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"The
Mystic Way to Love is that step taken after the mind has been
transcended; after the cries of the personality have ceased and the soul
has become stilled. Then, and then only, does he enter into free
union with God. ... The difference between the mystic and the man on the
street is that one walks in conscious realization of the enfolding
Presence of Love and the other walks in the world. One is awakened
and the other is asleep. But the cry unto all is, "Awake thou
that sleepest ... and Christ shall give you light." –
Rev. Richard F. Kingsley, He That Hath Love, 1954
“You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care
has preserved my spirit.”
- Job
10:12, Holy Bible
It has been in the "collective consciousness" for
centuries that somehow, if we choose love, we must sacrifice money.
And for far too many people, love has been the justification to tolerate
drama even to the point of violence in their intimate relationships.
In a world that believes in suffering and struggle both love and money
have taken on the attributes of both. We see this throughout the
Media, popular films and movies and best-selling novels. There are
a myriad of books, love gurus, financial gurus and psychics, that have
attempted to both help and take advantage of this duality. Yet, as
Dr. Joseph Murphy often used the quote from Shakespeare, "nothing
is good or bad but thinking makes it so." And so whatever it
is that we have made of love and money, it is our thoughts about both
that have caused them to be what they are for us.
The truth about love is that it is
synonymous with God. It is a power for good and that whenever we
allow the love of God to express through us, good is guaranteed to
follow. Perhaps not from the object of our love, but love will not
deny us no matter what we may experience in the physical. Love
will always give us something to love, whether it is someone or
something. Love is the door that always opens when a door is
closed to us. It is the thing that inspires us to believe not only
in the good, but also in our self. We don't have to compromise our
values to realize love and we don't have to struggle or fight for it.
Most of all, we must realize the difference between the power of love
and emotional and sexual attraction; love is neither emotional or
sexual. Yet, love is both the "cause" of positive
emotion and sexual intimacy. Genuine love does not contain
duality; both good and bad, only good. We can't have it, unless we
give it ... to any great degree.
The truth about money is that it is God in
action; expressing in and as Divine Circulation. It is the
circulation of good and whenever we "recognize" that God is
the Source of our Supply and "realize" that money, like all
things good, is coming to us to share it with the world, then we shall
have an abundance of it to share. We don't have to sacrifice money
for love and so often lack of money is the "cause" of divorce
and turbulence in relationships. The emotional aspect of not
having money can disturb the mind and create depression, jealousy,
blame, shame, envy and self-depreciation. A right attitude towards
money is not dependent on whether we have a little or a lot, but on our
faith in our ability to be in the flow of Divine Circulation; that is,
open and receptive to "have" all that is necessary to meet our
requirements for it, and not afraid to spend and share that which we
have with wisdom.
We realize that right-thinking can bring love
and money together as complements to each other, and we can make choices
with greater wisdom and less emotionality; choices in regards to both
love and money. Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's No. 2 Executive, and a
remarkably successful wife and mother besides, and soon to be a
multi-billionaire, has this advice for women: "The most
important career choice you'll make is who you marry." I
think this is excellent advice for men too. Who we marry must not
just be someone we "fall in love with" but someone who shares
our ideals, supports us in that which is important to us and is a
spiritual match [nothing to do with religion]. Our ideals about
money, marriage, careers and family, all are centered in love, to
differing degrees. To contemplate marriage with someone with
grossly differing ideals, especially in regards to money, is courting
disaster.
Before we make the most important decisions in
our life regarding both love and money, let's begin to understand these
words from Job: “You
have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my
spirit.” In these words we realize that we don't have to
sacrifice money or compromise love; our steadfast choices in regards to
using both wisdom and clarity of thought rather than admitting
emotionality and duality, will grant us a life of steadfast love and
support for all things good that we desire to experience.
AND
SO IT IS!
Keep
the faith!
Rev.
Dr. Henry Lee Bates
Visit Rev. Bates BLOGS: Living
the Way to a Wonderful Life
Rev
Bates en Espanol
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