, becoming sharper and more frequent and insistent. You will also become aware of the activity of cause and effect in your life; and as you see seemingly random events or people come into your experience and behave in an intelligible manner, you will realize that the Infinite constantly makes order out of chaos.
There are no accidents, only incidents. And "coincidences" are merely two events that were meant to occur at the same time.
IN PERFECT, DIVINE, RIGHT ORDER
Every event and every person crossing your experiential plane is part and product of the Infinite's power of correlating and organizing. As you realize what is occurring (that miracle phone-call "out of the blue," that long-due money owed you, that long-awaited contract, that indication that your special relationship with another is a "winner"), you will see that the parts, though "randomly" acting, are related to each other and related to the whole picture of your unfolding good. In this region of pure power everything is connected to everything else.
When discussing how meditation produces the clear inner vision so necessary to making life all that it is supposed to be, someone once said, "By going inside [through meditation] you gain insight." That is exactly what occurs.
Meditation grants you the inner vision that illuminates the answers to whatever ills may be in your life and provides you with the corrections for the conditions you want changed.
Reprinted with permission of the publisher,
Devorss & Company, Publishers. www.devorss.com
©2003. All Rights Reserved.
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Little Green Apples: God Really Did Make Them!
by O.C. Smith & James Shaw.
This book is an action-directed life manual that teaches readers the form and formula for living life and living it abundantly. An astute and articulate observer of life, as a glancing review of his hit pop songs will prove to anyone, Rev. O.C. Smith, in writing this book, is 'singing' his best song yet. As you turn each page, be prepared to experience a powerful dose of O.C.'s joy, love, wisdom and happiness. Like the eye-opening taste of a crisp green apple, O.C. will wake you up to a new understanding of life.
Info/Order this book. Also available as a Kindle edition.
About the Authors
Ocie Lee Smith, Jr. was born in Mansfield, Louisiana. During his teen years he truly loved singing at parties and performing at school social events. He attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, majoring in psychology. O. C. would tell you with a smile, "This was not a bad preparation for life in show business." Following college, he joined the Air Force and Special Services as an entertainer on military bases all over the world. Once his 'hitch' was over, he headed for New York and a full-time career as a singer. He died in November 2001.
James Shaw has been a speechwriter for Chicago Cubs legend and Baseball Hall of Famer Ernie Banks and is a frequent media commentator who lectures throughout the United States on public school law and socially urgent issues regarding children and families. He earned his doctorate from the Claremont Graduate University and received Phi Delta Kappa's Best Dissertation of the Year award for 1997. In 2000, the California State Legislature honored him with its Certificate of Recognition for his writings on children and families.
