In the song "Respect
Yourself" written by Luther Ingram and Mack Wise, we find a
creative way in which words are used to get people to condition their
mind to feel and think respect for themselves. Self-respect
allows the flow of worthiness and a healthy self-esteem to be fostered
in our mind. In these lyrics taken from the song we can see that
the words "respect yourself" are repeated four times in the
beginning and four times in the ending of this single stanza.
"Respect
yourself, respect yourself, respect yourself, respect yourself
If you don't respect yourself
Ain't nobody gonna give a good cahoot, na na na na
Respect yourself, respect yourself, respect yourself, respect yourself”
-
from the lyrics of the song "Respect Yourself" performed by
the Staple Singers
The
Staple Singers were an American Gospel, Soul and R&B group formed
by the father with his children. The family name was Staples but
the "s" was deleted in naming the group. The song
"Respect Yourself" was a top hit song in 1971 and continues
to receive air-play today on radio stations throughout the
world. I believe that this can be attributed to the fact that
the words speak to the truth about each of us and our relationship
with each other and most importantly, our self. We must respect
our self. If we don't, we must learn how to.
Too often people are so mind-busy with what is wrong with themselves
that they forget that a focus on what is wrong with us never heals us
and never resolves any issues we may be dealing with. Self
respect does not make us arrogant or ego driven. It is the most
important attribute to be aware of if we seek to discover the way in
which we can rise to the level of consciousness necessary to live with
peace of mind and prosperity. Most legitimate spiritual and
religious teachers will tell us the truth that "what G-d does for
us must be done through us" ... in other words, through the
conscious awareness of who we really are and what we believe first
about our self, about our relationship to G-d and our relationship to
the world in which we live.
I
am a firm believer in affirmations, but I also believe that we affirm
so many things that we are not consciously aware of.
Self-depreciation which diminishes our self-respect is far too
prevalent in the minds of people. We cannot depreciate and
appreciate at the same time. Self-respect comes from
appreciating the amazing nature of our soul or consciousness.
The soul of us came into this life without a blemish of
self-depreciation or criticism of any kind. This is easy for any
intelligent person to realize. In the ancient wisdom we can find
that even those who lived in primitive times realized this. In
the Gospels, Jesus is referred to as a "Son of God" ... and
he stated clearly that we are all of one Father (Our Father, he
said). Yet, religion has distorted this truth and have taught
that he was the "only son of God." And I repeat this
often, "son" in the Aramaic language of Jesus meant a
"part of" ... Jesus was a "part of G-d" and so are
you and me. To realize this is to elevate our soul to its
original state when we were born into the world. It is in this
state of mind or consciousness, that allows the Spirit of G-d to flow
through our mind, our heart and our soul without fear, doubt or any
thought of unworthiness.
Let's look at these words taken from A
Course In Miracles, Lesson 47: "God
is the strength in which I trust. ... If you are
trusting in your own strength, you have every reason to be
apprehensive, anxious and fearful. What can you predict or control?
What is there in you that can be counted on? What would give you the
ability to be aware of all the facets of any problem, and to resolve
them in such a way that only good can come of it? What is there in you
that gives you the recognition of the right solution, and the
guarantee that it will be accomplished?
Of yourself you
can do none of these things. To believe that you can is to put your
trust where trust is unwarranted, and to justify fear, anxiety,
depression, anger and sorrow. Who can put his faith in weakness and
feel safe? Yet who can put his faith in strength and feel weak?
God
is your safety in every circumstance. His Voice speaks for Him in all
situations and in every aspect of all situations, telling you exactly
what to do to call upon His strength and His protection. There are no
exceptions because God has no exceptions. And the Voice which speaks
for Him thinks as He does.”
In these
words from Lesson 47 of A Course in Miracles we find a different
presentation of the truth taught by the Master Mind Jesus in the
Gospels: "Do you not believe that I
am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you
I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me
does his works." This is the truth for each of us,
but we won't believe that it is unless we respect that part of us that
is G-d.
From the Talmud
we can read: "If I am not for myself,
who will be, but if I am only for myself, what am I?"
And in these words from the ancients we can realize the importance of
respecting our self ... not just what the world may call our finer
qualities, but the wholeness of our self. And then we can say
with conviction, "G-d is the strength in
which I trust."
AND
SO IT IS!
Keep
the
faith!
Rev.
Henry Bates
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